A WAR GOSSIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 295, 22 May 1915, Page 5

A WAR GOSSIP.

SPREADING FALSE REPORTS. J A CASE AT STRATFORD. { A case that excited a good deal o? interest came before Mr. \V. S. K. Km- " rick, S.M., at the Stratford Magistrate* Court yesterday, when F. Bovins was charged with spreading .false reports fa connection with the war. It was alleged that Bevins had told a number of people that a young man named Kilpatrick bad been killed at the front. Sergeant Dale stated the facts. Defendant went to the post office on April 14th, when there was a number of people there reading some casualty lota that were posted by the authorities Bevins spoke to a number of people* saying that Miss Kilpatrick had informed him that she had received intimation by wire that her brother, had been killed at the Dardanelles. A constable wit» I was standing in the vicinity notieed ' | that the man was. under the influence of liquor, and, ascertaining that the statements lie was making were incorrect, hn warned Rcvi.is to desist frost repeating the story again. Defendant ignored the warning, and persisted with his story, telling several other people in various parts of the town. He sabsequcntly went to Whangamomons,, and! the police there gave him an opportunity of retracting what he had said, taS he refused, and still continued giving people this incorrect information, andy the present charge was therefore preferred against him. The sergeant stair ' cd that he did not think there was malice in the defendant's action, or that b* bore any ill-feeling against the Kilpatricks. Hi. considered that Bevins would not have acted in the manner described had he not been under the influence of liquor.

Mr. R. Spence, who appeared for defendant, said he must plead guilty, •■ there was not the slightest doubt Ira* that defendant was morally jjliilty, but technically he pleaded not guilty. £fe submitted that the section of the Act did not cover the ofi'ence. Mr. Spew* stated that Bevins bore no malic* or ill-will against the Kilpatricks, and «m----sidercd his actions due to cxcesajva drink. Bevins was quite willing to hmm a prohibition order taken out against him. The Magistrate said the ftime of which defendant was aceused was • most serious one, for which the maximum fine was £IOO. There were, bowever, extenuating circumstances, and te would impose a fine of only £1 gag. costs £l Bs. The Magistrate atao/itsued a prohibition order against Bevinq, and declared that if he could, not seenm employment the best thing he could o> was to volunteer for the front.