THE WATERSIDE ASSAULT

Wairarapa Age, 25 March 1920, Page 5

THE WATERSIDE ASSAULT

POLICE MAKE ARREST. ACCUSED REMANDED. In connection with the death of the storekeeper, McNab, on the Armagh, at Wellington on Tuesday night, the Post of last n ; ght gives the following details regard .ng the arrest of the alleged' assailant:— ■"Detective Tricklebank and the constable visited a number of' board) nghouses, u.% which ships' firemen are *rtown tn find accommodation, and ultimately, about 11.30 o'clock, arrest,d a man at a Willis street boardings louse, whom Cullen, McNab's friend, leclared was Benjamin Henry Bright, .he assaJant. The man was in bed ✓hen tho police entered the room, .nd he was toid to dress and accompany them the Police' Station. Jright followed instructions w.thout i word, and, together with anothei man, who it was alleged was accom panying Bright on the Armagh, was taken'away in a taxi. Later, the second man, who gave his name as Murphy, and who denied that he had been m the Armagh, was allowed to go, .n condition that he reported at the Police Station this . mora ng. "At the Police Station, Cullen and iwo of the other men, who had w.taessed the affray o£i the Armagh,, picked Bright out of a line of six other men as the assaJant of McNab. fie denied having been on the Armagh that night. He said he knew Cullen, having met him at Lyttelton. He was charged with the murder of Robert McNab, but made no reply to the charge. He was then lodged in the cells. "Joseph Cullen gave as a reason for the disturbance an old feud between' uiniself and Bright, the result of an 'argument' at Lyttelton, while the Armagh was lying there. "The. deceased Robert McNab was 20 years' of age, a s ngle man, and b native of Paisley, Glasgow. He joined che Waikawa, as .storekeeper, at Newcastle-on-Tyne last • November. His Bhipmatea describe him as a quiet,; sober, and extremely popular man. The accused is a sturdy, well built man of about 35 years of ago. "A post mortem examinat : on is being made this afternoon, .and the inquest will Jbe held to-morrow at 4 pm. "11l news travels apace, and the fact that Bright was. to be formally charged with the murder of McNab at the Magistrate's Court this morning, led to the gathering of a big crowd of men in the body of the Court. Captain W. H. Hannah and Mr M. O'Conhel, J's.P., presided. After the charge had been read out. Chief-Detective Ward applied for a remand unW Friday.: Mr A. B. Sievwright, on behalf of the accused, entered a plea of not guilty. Bail was not applied for."