TROUBLE ON THE MARGIT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 11, 7 July 1911, Page 3

TROUBLE ON THE MARGIT.

SKAMEN BEFORE THE COURT. THE CAPTAIN ASSAULTED. Ag in the case of the two former vessels which berthed at the breakwater direct from England in tie p»rt few months, the barque ''MargiC" had not been long at our wharf before it became necessary to invoke the aid of

the "strong arm of the law." There was a disturbance on the vessel yesterday morning, when there were about a hundred people on the wharf, there be-

ing three steamers there as well as the '•Margit." The police were sent for, and Sergeant Dart took a cab to the scene, accompanied by Constables Egan and Boulton. Sergeant Dart went aboard, and when standing on the poop with the captain was threatened by an able-bodied seaman named Hansen, who was armed with a marlin spike. The captain sheltered behind the sergeant, who called for the constables. Tfren nnother seaman named Paulsen commenced using "language," and he was arrested by Constable Boulton. Hansen was taken into custody by Constable Egan, and both accused were brought to the lock-up. In the afternoon they were brought before Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, S.M. Paulsen, a stalwart fellow, whose chest would be capable ol stretching a fifty-inch tape very tightly, had to answer two charges, and Hansen, of much slighter build, only one charge. At present both are spending their first week in New Plymouth within the walls of the prison. Paul Paulsen was charged that on j (ith July he did beat one Olaf Pedderson. ' He pleaded guilty. | Mr. Quilliam, who appeared for the informant, Olaf Pedderson, who was master of the barque, said that the assault was of a very serious nature, and being an assault by a seaman upon the master of his ship whilst on duty made it still more serious. The conduct of the man had been very bad. Un that morning he had wrenched a cabin door oft" its hinges. Then he went down a companion-way, carrying a plate oi meat. Coming to the captain's cabin, he asked him if that was the sort of food to give a man who had been so long at sea. The captain explained that he had arranged for supplies of fresh meat, but that this had not come aboard yet. This didn't satisfy the accused, who started to use vile language, threw the meat in the captain's face, and severely assaulted him, throwing him on the floor and bruising his arm. In the scuffle his breakfast table was upset. Thpn accused turned his attention to the two mates, who were breakfasting in the next cabin, lie threw their table over and made a complete wreck of the breakfast things. Mr. Quilliam submitted that this was a ca.se whii ii » should be punished by imprisonment, | and not by a fine. The man had created . a state of terroj aboard the ship, and I it was time that his violence was re-1 strained.

Paulsen was then charged with having used obscene language on the same day at Moturoa within hearing of persons in a public place, to wit, the wharf. He elected to be dealt with by tho Magistrate in preference to taking his trial before a jury, and, while remarking that he didn't know very much about it on account of being intoxicated at the time, said he would plead guilty. Mr. Quilliam said that at about ten o'clock on Thursday morning the accused was on the deck of the barque and used the language complained of in the information. There was a large number of people on the wharf at the time, and the place was about as public as one could find. The accused seemed to think that as he was intoxicated at the time that could be taken as an excuse, but counsel submitted that this was no mitigation of the offence.

Andreas Lodberg Hansen w&s charged similarly in respect to the use of obscene language, and denied the charge in rather broken English. Subsequently he pleaded guilty. Mr. Quilliam stated that for the use of obscene language the man was liable to a year's imprisonment. Sergeant Dart was called as the first witness. Tie detailed how in response to a telephone message, he had gone to,the port and boarded the vessel, leaving Constables Jioulton and Egan in plain clothes on the wharf. He saw the captain in his cabin, and then came on deck with him. Hansen came along, but the witness persuaded him to go for'ard again. But the man came .back, and marched up and down the deck, using filthy language repeatedly in a very loud voice. He appeared to be mad with drink, and had the others of the ship's company terrified. Nearly a hundred people, including many children, were on the wharf, and no one within a range of a hundred yards could fail to hear the language used.

Francis Peacock Corkill, who had gone down to the wharf as Lloyd's agent, testified to the "wealth of language" at the control of the accused, and, at the request of the Bench, repealed some of the more "novel" epithets used in the filthy harangue.

Frederick Watson, who was on the spot as representative of Mr. Xewton King, agent for the vessel, gave corroborative evidence of the accused "ramping" up and down the deck, and using very filthy language in a loud voice.

Olaf Pedderson, the master of the ship, gave evidence of this offence, and also with reference to the charge of assault. Paulsen, he said, had come to him in his cabin, and asked whether the meat such as he had on a plate was fit stuff for a man who had just come off such a long voyage. As if in reply to the captain's explanation that fresh meat had been ordered, but had not yet been delivered, Paulson threw the contents of the plate at him, and used very bad language. Accused then clutched him by the shoulder, and threw him to the floor, hitting at him as he lay, and throwing him from one side to the other, bruising his arm severely, as he demonstrated to the court by stripping off his coat and turning back his sleeves.

The S.M.: The accused as a strong man, is he!

Witness: As strong a.s a horse! Continuing, lie told of how the accused went in to the mates' cabin, a story which was borne out by Albert Anderson, the first mate. This man saw the assault on the captain, and afterwards lost his breakfast, the accused capsizing the table on the floor, and using very bad language all the time.

In answer to the Magistrate, who asked what sort of a man Paulsen was, rough or gentle, the mate replied to the effect', that all he was concerned about was that he was ''a very good sailor man," and a very strong man.

The Magistrate, in the remarks prior to his decision, said that in common with all the other magistrates he was determined that the practice of using obscene language must be put down, and this could be done only by inflicting severe penalties. Until recently there had been no option but to imprison any person found guilty of this offence, and for his part he would always imprison iu cases where bad language was proved to have been used in the presence of women and children. In this case the language cnriplaincd of ha;d been used not once but several times by Hansen in the presetwe of

children. The language was of a most filthy nature, such as would be used by no self-respecting man or a man who had respect for those around him. He would take into consideration, of course, j that the accused were foreigners, but | the words complained of were not in i their own language but in English. Each I would be imprisoned for 14 days with I hard labor on the charge of using obscene language. Paulsen's was the worse case, for he had also assaulted his captain. If a private in an army assaulted an officer when on active service he was liable to he shot, and this case was of a very similar character, therefore the punishment must be severe. He would he sentenced to 14 days' hard labor, the sentences to hoi concurrent.