STRIPPED TO THE WAIST

NZ Truth, Issue 1190, 20 September 1928, Page 8

STRIPPED TO THE WAIST

Jealousy Caused Ward to Tear Off Woman's Dress

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) To have her dress suddenly torn from her shoulders ■ and ripped down f her waist Me she sat m a tramcar, was the humiliating experience of Lillian Chapman, a woman of, about thirty years, when a man with whom she had previously been lioing "rushed at her Ifoa madman, demanding to know "where she had got that string of pearls.

UNTIL, six months ago, according to her own statement m the Auckland Police Court last week, sne had been living with John William Ward, an Englishman, as his wife, out then she left him "owing to cruelty. She had not seen the last of him, however, ' and she had reason to remember the next meeting, for he ma o.e a grab at her while she m an Onehunga tram and stripped^ her dress from her shoulders, to her £"«•■ This scene was carried out on August 17. and when she appeared m court to give evidence against Ward, who was charged with assault on * cr ' ™! woman seemed on the verge of break ing down. "I have two children of which accused Is the father," she told Magistrate, Hunt. •"' " ve t *'*5 accused up to .six months ago, and 1 left him owing to cruelty. "T e-ot on the tram at the post office?' she saiS, when felling of *• ! said: *'Where did you get that string Of To e Lawyer Fraer (for Ward) : I sent him a letter saying the. child Was gZg mo a horne 7 He tore. the dress Srhf down over my shoulders. I got £B from him. that weht to - the Don't you go under the nrme of Mrs. Ward?— Yes. Then she hurried on to say: "He stole my Jewels the day he left. He pawned n watch." Counsel: You pawned the watch.?— I beg to differ. Frances Derrick, a married woman, said that she was on the tram with complainant and had carried her from the tram when she collapsed. When questioned regarding the assault, witness said: "He came rushing at her like a madman and tore the dress off her back." Complainant was m an awful etate after the attack made by Ward, said

witness. She collapsed and the doctor "gave her up for dead." She valued the dress at £3/5/-. ■ Counsel: Complainant boards with you? — I am keeping her. They were living as man* and wife? — Yes. • "We admit they were living as man and wife," said counsel. Defendant's story was to the effect that the woman had sent for him and told him that she was going to send the children to a home. Defendant went to B«« her but could not do so, and hie saw her by aocldent on tha tram. Defendant: I sat In tha baok seat In the tram and got hold of her dress, When he tore the dress, he said, he sent her a£6 note. ' • S.M-: Well, he's -convicted. Addressing defendant, Mr. Hunt said: "Now, if , you interfere with this woman again, you'lj go up." , ;.' " ; . Ward was fined 40/-, m default seven days' imprisonment. • ;