“Liberty” Assault Case.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 972, 24 August 1881, Page 2

“Liberty” Assault Case.

The case of assault upon the editor and proprietor of the Liberty caused a good deal of interest. Froin the evidence,. it appears that Chater Miles, of Tirnaru, was annoyed at the following paragraph in the Liberty-. — “The Kelly Gang gave a dance to certain young ladies on Friday night. How did the young ladies like their hosts partaking so freely of spirituous liquors ? Mammas, take care of your daughters.” Miles and three others lived at a house called Glenrowan, in Timaru, and were, consequently, jocularly known as the Kelly gang. They o-ave a ball, as stated, but Miles particularly denied anyone was drunk ; but of the assault he admitted that he went to the Liberty office with three others to see fair play, and then gave Mosley, the editor, and Willis, part proprietor, a severe thrashing. There * were two other persons in the office, but neither they nor Miles’s partisans took any part. " There were four Justices of the Peace on the Bench. The Chairman (Mr. Olliyier) said that they were unanimous in their decision.

There Was no’ doubt that an assault had been committed by defendants, and they were gri.eved to see a young man in Mr. Miles’s position brought before them on such a charge. It might be a difficult thing in a case of this kind, where there had been provocation given, to avoid taking the law into one’s own hand, yet such a proceeding could not be permitted. The right mode of procedure was by civil action for libel. At the same time, the Bench were sorry to see that the time had arrived when there was any necessity for such a paper as the Liberty to exist. No paper had any right ; to do as this paper had done, in publishing reflections on the private characters of individuals. The article which had been before their notice was of a most unjustifiable character, and in this case the Bench thought that the offence would be met by the infliction of a fine of Is. The decision of the Court was greeted with applause. At the conclusion of. the case, Mr. Mosley applied that Mr. Miles might be bound over to keep the peace towards him, as he was in bodily fear of him. The Bench said they did not think that they could make such an order, but if Mr. Miles offended again, he must expect to be more severely dealt with.— N. Z. Times.