SERIOUS ASSAULT CHARGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 296, 14 December 1926, Page 9

SERIOUS ASSAULT CHARGE.

A WATERSIDEK WOUNDED. ACCUSED SENT FOR TRIAL. The hearing of evidence in the case where Joseph Andre (50), a coloured man, was charged with having assaulted George Cargill so as to cause actual (bodily barm, was concluded at the Police Court yesterday after the "Star" went to press. Mr.. J. J. Sullivan appeared for accused, who pleaded not guilty, reserved his defence, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Cargill maintained that he was standing in the watereiders' shed on the wharf awaiting the call for labour on the morning of December 2, when Andre rushed at him and stabbed him in the thigh with a pocket knift. Several witnesses also stated that they saw accused crouching low near Cargill, and heard the latter call out, "I'm stabbed. ,. However, one Crown witness, Richard Hoy, said that he saw Andre rubbing a knife on a piece of wood when Cargill struck him a blow between the eyes, causing him to crouch down. It was quite pos- i si'ble that when struck, Andre acciden- j tally stabbed Cargill.

In a written statement made by accused and produced by Constable Chalcraft, Andre said that he was whittling wooden spars for a model sailing ship with his pocket knife, and was not taking any notice of anyone, when Cargill struck him on the face. He then grabbed at Cargill, forgetting that he had the knife in his hand. Afterwards he saw that Cargill had been stabbed. The previous evening he had some trouble with Cargill at the house where ie resided, Cargill haring assaulted the woman with whom accused lived. Cargill was ejected from the house, and accused had no doubt his attack was a retaliation for this. Andre said that the stabbing was quite accidental.