A PEW DISPUTE.—A SCENE IN A CHURCH.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1120, 11 August 1882, Page 4

A PEW DISPUTE.—A SCENE IN A CHURCH.

At the Chesterfield County Magistrates’ Court a young man, named George Marsden, was charged with assaulting Mary Ann Hebt and Mary Ann Morley, at North Wingfield. On the previous Sunday, it was stated, the two ladies attended North Wingfield Church and occupied a pew. The defendant afterwards came, and having used some unpleasant language to the complainant Hebt, sat down upon her knee. He began jumping up and down and directly afterwards put his arm around her waist and tried to remove her out of the seat. Miss Hebt said the defendant, while sitting upon her knee, remarked, " Pleasant seat, Miss Hebt.” He kept laughing all the time. He failed to pull her out of the seat because she got hold of the back of the pew. The quarrel took place about twenty minutes before the time for the commencement of the service. The reason why she went to church so early was that Mrs Marsden and her family went there early also to fill the pew. The defendant said that Miss Hebt had been requested, both by his sisters and the churchwardens, not to go into the pew, but she continually persisted in doing so. His family furnished the pew,and had satinitforover 20 years. He acknowledged having attempted to remove her from the pew, but there was nobody in the church at the time. The defendant was fined 6d.