A VOLUNTEER IN TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 28 January 1907, Page 2

A VOLUNTEER IN TROUBLE.

"A BLOT ON HIS UECORJ)." j Walter Norman Bates was charged ] at the Magistrate's Court on Salurd.iv j morning, on the information of -h'f j police, with having use.l obsivn.' | language in a public .street in .'\v,v Plymouth on Thursday night, ami 0:1 two separate- informations of ass nil on Mrs Baymond and Mrs Ourrie. Sergeant Haddrell conducted the prosecution, and said he would jiroyctli.three charges whilst dealing with lint of obscene language. Mr T. S. Weston appeared for thaccused, who pleaded " not guilty," counsel stating the man was drunk lit the time and had no recollection of the occurrence. Sergeant Haddrell called one witness, a man named Albert Mason, undo of the two complaints, who are si-iters, and half-caste Maoris. The evidence ivas to the effect that he was talking to the two women in Kginont street when a volunteer in uniform cune along and, addressing Mrs Currie, said "|HJ}IIo, Pet," or words to that effect She promptly smacked his face. Tueu he tried to take hold of her, and sinrepeated the dose. Then accused seemed to get angry, for he took oil: his helmet, and struck her with ii 0,1

the hand, using foul language. '• Yon he asked, The other complainant asked him what he m-;ant by his conduct, and he tackled her too, with the helniel, striking her on the face twice. Then .Yiison interfered, and accused made oil' in quick time, traversing Iho Trocadcro yard on his way. The witness sent one of the complainants for the police.

Mr Weston then withdrew the plea jf "not gniily./ and. in extenuation of the offence and asking for lenient treatment, pointed out that the accused

had seen twelve years' service a,s a volunteer, and had worked himself up train the ranks. A conviction would be a blot on his record. The accused went, into the box, and tcstilied to his previous good character, and mentioned the length of his military service in the cadets, in South Africa, and in volunteer circles. Ho stated that he went into the White Hart Hotel on Thursday night, was refused drink and ordered out on account of his inebriated state. That was about

0.30, and lie remembered nothing after that, except that lie went to some supper-rooms, and woke up next morning on the Esplanade, having siopt the in,'htinthe open-air. In the course of his evidence, Bates said he had commented severely on the conduct of ■ the volunteers in camp during the past week.

(sergeant Huddrcll remarked that many volunteers had the idea Hint they could do as they liked whilst in uniform, and the police had no power to' Tun them in." They would learn i differently unless some improvement was shown,

No other evidence was called. Mr Hutchison, the Magistrate, commented in scathing terms on the conduct of the accused as a volunteer in His Majesty's uniform. These womei had every right to look to him for protection, but instead of that they had received gratuitous insults, liespeetable men often profited from a warning, and the accused could considcr himself fortunate that, he could get a, warning in the shape of a line. Until recently the law said he must go to gaol for such an offence as this. He would be fined £1 on the first charge of assault, 10s on the second, £1 for obscene language, and ordered to pay costs.