THE AMERICAN SALESMAN IN COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2528, 13 July 1893, Page 4

THE AMERICAN SALESMAN IN COURT.

At tho Magistrate's Covt, Ashbui ton, on Monday, before Mosars .iVcoiu and A. Hairison, Justices of the Peace, Joseph Edwards, the American Sr'csman, was charged with behaving iu an abusive and offensive maimer on the railway platfoim. Mr Purnell upper red for accused. John Stevenson, station-master at Ashburton, gave evidence to the effect that he was iu the shed when the Timaru train nulved on Saturday. He wont over to the train, where porter Jones was unloading luggage, and asked the guard if some of tho luggage was excess. He said " Wg had instructions to collect 2 cwt excess." Defendant came up and said, "Are you the station-master ?" and that ho had paid for the luggage at Tonmka. When asked for the ticket bo raid, " Wire down and find one.'-' Told hi n ha should produce the ticket, and when he repeated' the remarks tho porter raid the luggage had boon weighed in Xemuku. Told Mm to

weigh it again. Accused said, " Why \ don't you do as you are bid, or you'll get the sack. You want to re-weigh and pocket 2s 6d for yourself." Witness said, " I wont have any of that nonsense." When pulling the truck to the weighing room, alluding to me Edwards said, "What price leggings, Charlie?" Had never in twenty years of the service been spoken to in such an iusulting manner. There was a constable present and witness said to him, "If you are going to allow this sort of thing to go on we shall never be able to keep order here." Defendant was still making insulting remarks, and said it was very nice to have £2OO per annum to do nothing. When the luggage was weighed it was found we had to charge for three hundredweight instead of two hundredweight. Defendant said he had been overcharged, and would report me. When remonstrated with he said he could say what he liked so long as he did not use obscene language. A. Jones, railway porter, said he had a wire from Temuka to collect two hundredweight excess from defendant. Asked for his ticket and was told if he wired back he would find it was paid for. One of the boxes was untied. He told one of the other men to Dote it as something might be missing. Generally corroborative evidence having been given, Joseph Edwards, defendant said he had paid 3s 6d for luggage from Timaru to Temuka, and had been told it would carry it on to Ashburton. The stationmaster at Temuka had found out his error, and wired to Asaburton to collect on 2cwt which he (defendant) was willing to pay. The stationmaster said ho would weigh the luggage. \Vitnes3 said •' You need not do that when you have advice of the weight." He said " You can't do as you well like here." Witness said he would report him for swearing at him, When he told the porter to weigh it. witness said to the porter "You had better do as you are told or you'll get the sack." Did not like being overcharged. Had always been charged half rates. Mr Stevenson had been very rough in his manner. Had never missed anything on the railways yet, but one of the boxes was untied and the lock brokeu. Said " We had better see if it was all right." Told the constable he had been overcharged, and would report the statsonmaster. Lionel Roberts and John Manville having also given evidence for the defence, the Bench said they had no doubt defendant had been offensive. He had also been attempting to defraud the railway all along. He would be Sued £lO or two months' imprisonment. Defendant flaid he would appeal. The fine was ordered to be deposited with with the Clerk of the Court for fourteen days to allow of this. —Ashburton Guardian. The great American Salesman did not fulfill his engagement at Geraldine on Mon - day evening last, and a number of people were consequently disappointed. The salesman was detained at Ashburton, and though a few people in town at Geraldine were aware of this a number were in ignorance of it, and found the Volunteer hall shut up w 1.9 i they arrived there.