INCIPIENT LUNACY."

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 166, 14 July 1914, Page 7

INCIPIENT LUNACY."

BACKYARD RIFLE PRACTICE. A DISOOLRAGIXG FIXE. William Barker didn't appear to an-wrr a charge at. the Police Court this morning of having discharged a firearm in tlic neighbourhood of l-'cderal Street to th" danger of property. Thomas Tipper stated that about .'5 p.m. on June 1~. when he was sitting iv the kitchen of bis bouse in Federal Street, a bullet came through the window, whizzed pa-t his bead, and lodged in the wail. He went down the street aud told a constable. The Con-table said that iv inquiring into the complaint he saw tbe whole iv the kitchen window at Tipper's, and the place when- the bullet had struck the wall. He went across to the house which backed against tlie back of Tipper.-, and there -aw Darker, a young man. who denied that he had a gun or tired a -hot. Witness -went to the backyard, and there saw a kerosene tin against the fence with a number of holes in it that indicated that it had been a target for ride practice. He then saw Barker again, who admitted that he had been practising at the tin with ii Winchester repeating rifle of sinail calibre. Barker was a young man about 2il years of age.

"When a man uses a Winchester rifle in a crowded city he is qualified for Avondale." commented Mr I. V. Frazer, S.M. "We have." he added, "an un reasonably large number of charges of tliis sort in the city. There is not only damage to property, but in this case there was a grave risk of Tipper being .-hot. It's a particularly careless case. and I think 1 should make the tine siiltieiently >titf tn discourage thi- kind of incipient lunacy. Fined A.'.) and 14/ co^tA"