BRUTAL ASSAULTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8477, 8 May 1893, Page 6

BRUTAL ASSAULTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —Inthis mornieg's Press "Bohemian," in '' Search Lights," referring to my letter which appeared in last Thursday's issue, assumes that I am a new advocate for proh.bitidn, but remarks that "Prohibitionist orators will not get much out of my argument." .1 .am,. however, fflad to fiud that your contributor agrees with mc that men who see women maltreated without interfering on their , behalf are curs Would " Bohemian " be surprised to hear that I am neither a Prohibitionist or a Blue Ribbonist, and that I take my drop of " mountain dew" occasionally atter my work is done, though I do not go in for " arf-an-arf." I msrely. wished to call attention to what appears to have been a gross miscarriage of judtice in the 'Ihvercaigill woman-beater's case. Some of the wife-beating fraternity consider it an infringement of the subject's liberty to prevent them smashing about hslp!es3 wotnen — something after . the fashion of the Irishman, " who was seeing bis frind into the turain with his shil■i*i£U?" who difjreeated interference from 'the""peelers." i contend that druuTteunes3 13 no excuse for crime of any sort, rather an of it j and that a man who become* frenzied wueu he takes drink should be punished for the crimes he commits in drink and foe the crime of drunkenness as well. of indecency whilst drunk, men are imoat, severely (and justly so) punished, also jfor using obscene language in public, why should such men not ba as severely punished for using filthy language in their own . houses, before their wives or children, if trustworthy evidence is adduced ? Perhapa the law does not provide for such cases. If so, the sooner the law id amended the better.

I entirely agree with Mr Wardell, R.M., who in ordering a man of this sort to be " bound over for six months," remarked that a man who took a, gallon of beer without its intoxicating him was reckoned a sober man, whilst another who could not take, a glass without becoming inebriated was considered a drunkard. Again, the saying, you ougut not to interfere between man aiid wife, *ia quite out of date now. Woman is no longer a slave, and if a woman claims assistance agaiiiiD a drunken or brutal husband it should be given her. Let us hope that the Government will be forced to pass the Women's Franchise" Bill next seasiou, and then, after the next election, matters will be more equally adjusted.— Yours, &c, Subscriber. May 6th, 1893.