SPURS SPUR ON TROUBLE

NZ Truth, Issue 1261, 30 January 1930, Page 6

SPURS SPUR ON TROUBLE

Inspector Receives Hostile Reception From Crowd f BUCKJUMPING SHOW DELAYED - (From "N.Z. Truths.Spe cial Christchurch Representative.) mini iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini iiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiini (Tmiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiini iiiiiiiii.iiiiiiiiiiuimi|

, "When David. James "White) Inspector of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, interrupted a buckjumping performance at the Christchurch Metropolitan Show, a mild riot appeared imminent.. *

HOOTS and cries of "Down White" could be heard above the screeching of the merry-go-round, and the . policemen present were afraid that the crowd would get out- of hand and assault White. '-.. .-.''-. White had gone into the tent where the biickjumping was being staged and had seized a pair of- spurs which he considered should riot have been used. Alfred Gibbons, an employee m the tent, followed him outside and abused him, and for some reason the crowd became antagonistic to him. • Roy Goldie, who was using the spurs, . was later convicted m the Christchurch Magistrate's Court on a charge pf cruelty to a horse, but the matter did not end there. It was revived when Gibbons was brought before the court for behaving m a disorderly manner at the Addington Showgrounds. .i / Threat to Arrest White, who was represented by Mr. C. S. Thomas, said that after he had left Ithe tent he was followed by Gibbons who shouted out heatedly: "I want those spurs, White!" He then cried out: "I know all about you, White. You are a mongrel. You've been chucked out of the police force. You haven't got the courage to be a policeman now." White explained that he had resigned- from the police force and had a first- class discharge. "I told him that if he did not keep away from me I would arrest him," said White. "He wanted to light me. He sparred up to me and L thought he was going to strike me.; I was waiting for him to hit me and' then I would have downed him." . White said that - Duncan, another member' of the show;, got m between him and Gibbons arid stopped a fight. Gibbons wanted him ,to take off his coat arid show his manhood. There were two constables present. In reply to a question by Mr. D. W. Rußsell, Counsel for Gibbons, White said that he had not told Gibbons to keep out of it as he had been m trouble before. Mr. Russell: Was it a serious matter from your point of view?— Yes,' l thought, that if I were struck by Gibbons there would have been a riot. Constable John Cuirimings bore oyt the evidence given by White. He told Mr. Russell that he was not afraid. of the crowd staking to him," but thought that White was m danger.Gibbons's version of 'the affair was that White rushed into the tent, grabr bed the. spurs and rushed out again.

Duncan suggested to him that they go along and see White, and they did so. "I said to him: M think you have made a mistake m your procedure,, Dave. I think you should have examined the. animal first and got the police/" Gibbons said. "White pushed me away and asked me what I had to do with the affair, and I told him that he shouldn't have done that." Was, Old Friend Gibbons said that a few irresponsible youths were hooting White, and Tt- ".-"va'lert on them to stop. He denied having raised his hands to White c uaving menaced him m any way or having mentioned anything about White's having been dismissed from the police. "I have been a friend of his for twenty years," he said. James Hancock arid John Duncan, who were called to give evidence for Gibbons, told a totally different story from that told by White, • and their version of the affair also differed materially from that' of Gibbons, and of each other. Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., who was on the Bench, considered that Gibbons was excited at the time, and behaved m the. matter as though he was the proprietor of the show instead of an employee. He convicted him and fined him £2 and costs.