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Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 194, 21 April 1893, Page 2

(To the Editor),

Sir, —“ And the men of Sodom compassed the house round and said unto Lot : ‘ Where are the men which came to thee this night ? bring them out unto us that we may know them.’ ” —Genesis, Chap. 19. These men of Sodom purposed committing some act of indecency upon these strangers ; a crime in the sight of God, and punishable by the laws of this country. This practice is not unknown in this district, and is vulgarly called ‘ cobbing.’ Witness the case reported in the Bell last week before the Justices at Aratapu, where so many quibbles and objections were raised by the defending lawyer that the Justices were bothered or frightened into allowing the case to be withdrawn. The lawyer asked the plaintiff if it was not done in fun. Had his own son been so treated he would not call it fun It might be fun to the Sodomites and to those charged last week, but the victim feels himself humiliated and degraded. A mother of a family informed me that her own son, twelve years of age, had been served in the same way at Kopuru, and she would have liked to punish the offenders but could not face bringing the matter into Court. It seems a pity that these cases could not be heard by the R.M. of the district who, being a trained lawyer, could brush aside the quibbles of the defending- lawyer, and decide upon the merits of the case. —I am, Sir, Kopuru. (To the Editor). Sir, —Some eight years ago, you will perhaps remember, a pigeon match was got up at Ai-atapu by a certain bonifa.ee, not a hundred miles from Aratapu, to shoot for a. Silver Cup value £lO, and a second prize of £7. Myself and a man with a very wooden name, then living at Te Kopuru, where the successful competitors. Each shooting the same number of pigeons we had equal claims on the two prizes. There being no more birds available to shoot off, we agreed to divide the second prize, and shoot oft"for the Cup at the first opportunity. I would feign have shot oft at different times, but was always shunted off by some evasive answer. I asked boniface to give the Cup over to me subject to being' shot off at anytime my opponent was inclined to do so, I giving him a guarantee to that effect ju writing. He re-

fused and when I very recently asked him if it was not time some decision was come to respecting it he blackguarded me in a most shameful manner. lie said he did not want to hear anymore about the b old Cup, and shaped up to me in a fighting attitude, -•bowinga great amount of bounce, and at the same time telling me I might do my best to get it. It appears, from a letter I received, that boniface and W bad with th“ir friends, drank their share of the Cup in Champagne. Wha.t sense of honour can a man have who will lend himself to such mean acts, to fritter away that which is not his own ? And when 1 want my right in the matter I am abused and told to go to some dark, objectionable place to get it. Now, sir, I have stated my case, and will leave it in the hands of you and your readers to give a fair an I impartial decision according to the evidence. If any of your readers or the contestants in the above named match, can supply me with the date of same I should feel obliged.—Your etc. Leather-worker. Mangawh are.