A PRACTICAL JOKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 2, 3 May 1915, Page 6

A PRACTICAL JOKE.

I An action arising out, of what was described as a* “practical joke” engaged the attention of Mr Justice Ferguson and a jury, in Sydney. The plaintiff was John Brayley, formerly licenj see of the Rising Sun Hotel, CanterI bury, and, he sued Patrick J. Scahill I to recover £SOO compensation, for what : is technically, known as assault. I The, case for the plaintiff, who is an ( elderly man, was that, on September; j 2nd last, he, was serving behind the j bar of bis hotel, and the defendant, I who was one of a number of others who were there, had in his possession a bottle-shaped cigar pricker. Being at the time friendly with the plaintiff, i Scahill said to him, “You can’t balance this on your hand.” Brayley took the instrument, and having balanced it, defendant came.along, bit it on the top, with the result, that the pricker weent. almost through plaintiff’s hand. (The wound bled pretty freely, and had to be attended to, for some time by a dqgtor. Eyen now plaintiff alleged that he suffered from the effects of the injury. j Tire defendant denied that he was responsible for the injury. The cigarprigker was produced by . one of the men in the bar, and defendant had been by it himself. Ho never struck the top of the instrument, as plaintiff alleged. Plaintiff had closed his hand on it, and liad evidently jCaused the injury himself. • The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff for £2O. A certificate of costs was refused.