THEY MET AT A DANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1240, 5 September 1929, Page 3

THEY MET AT A DANCE

JhSaid'^xcaseMe, "They Waltzed, Then Trouble Loomed

JURY DISBELIEVED GIRL'S VERS

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

>" Excuse me!" In the bustle of a Dannevirke dance hall, 'midst the swing and swish of one of those waltzes 'full of allowable interruptions, Ivan Godfrey Neale's glance caught and held the dreaming eyes of Avis Olive Gandy, aged twenty.

I7XCUSE me!" They, danced; they v danced again— and again. < They did not know each other. Ignorance is bliss, sometimes. "Quite a decent fellow," thought Avis.. \ Thrice he pleaded the right to escort her home. His persistence was rewarded; but not; tilU he had satisfied Avis that, a friend, of his should take care of her chum.. When ■ the dance ended, Ivan and Avis headed down badly-lighted McPhee Street.v Dannevirke, Ivan's arm happily acquainted with Avis's „ slim,' girlish waist. . The couple , reached a tennis c court, when Neale took Avis into the enclosure — half dragged, half carried, Avis said. AvisJcame out first, alone and afraid; Then she took action that led Neale into a court,- but riot a tennis court— the Supreme Court at Napier, to answer grave charges. i Avis .Gandy informed the Court that, m response to Neale's invitation to enter the tennis court, she responded: "No, I don't believe m going to places like that." '■'■';.' ; ' He insisted; she resisted. In the struggle, according to the girl, she called out, but . accused allegedly clapped his hand over her mouth. AyA;'Eventually Neale succeeded m getting Avis into the tennis court. "When he got me there," she said, "he knocked me down." ■ ( Avi^ falterlngly detailed the subsequent happenings. She escaped out of the gate and m fear of the man whom she had thought %vas "quite a decent fellow," she went up the road. : y ' ■ , Hot on her track went Neale, and as he caught her he slipped his arm round her waist and entreated her to go to a dance the following night. He asked her to say nothing to the police as she had previously threatened to do.- '"' .>.." In a house close to the tennis court lived William Hanne, master butcher. He must have got a surprise when about 1 a.m; he heard a knock at the back door.

Then, before he could answer, there came a knock at thejfront door. l • He answered the summons and was confronted with the frightened girl whovasked him to ring up Mr. Cox, who lived further down the road, with a request that he. would come and escort the girl home. The, waiting was too long, ..so, the master ! butcher himself accompanied the girl to the Cox home. Neale had disappeared m the meantime. AWhen the girl 'had related her experiences to Mr. and Mrs. Cox, her friends, with' whom she often stayed, she arid Mr. Cox went along to see Sergeant Martin. The police officer listened to the tale and sent her on to Dr. Beedie, who found no signs of roUgh treatment or • bruises. Dr. Beedie mentioned m Court that two : and a-half years before he had attended Miss dandy for extensive injury to. the brain. This might possibly haye 1 had some effect on her now if she became excited. < When interviewed by Sergeant Martin and a constable, Neale concealed nothing. A • ' ' From a warm bed he went to the police station, learned of the charges against him and prepared to make' a statement. :..!■/ He admitted /asking the girl to go home with. him.'but contended that she was a consenting party to what happened. . '.' .y.y A ...•'. '■/■''. He denied having, deliberately pushed her over, ,'stating that he had accidentally slipped on the -wet grass and she had fallen, too. During cross-examination of the girl, Mr. Cooper, who appeared for Neale, suddenly asked: "You were '■.'•not very surprised when he dragged : you into the; court— in fact, you' were 'expecting :lt?"-.'A, A,. y-A'. : ;;A'V" . ;: ,y v: -y .'... y; ' The girl: Yes. ;y A In concluding the case for the defencej Mr. Cooper 'suggested that' the whole story was nonsense. ■ The jury were 25 minutes m returning a verdict of not, guilty. . -. .