OH WHAT A NIGHT!

NZ Truth, Issue 1213, 28 February 1929, Page 2

OH WHAT A NIGHT !

■ ■ ♦ ... i i i Bagpipes, Not Haggis, Upset The Constable

LIVELY NIGHT'S SEQUEL 1

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) A piece of haggis, a glass of Scotch and bagpipe's cries calling to them m the wilderness, and St. Heliers is Sandy's paradise — 0 Mon McKayhamm. Well, perhaps, but at any rate; 'Twas a braw, bricht moonlicht nicht; but more, 'twas the nicht before New Year's Day; and the residents of, and visitors to, St.. Heliers by-the-sea made merry on the foreshore while the Old Year waned. A long time ago now, but the sequel has been heard , by a magistrate.

"THERE was, nothing Scotch about 1 those of the Gaelic tongue that night at St. Heliers, for Jimmy Thompson, renowned for his blowing 1 capacity, had been specially imported from Auckland to do justice to the inflated bag. While the bottle passed, round the gathei'ing m Black's billiard saloon, the piper piped as he had never piped before, and "The Campbells Are Coming" and "Scots Wha Hae" stirred the blood of the hardy Scots as the notes floated out on the night air, to the accompaniment of the lap, lap of the waves on the dark beach only a few yards away. Jimmie puffed through eight tunes whiie the crowd made merry m the saloon, and his repertoire showed signs of wear. Besides it was hot work for Jimmie, and he had a bright idea. "Mr. Black, I'd have great' pleasure m first footin' your wife. Would she drink some whisky or some wine?" he asked the keeper of the saloon. And so it came to pass that the clan unanimously adopted the piper's .suggestion, and out to the street they

trooped to pack themselves into a car belonging to one of the company. But a very substantial post, which had been placed m the way by the Electric Power Board, frustrated the carrying out of their further celebrations. The car, carrying its cargo of ' Scots, made a short but exciting journey across the road, and the post put up a solid defence, with the result that the joy ride ended almost before it had begun, there being only a punctured tyre and a broken spring, where previously all had, been of the best. ' That was- not all, for the straw that broke the "Campbell's" back, took the form of the lone' local representative of law and order at St. -Heliers Bay, Constable Collins. Resplendent m uniform and moustache of authority, so well known to the lads of the village, he stepped across to enquire into the whys and wherefores. * The. Scots m his case resented the intrusion of one who was' not of the c^lan, especially as he gave his atr

tention to the piper, who was puffing out his cheeks m x-eadlness for a further impromptu concert on the pipes. "Put that thing- away and stop your noise," demanded the policeman, and it was then the merry-makers really took exception. For the musical instrument of their ancestors to be termed a "Thing," and the music from it to be called by the name "noise" was too much, and gaelic flowed freely. The New Year celebrations became somewhat lively with the constable the centre of attraction. The story of the concluding stages of the party is best told m the words of those members who later appeared m court charged with disorderly behavior and inciting to assault the police. "It was after one o'clock on New Year's morning when the men left the billiard saloon," said constable Collins. "It was only because they hit the post that the car did, not go into the sea. I went across and asked the driver to get out of the car, and he told me that he had not got a driver's license." The party all trooped out, of the car, Thompson commencing to play the bagpipes again, and he asked him to stop. "You can't stop him from playing the bagpipes. Go on playing, "Scotty," was what Alexander Black, one of the party and the owner of the billiard saloon, called out, said the constable. Constable V Fears "Let's dump him m the harbor," was the next cry, ■he said, and it was echoed by, about fourteen voices. "I was standing near the car, and the crowd was trying to get a party from Auckland to help them to put me m the harbor," the constable declared. By this time those present had formed • a double line, and, led by Thompson with . the bagpipes and Black, m 'his kilts, they marched around him, counting him out and crying "Dump him m the harbor." Yes, he had. plenty of reason to fear that th« crowd would carry out its threap he told Sub-inspect- , or McCarthy?! He thought that it was significant that his wife got up from her bed to come to him m the street. She had" heard, the threats, and had thought that they would be carried out. The Sub-inspector suggested that it might have been m the nature of a joke, but the constable thought otherwise; and said so very decidedly. Mr. Lovegrove appeared as counsel for the men from the Bay, and he lined his. clients up m front of the witness-box for the constable to identify them. "I put it to you, Constable Collins, that you went out looking for trouble that night. You spoke to two young men about wearing paper hats and blowing trumpets earlier m the evening, didn't you?" he asked. ' "Look at you m that car with n;iper hats, on and' blowing trumpets; you look ridiculous," was what the constable said he told the youths. "You're not Scotch yourself, are you?" was counsel's next, question. "No. I'm English, and I'm proud of it." came the decided answer. The. drooping moustache worn" by the constable then came m for a good deal of prominence, counsel asking him if he were not known by the name of "Walrus." ' "Come On, Scotty" "Didn't they say: "Come on, Scotty, give us another tune. Don't take any notice of walrus?" he queried. The constable did not remember that expression being used, he said, but he did remember someone saying to Thompson: "Go on, 'he can't stop you." Counsel: Didn't they cheer you, calling out 'three cheers for walrus'? —No. "Some said 'Good old walrus'; some said-. 'three cheers for walrus,' didn't they? And didn't your wife say" 'Oh! Daddy, they're calling you walrus?" "My wife never calls me Daddy. She said 'I would not put up with that, if I were you, "■ replied the constable. Counsel: She didn't tell you to arrest them ? — No., The crowd at the Bay had called him a mongrel when they had called out to throw him into the sea, he said.. More than those m court had used the word. ' It seemed to him, said the constable, that a few of the residents of the Bay had waited until New Year's Eve to "get one on to him." "Down with the police" was a cry a youth , named Skit said he had heard when he watched the proceedings on the night of., merry making, but 'he could not say who used the words. ■ ■ The constable's son, who had been with his father on Ne\\ v Year's Eve, was called, . and he said that he thought it was another man named Stubbs who was playing the bagpipes.' "What! I've never heard of a Cockney playing the, bagpipes," exclaimed counsel, and Stubbs himself, who sat m the court, suggested quietly that it may have been a Jew's harp he was playing. "There was a good deal of noise, and I heard the crowd threaten to throw •the policeman m the harbor. I did not think the crowd was aggressive," said a shop keeper at ,the Bay, who was called for the defence. If-. Constable Collins had walked away from the crowd for about half-an-hour they would have dispersed, was the ( opinion of the bus driver, who

said he Avatched tlie demonstration for about two hours. "The constable said that if the piper played any more after he stopped him,"he would not be responsible for what happened," said the proprietor of the billiard room when he went into the witness-box. ' ' On the question of whether he had too much liquor on New Year's Eve, the Scotsman was very decided, and became indignant at the suggestion. "I certainly did not have too much liquor. I carried on until six o'clock m the morning-," he told the sub-in-spector. . ', Described by counsel as a cockney, James Stubbs, a resident of the' Bay, who had taken part m the festivities, provided further amusement when he was called to give evidence. "What did you see?" the sub-in-spector asked him, and Stubbs said that he had missed very little of what took place. > Yes, he heard the constable called "Walrus" by the , people standing about. "I heard cries of 'good old walrus,'

'chuck him m the tide,' and there was a general', roa i- of approval," Charles i Irwin, a resident of the Bay told the j court. I But he did not think much of it. i He believed that "the happy crowd were enjoying themselves," and did not see why he should go to the constable's assistance. Mr. McKean said that he. would take into consideration the fact that the demonstration took place on New Year's Eve, but it must not be forgotten that the charge of inciting to assault the police was a serious one. However, some latitude could be allowed at New Year time, and he diet not propose to convict on the more serious charge. Besides he did not think there was any intention to pui the constable m the sea. , , On the charges of behaving m a disorderly manner, the proprietor of • the billiard saloon, Alexander Black, was fined £3, and John Black and James Thompson were each fined £2. All three were ordered to pay costs. Those against >whom the charges were dismissed were James Stubbs, Walter Brown, J. Harper, Alfred McLeish and Glogqski.