HUSBAND'S SHAMEFUL CRIME

NZ Truth, Issue 1239, 29 August 1929, Page 2

HUSBAND'S SHAMEFUL CRIME

What Wife Said I

■ ■» Boxer McDonald, F.om Whangarei, Preyed On rvlisfortunes of His Wife

ONE MONTH'S IMPRISONMENT IMPOSED t ,_ . : (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Sydney Representative). •jimnniiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiramiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiniiraiiin iiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiiiiniiiiii 1 iinniiMminnniiiiMiHiliniiHiiiinnHin»iiHiiniiinmmiiinHl)niiiil»im»iiHniiii)inii>iniiii)iii»nimniiimHn\ini)liim|

1 Happily, few men descend to such depths of human degradation as those touched m | i Sydney by Allan (or Oollin) MoDonald> said to be, a native of Whangarei (N. 2.), j I McDonald was sentenced to one month's imprisonment recently on a charge of living | 1 on the earnings of his wife. | ' Immummmmrtiuimiuiimmrtiiiiiuiiiiiimmiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiililiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iimmiiiiiini 1 iiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniii iiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinniiiiii imiiiii 1111111 1 mm n tiinn iir

McDonald, a dark-skinned boxer, was accused by his wife, Martie, Of having ordered her .to follow ' a life of shame, and she said that he i threatened to "slit her "to pieces with a razdr" if she told the police. ( * McDonald's act was despicably wick- , ed— there's .probably no viler crime m the criminal calender— and it's a pity that Mr. Fletcher, £?.M., who heard the evidence', did not give him the maximun sentence allowed by the law. "I have no doubt at all, McDonald," ■ said Mr. Fletcher, "that what your wife • said about' you Is true, and that you lived, partly; at any rate, Oh her imnlOral earnings. I therefore sentence you to a month's Imprisonment." The previous week, McDonald had been charged with having aßsulted his wife.and was sentenced to two months', imprisonment on that count. He faced the seebnd charge of having lived on his wife's earh"ings, but' 'the further heanrtg was adjourned td enable him to 6all witnesses to show that he had worked during .the time he was alleged to be living sd shameful a life. i Robert Black, of Spencer-road, Mosman, manager df W. B. Carr and Co., said McDonald had bfeen employed by his firm for about seven months a.hd received from £4 to £8 per week His highest earning Was £8/2 during his "He was a good reliable worker," said Mr. Black,"and left our employ of his own accord." Sergeant Toole: Did he ever, invite you to his fife's pia.ce?-^-NO. Do, you know anything of his character m that respect?*— "No. ■ ' Did^'he have a 'car?— — Tes, a' small one, m which he used to drive t6 and from work.' - Did he say who owned it? — No. Mr. Fletcher S.M.: When did McDonald leaye you? Black; About the ihlddle of May. ( Do you know anything of him since? — Nd. Frederick Howard Brown, of Rosedale Avenue, Mahly, -wholesale bacon merchant, said McDonald was at his

depot at Petersham at GM a,hi. on May 20 m response to an advertisement. "1 liked the look' of / hjnV' said Brown, "but as he was inexperienced I tbld him to cbhie back abiout 10 a.m., and if no better man was offering i would give.him a start. Hfe came back and 1 employed him. "On May 22 I sent him and a young fellow to the ed'uhtry. with a load oi bacon worth £53.y They Were to go around the Miidgee and Bathurst districts, y y.-"''''' .V.- : ' "Next time Vi ■•'•' saw him ; he was Irt hospital as the result of ah aCcld^iit. He want6d tb leave and. Start on the job again.but v l;t6ld. ; him he was hot fit.' I said his ■ positlbh would be there when he was able" to start."

Sergeant Toole: "Where was he on May 24? Brown! He should Have been. . . . Sergeant Toole: I doh't want to knoW where he should have bteen, I want to know jyhere he -was ?r— l 'don't know. Whefe was he on May 28? — I don't knoW. "Will you sweat* he was not m Sydney? — I don't know where he was. _ ' Mr. Harris (foij McDohald): What did 'he do with the rtiohey he received from your s&les-While m tne country? — It was banked at Mudgee. Mr. Fletcher, S.M.: Do you know ' positively if McDohald, was away ih the country oh the dates you have mentioned? 'Brown: I know the load I sent out Was being worked around Mudgee ' oh Empire Day. - ,' , Arthur McE'ay,' s warder at Long. Bay penitentiary, said Mrs. McDonald Visited her -husband m gaol. He heard portions of the coiiveimtion between them. Mrs. McDonald said to hey husband: ' "If yon come home and benaVe ydufself I won't mount the box again." ■ ■ • • She also said* tccortbug to McKay:

I "I won't rtioUttt the boj. to tell any, lies against ypu," and further: "There is ho heed for yoii to have a sdlicitor, as I -am not going to tell, ahy lies." Counsel: Did McDonald say anything further? .'•■'•■•■ a... :';,;> .*.' *■-*■■• McKay: He said to his wife: "Yoii told the detectives I sent you out ori the street for immordl purposes." What did ."fehfe" say? — She. replied: "I know I did." ;; What did he. say?— Nothing. Sergeant Toole: What time v/as -this?; "vy--McKay: About 3.15 p.m. What day.?— Wednesday. Would you be surprised tb knew that McDon&ld Was m a cell At the : Central until:4.p.m. on Wednesday? „ —^■1 am not certain of the day on 1 Which the interview took place; Mrs. Lillian .Croft,*' of Bourke-street saidthat McDonald and his Wife had a room at" her place for about 10 months. V McDonald made the arraftgeirients, jl'nd- after the*' first Week or so- paid the rent. V ..-.>. . ■'-•:'•■■ ". ;'■ .-■'.'■ -.; .-* .-'■ ■' , She 'remembered McDonald being k^way with : a bacon firmy for about a week. He came back injured. Addressing -the magistrate, Mr.' Harris said the ftiatter was one of the riiost diaboiidal lie had ever handled. "This woman '"comes before the court," he said, Vadrnltis she has led an immoral life and alleges that i. her husband drove , her to it.' There is no oerrdbbratibh of her. story; Her action m jumping up m the court , last week and caMing her husband a liar ; doesnpt suggest she is a downtrodden wife,, ''•'Now Sheywihts : tdVgfet rid Of hhri, go she W'b'ifks in With a coUpleOf de* tectives arid tries to blacken his character by saying: that he ' drove her to a life pf immorality and lived on the proceeds. 1 here ■ isV a big doubt, about her Btory, arid McDonald is entitled to it.":y ; ;■■;■'', -y^y V>\-vy ;■•--■''■. -s "I ha,ve no doubt, .at ail," was the Itiagistrate's terse bbirimenty 'i see tip reason to doubt, Mrs. McDonald^ eyidehoe that her husband lived, partly, at i'ate,-; on her ittim6t*al earnings, He is. sentenced to Va iriontli's iriiijrlsonment.-' v '-'Ay: 7777 ■'■:.■' : '-y'' : -' v A .