EXCITING ENCOUNTER

Taihape Daily Times, 14 February 1919, Page 5

EXCITING ENCOUNTER

BETWEEN MILITARY POLICE

FIGHT AT RAILWAY" STATION

OAMARU, Feb. 12.

An exciting encounter occurred this morning on the Oamaru railway station, just before the early morningtrain departed for Dunedin. The principals were two well-known members of the military police. Sergeant Lattimore and Corporal Jackson, the sergeant getting decidedly the worst of the bout. Both, men were in civilian dress, when the fight took place. It appears that Corporal Jackson, who.has been doing military duty in Oamaru for sometime, was led to believe that Sergeant -Lattimore, dressed in civilian clothes, had arrived from Dunedin, and, it is alleged, spying on the movements of the corporal.

The pair met on the railway station this morning, when Lattimore was in the act of taking the train back td Dunedin. TJie fight followed,- and Lattimore was severely punished. Corporal Jackson is a returned soldier, and comes of a family of five soldiers. He served on Gallipoli, and is a well-known Auckland athlete and boxer, being a recent resident of Nothcote. He is familiarly known as “Stonewall” Jackson. He was for many months in charge of the quarr antine station at Dunedin.

Corporal Jackson declares that he has forced to take extreme measures in the interests of the returned men as a protest against the methods of the military police. Ho returned to Dunedin to-night under open arrest, ami demands a. court martial and the fullest public inquiry. Sergeant Lattimore. who has not seen active' service, is a well-known member of the military police. He recently raised a public protest of a returned soldier in Dunedin, wearing the Distinguished Conduct Medal and under the doctor's care. He has been stationed in Featherston, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and Invercargill.