A TRUCULENT RUFFIAN.

NZ Truth, Issue 59, 4 August 1906, Page 6

A TRUCULENT RUFFIAN.

Mrs. Mercer's Matrimonial Miseries.

Extraordinary Attitude of a Magistrate.

"I'm his second wife and he's my 'second husband," said a spectacled 'woman at the Christchurch Police Court the other day, when a most remarkable boarding-house row was investigated. The speaker was Mrs Agnes Mercer, who came from Wellington four months ago, and set up an establishment m Hereford-street. ' She has had a red hot time with her second husband, Charles Mercer, to whom she has only been married three years. Talk about incompatibility of .temper ! Why, the life of this unhappy pair has been perfect Sheol with the ltd on. Mrs Mercer, made three complaints at the Wellington Magistrate's Court against Mercer, desiring a summary separation, but on each occasion her loving husband induced her to abandon them. Of iv gentle disposition, she is a woman easily awed. Twice m the Empire City did Ihc conduct of her husband result m the emptying of the house of lodgers. So she drifted to Christchurch, but his conduct still continued bad, and she again applied to the — -- Court for a separation order. Thi-i made the fourth, and once again did : the erring man prevail upon r her to withdraw it. A very soft woman indeed. But things got worse instead of ' better, and as the result of a domestic wrangle m the house on July 17 .there were a couple of violent scenes, and a lodger went to the hospital WITH A BROKEN -ARM! 'As a result Mer,cer was • charged with assaulting and beating Charles Cunningham, a carpenter. Mr Hunt prosecuted, Mr Donnelly defending. Cunningham's story was that he was' playing crib with another boarder,, and Mrs Mercer and Mercer had a row' '" m the room about the ownership of the house, culminating. <in Mercer saying : "A man. ought.- to grab you."' V lie then rushed at his wife and got; V hold of her by the neck with both hands and her head hit the wall. - Cunningham told him to desist as that was not the way -to treat a wo"TV ..mail'. The fellow's response was that' . "" hobody, >hould interfere .between man and wife; v Hc then invited Cunningham out on- to- the lawn to flight, in•timating that 'he' -could use ? his fists, had been m the ring^. and -had -knocked out tti&ny better men than' him;..,The irivitation was declined. Just as < dinner was about to . be*ser.wd- at six: o'clock, the boarders heard s a, row via. 1 the kitchen, where Mercer- was -.again i „.-,. . " ABUSING HIS :MTSSUS .- „. >: v to- whom he was using . filthy kngu-j va age. He told her to "bring out allj her $ — mongrels, and them one by one." Presently Mercery . entered; the dining-room,: and^ as ' hei was interfering .with thes? dinner ar-.' rangeanents she slung a? cup oP*hot.) tea at *him, scalding his-ineck. He . rushed at her, held, hej: by^bothyarms, . and pinned her against, the* wall.. ; Then the\ gentleman Dutted^her^on'.the ■ ■ .face; and \ breast with hisbead( This 4 ■"-jviiry unusual, performance, instated. "r^^Cun^inehim, who was- sitting*,- next* theni. lie tapped Mercer on- the* shoulder^ and said "None of- that." For Vespoiise he got, a welt on ; the* |irn g*ieck. Naturally, he retaliated, , and; jSaphere was ''\ a merry mill' for -a *bii : . getting m a4few/ : liea < vv^ Wows ion 'the aggressor's! /face^and 1 '! (blackening one of his eyesi Mercer* managed to' : .get -hold -of '>.tbes other \<f right aim, , " •:. < TWISTED IT BACKVAN»®BROKE ' . IT.. -;■ ': .-' ■•'■-■ ('vnningham sang out, V'GTab him,^ *boy_s, my arm's broke*.'* A* visit to<j the police station ahti hk>Sjpital fol-" .lowed. Henry J. Msftihewson, com-> anarcial traveller, Aubrey Bbj^spn,., engineer, andl Richard Hen<sry Goldsmith, cabinetiniaker, corroborated, and crpss-exam:mation' failed ta jt&hake their evidence. /Ctojiningham^ap-'---vpeared m the. box wijfch his arm* m &■- --.sling. Mr Donnelly .-asked Mr VDay, ■ iS.M., to deal with«tbiejicas^.summarily,:. '% »/but this was refused-, )andj accused *. was" 1 committed for trial^buti'he was 1 fil--1 lowed his liberty ba*£his own 'recogni- / sance I It was 'uriforturiate for Mrs? p Mercer that she wasnJt-represewted-iby. counsel to look affter her interest^ .when she applied for a summary <sepa- • ration, order on the ground 1 , of persistent cruelty, just<aftei3wards. Sheistatred m a general way *tha-t hewasjconv tinually hitting her <and knocking; her ' about, but she gave*> only, two specific instances, and the, Magistrate* said ,that they didn't constitute . "PERSISTENT CRUELTY." He couldn't advised complainants and run their cases for tSiem when thew came to Court. He* wasv obliged to/ dismiss the action without prejudice saying that she 'coisld.^ee* a- lawyer.: and bring it on a&amrnext. week. Incidentally the-a^plicaflit saM that she. : and. hermsband. had) cobafcited . after >"!*Ee row id the/bouse on the, 17th, but ,^&e couldn't ,£elp Jieliself ; he ha-d colr ~ared the kp,y o f ncr; room. Also, she Sriformed t'ne Court that when he left, /the house, and she laid complaint afjainst b/,m he wenfc«jalong the lane and jspoke Vj her through; the window, ask- *>,. Xng her to withdraw; it. She refused, ;■■ .wherfjupon he spat m her face and ;f clos'jd the window; down. Mercer y jßeefiied relieved at i&e dismissal of ~.'\ Itb/is application by Mr -Day, but he r bad to face yet another ordeal. Cun■niagham applied for sureties or* the ■Jjeace against him, on the ground -tba* /lie had made sevearal threats against Ihim, and as Mercsr was a man of VERY VIOLENT CHARACTER ;he was afraid ihe would keep them. .Having a brokfjn arm he would be iunable to defend himself. Among (other threats was one which has the merit of origi/nality— "I'll have your pore on toast." He also said "that 'tied "have him before eight m the morning," and confided to Constable »Baird on the evening of the shindy that "if someooie hadn't held him he would have broiken every bone m Cunningham's body." Also, "if he came ;T)aek to the house again that night he would b well murder him." The bench ordered Mercer to keep the peaoe fee six months and to find one surety m £25. He wots given a few days to , find it, and warned not to go near the

house again. Had the order not been made all the boarders intended vacating the premises that night.