TWO KNOCK-OUTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 196, 12 April 1932, Page 6

TWO KNOCK-OUTS

FIGHT IN BAR QUARREL OVER PAYMENT OF A STORE ACCOUNT. TE WHAITI RESIDENTS. A dispute over an account led to high words between two Te Whaiti residents who were among the clientele in the Palace Hotel bar on the afternoon of March 29. As a result, Adam William Maclarn, well known as a storekeeper and ex-mill manager j at Te Whait;, dealt out a fast one to William Grace, a bush-worker, and knocked him out on the floor. Grace then retired to nurse his injuries and shortly afterwards returned to find Maclarn still in the bar. Hostilities were promptly recommenced and as : a result Maclarn was in h:s turn knocked out. The sequel, heard in the Rotorua Magistrate's Court yesterday, found both men required to answer charges ef fighting in a public place. Each olamed the other as the aggressor, but after hearing the facts, the magistrate, Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., pointed out that it took two to make a fight and inflicted fines in each case. ffs Worship stated, however, that he considered Maclarn had started the trouble and fined him £1 10s, double the amount of the penalty imposed upon Grace.

Mr. E. Roe appeared for Grace and Mr. R. Potter for Maclarn. Called by the police, Alexander Spence, barman at the hotel, said that he had heard the two men arguing over money matters, and had seen Maclarn strike Grace, knocking him down. Some time afterwards, wh'le witness was busy, Grace had again appeared and the two men had come to grips. The two men had used bad 'anguage to each other and each had used a certain word to describe the other's parentage. In reply to Mr. Roe, Spence said chat Grace was leaning against the wall when Maclarn struck him. He Jid not attempt to defend himself. He was not prepared to say, however, „hat Maclarn had struck Grace when he was not looking. In answer to Mr. Potter, Spence said that he d'.d not i'ee the events leading up to the blow. Returned Compliment. Constable Brown said that on the afternoon of March 29, Maclarn had ■ome to the police station and lodged a complaint. He was then suffering iTom a black eye and was considerably cut about the face. Maclarn admittech that he had knocked Grace out and that Grace had afterwards come >»ack and returned the compliment. The constable said that he had known both men for about two years. U 3 had never heard anything against Grace, who was a sober man, and not iuarrelsome, but he had heard that Maclarn had a very volent tempsr. The witness added, in reply to a question, that he had not heard anything about Maclarn going About the hotel -alling out "I will gst that b yet."

"Pretty Hard Things.' In reply to Mr. Potter, the constable said that he knew Maclarn had aad a lot of arguments with the men at the mill when he had been manajer, but he was also prepared to admit that a lot of ths mill workers ,vere "pretty hard things." Constable Kelly produced statements from both men outl ning thair /ersions of the affair. ( The defendant, William Grace, said ; ;hat he had known Maclarn as the ; nanager of ths mill at Te Whaiti and lad also dealt at his wife's store. He ,iad received an account for £5 from Maclarn for goods, but when he had mntested the amount , Maclarn had orought it down to £1. On the date in question, h8 had been in th2 bar of the hotsl with some friends, when Maclarn, who was also there, had called out across the ;ounter, "What about that quid." Witness went round the bar to meet M?.c.arn, who then started to abuse him and say that he ought to hs ashamed 1 of himself for not having paid the money. Witness told Maclarn that the account would be paid, but Maclarn kept "chipping" him, and finally aalled him a mongrel.

Knocked Out. Grace sa'd that even then he took no notice, but as he was leaning against the wall, he suddenly saw Maclarn attempt to strike him. He bad not time to avoid the blow and ,vas knocked out. He went outside, and after a short time came back to •00k for Maclarn. He intended to aslc him to come outsids and discuss matters, but when he tapped Maclarn on 'the shoulder, he turned on him and aga'n attempted to attack. Witness was compelled to defend himself and struck Maclarn, knocking him out. Maclarn had a reputation at T'S Whaiti as a man of his hands and on3 •}f his pet pastimes was knocking out Maori boys. When witness returned the second time, Maclarn was saying someth'ng about "not having lost hisrnnch." He seemed to be proud of Ihe fact that he had knocked witness out. In reply to Mr. Potter, Grace said that he had had only a few drinks. He knew Maclarn was an old man, and was sorry that he had hit him, although he had been compelled to do so.

Objectionable Names. Maclarn, in evidence, denied that he :*alled out to Grace across the bar about the money. He had merely called out to Grace, who had come round '9 meet him. He had asked Grace about a small account which was owng, but Grace had becom'e abusive and had called him several object'onable names. Finally, witness lost his temper and struck Grace, knocking him down. It was untrue that he had sent Grace an account for £5 — the amount owing was only 25s. He deni'sd also that he was of a quarrelsome nature and looked for fights. He was 70' years old and was not looking for that sort of thing. When Grace returned the second time, he struck witness while he was leaning agamst the bar, and without any warning. Witness was blind in the right eye, and Grace struck him from this side. He denied that he had used any bad language and said that Grace had been the aggressor throughout. If' he had seen Grace about to strke him, there would have been no need for him to have gone for the police. In reply to Mr; Roe, Maclarn denied that he looked fdr fights. He

hearted, and was of a very sensitive nature. He denied that he had been involved in a number of fights at Te Whaiti but said that on one occas'on a man had struck him. He had not struck back. The magistrate said that the two men were not charged merely with fighting, but with* fighting in a public place. It took two to make a fight, but on the evidence, he was inclined to think that Maclarn had been the aggressor. He would be fined £1 TOs, and Grace 15s. Costs were 10s in