WOOD MEN WERE NAILED

NZ Truth, Issue 1196, 1 November 1928, Page 10

WOOD MEN WERE NAILED

Fists and Furies Were Going At Two-a-Penny In Rotorua

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Representative.)

Stepping into Rotorua, Alfred George Wynn, a barber, slim of figure, daintily marcelled as becomes one of the ancient profession, and nattily dressed, landed a coterie, of his chosen pals into the soup. Blades all, they stood up for the rights of their newly-arrh>ed cobber, and one thing leading to another some of them stood up a few wee^s later to hear charges of using obscene language and fighting levelled at their glossy young heads.

ON September 15, the night after his arrival, Wynn went to the Rotorua

Dixieland with three of his bosom cobbers, William Matheson, William David Parsons and Arthur Edward Costello, to give the girls, a treat to the blaring airs of jazz. By about eleven o'clock, it seems, he was so overcome with his energetic fancy foot work that he cast himself upon a form m the men's dressing-room to rest. While he was resting at full length upon the form the dance-hall proprietor, George Leslie Victor Hunter, came into the room, immediately jumped to the conclusion that the tonsorial artist was pvercome with liquor rather than fatigue', and spoke accordingly. Such a slur upon the reputation of their newly -arrived friend aroused the ire of his friends and they expressed themselves m terms of considerable emphasis, but with little regard for the niceties of polite English. One thing led to another, until finally a battle of fists toolo place outside. The neighborhood was aroused by the din, the outcome of which was at least a physical victory for the Maoris. Magistrate Patersbn on taking his seat faced a full court of Pakeha and Maori. Sergeant Hpgan conducted the case for the prosecution, Lawyer Carter acted for, the three young men who pleaded not guilty, while Lawyer Urquhart was there to represent McRae, a young Maori,, who was charged with fighting. Another Maori by name Pirika did not put m an appearance, but early m the proceedings the charge against him of fighting was dismissed. The first witness called for the police was Leonard Sharp, a young man wno said he played m the Dixieland orchestra. He related how he was attracted to, the men's dressing-room by the use of harsh words while he was collecting cups, etc., after. supper about 11 p.m. He saw Hunter, the. proprietor, surrounded by three men,, Costello, Matheson and Parsons.; '"■ ; "I naturally went 1 in.'f he told the bench, "because they were all arguing and picking on Hu h.t er, bu t I couldn't hear what they were saying." Sharp found then that the cause ot this korero was that Hunter had spoken to the man lying on the form; he continued: "They picked oh me because t was there sticking up for him, and asked me what 1 was poking: my nose m for?" Sergeant Hogan was anxious to know what was the nature of the language used: "Come on, tell us," he urged the young musician. After some hesitation witness, who seemed to be afraid of hurting the sensibilities' of the court, stated that Matheson said: "If you put one of us out you'll have to put us all out and I'll take on any — — m the hall."

Parsons, too, . wanted him to fight, and because the witness didn't accept the invitation the former called him a "crawling — ■ — r." \

These were the . only phrases he heard, and he couldn't say they were used more than once. He -would not say that the language could be heard m the hall, and that though they were not drunk they, had all been drinking.

Sharp said he missed the fight, as he was playing m the orchest.ta at the time. . ■„. „ . '..'■'■'■ j'.'-.'

To Lawyer Carter, witness said: "They picked on me— l'm speaking the truth— l swore it on the Book."

"Yes," retorted the lawyer, "we know a lot of others do, too."

When his turn came, Leslie Hunter told much' the same story. The commotion. was caused by his telling th« man who was lying on the seat to stand up. Matheson, Parsons and Costello also picked oh him. Wynn, whom he didn't know, appeared to be drunk, and when he found that he was not he apologised. . '

, What the language was Leslie , couldn't say to begin with, but it was bad language-^— filthy language —but when the sergeant pressed him to relate it, Leslie paused for quite a while, and said he couldnot remember. , - .. ! At last, he conceded , the point that although all three • used bad language he would hot say 4 they ail used the : words mentioned. Leslie' thought it was- Parsons who said he would "have on any blank m the room." So Jar as the drinking was concerned they, might have had a few drinks between 'dances. He did not put any of them out because one of them said if he had to go he would "have ,to put the whole blanky.x'oom out." . Some of- the girls had complained ol the language being heard m the hall, but it waH not calied out m a loud tone, 'though their attitude was 'threatening.

Ci'oss-examJned by Lawyer. Carter, Leslie said he previously had experienced trouble wij:h Matheson, but the other two were weil-behaved. He Heard! nothing about- Wynn having to Ho down because he was "flooding at the nose."

"After I found out. he was not drunk £ apologised, and shook hands," said Leslie, ''but I need not have done because, he was- pretending to be drunk."

• It was the' sounds of battle, which drew John. Fruser, boptmaker, to the scene, arid, he found' a melee going on In Putaki : Street. Mcßae. he thought, was fighting Matheson, but he would not say : for certain— there was such a ci'owd. Parsons was on the ground as If knocked out. , \ •

"I picked • Parsons, up. Then someone hit me- — I couldn't say who. Parsons, was stupified." John was soon aa tisfled, for' he said : "I walked . away when someone eIRC . clouted me."

Lawyer . Carter extracted the information that there >yere more Maoris than whites, and' when the .lawyer: put some leading questions to the witness, Se'veeant Hogan observed: "You're making/ it a hit hot, aren't yoii?" . V

■ John' gave it as his opinion, that McHne "was sober enough to fight." "

Harold Mcßae's contribution to the story was that Math'eson picked on his young brother, Herbert, and when 5t came to blows Harold caine^ off worse. "I should say he was.": was. this?, witness' reply when asked' if MjAhespn was' intoximted. Haroki's brother did not touch drink, he said. ;

. "You were the only man who had his coat off?" bsked Lawyer Carter whery he had his shot at the young Maori witness. "It was torn

off," was the answer,

Questioned as to the row m Pataki Street, he would not say thaLt the Maoris were" ijici ting the others, but 'I think MatheMon made a mistake— my brother was a bit too good for him," he concluded. ■■■•'■ • •

In the afternoon, Matheson \Vas call* •;d to commence the Case for -the defence, He said he was a carpenter, i'-nd he denied that he had committed either of the offences .with -which he I was. charged. He had never said to

Knocked Him Back

They Shook Hands

Hunter over the incident of his pal Wynn that he would "have on any m the room." The row with the younger Mcßae took place later after the other affair was patched up. "I came into the cloak-room ana Mcßao asked me for a match. I couldn't give him one, as I don't smoko. Someone else gave him one, and when he lit it I blew it out."

With that, he continued, Mcßae the younger asked him out and they went out together. Bill Manson was there and a lot of Maoris. "I'm getting out of this," Matheson said was his obser» vatiori. However, he did not have the opportunity, for Mcßae hit him, and they fell on the ground together, the carpenter underneath. -.-...

"Where did you get hit?" asked Lawyer Carter.— l got hit m the boucn. "The what?'"' .

The smart young man m the witnessbox explained that he meant his mouth. He had three stitches put m his lip.

Matheson admitted . to the sergeant that he had been spoken to by Hunter | at Dixieland on a former qccasion, but he seemed' to think, he had cause to complain, for then he did not have tiny supper. | . When Mcßa.e - asked him outside Matheson said he was not certain what he wanted, but he supposed he wanted to fight,' or talk to him. "We went around the corner. I refused to fight, I pushed my hands out to defend myself." . Matheson said he was not looking for trouble — be came to his senses m the hospital. , , To Magistrate Paterson: "ThY Maoris came all around — there wa.s v tangi on." • The bench questioned Matheson as to the number of drinks he had that ..night, and was told "three whiskies," His worship observed: "A boy %t nine-; teeri.has no right to have drink at ail." ■ , Much the same story was told by the next defendant, William' Dajvid Par- . sons (19), a well- _________________ polished youth so far as hair and raiment went. It amounted to a total denial of any bad language or conduct, and he never heard a word used by the other two. Arthur Edward Costello, who gave his occupation as lorry driver, and now of Tauranga, came next. jSuc.h bad words as the summons "attributed to himself or his friends were never used, he swore. "I never heard any, sir," was his reply to the question from Lawyer Carter.

"I can't understand how Sharp or. Hunter could come into court and say what they did," was Costello's rejoinder to the sergeant, and he looked ouite amazed to think that such words coulcl have parsed his lips. "I was knocked ■back when -I .got tho summons." The next well -slicked-up yoil'ng man to take his vplace m the witness-box-was the cause of all the trouble m the first place— Alfred George Wynn. "When "Hunter found rtie: lying on the' seat he said to, me: : , 'Yoii'd better get out, 3'oii're drunk." '-When he saw he was wrong ho apologised."

Wynn had never heard anything like the language alleged.

"You think Hunter and Sharp

fabricated this yarn to get these

boys into trouble?" asked the ser-

geant. "Yes, sir," replied the dapper barber. , '

To Lawyer Urquhart he replied that he had seen no drinking; and he had not been near enough to Matheson to smell drink on him.

The crowd was about "half-and-half" m the opinion of William Reid, a fish shop assistant, who oame on the sceno when the fun was /on. They were not fighting after they had finished their wrestle, or whatever they were about, was his testimony. >

Lawyer Urquhiart called one witness, a Maori boy named Winiaka, who said he know both Matheson and Mcßae.

He had, he said, seen Matheson throw his arms around Mcßae's neck. Every sentence he terminated with "Ay?"— "He still had hold of him, Ay?" "I looked round for them, Ay?" "I saw them shaping up, Ay?"

Wmiaka's feet seemed to give him some trouble, for he shuffled, did a brief step-dance between his answers, and provided quite a little amusement with his assortment of postures.

Asked ■' if there was any swearing, he replied: "I don't know; I suppose everyone was "swearing there, Ay?"

To Lawyer Carter, he replied: "It didn't look like a joke, Ay?" and later: "This. Mcßae a very quiet fellow — Ay?" After ,'a final step-danco Winiaka left the witness-box. • '

Magistrate Paterson was not long m giving his decision, and he announced that he accepted the evidence of Hunter and Sharp"' against Parsons, Costello and Matheson.

Matheson and ,Mcßao would' he. 'fined £1 each for fighting. On the obscene language charge Parsons, Costello arid Matheson would be put, on probation for one' year under ; the usual Conditions, together with special conditions that they were not to toiifih alcoholic liquor during that time, while Cns'tello would have to takfe out a prohibition order. V ■ . ; ■

In addition, they would be asked to pay 16/8 each towards the costs of the prosecution. i : :

After leaving the court the youne khuts of the saw. held quite 'a korero, and discussed the merits or demerits of the case.

On tho following morning a plea was^ put forward, asking that Costello might be placed under the same restrictions as his" friends m the of liquor, as it would interfere with his calling as a carrier if he were prohibited, while m the case of all three It was requested that the ban on dancing might only be applicable to public dances. , ■ ■ . ' '.'■•• :•■ .

■;. Under the influence of the spring weather. Magistrate Paterson sanctioned 1 , the alteration m the terms imposed, Observing as he did so that the judgment had not yet been' entered up. :