THE COLOSSEUM MEETING.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16702, 10 December 1919, Page 5

THE COLOSSEUM MEETING.

f ECHO HEARD IN COURT. MAGISTRATE ON FREE SPEECH. An echo of Mr Massoy's nicotine in tlit- Colosseum last week wns hoard in the Magistrate's Count before Mr iS. E. McCarthy, S.M., yesterday, when Huia Gilbert Dallev (Mr Lucas) was charged with, on December 'Ith, assaulting Leonard Arthur Cox. Cox stated that he wns an assistant inspector employed by tho City Council. On tho night in question ho wr.s at tho Gloucester street entranco of the Colosseum, assisting to control the western floor. One half of the door was bartered in. Witness had his back to the in- 1 coming tido, and ho received a blow 0:1 tho left side nf the fnco from defendant, who was stopped b.r Constable Grip-", who naked him for his name, which ]• • UPV<» ns " T-l— ■ " T' n told him that it wna not his name, and took a let.i; ..eci mi (, en . . . lapel of defendant's co'it in or lor tr> discover its number. The aroused then gave tho name of Dalloy. Ho did not see dofondant strike tho constable. He had not noticed defendant amongst tho crowd before tho occurrence. He had not given defendant -any prnvocnt : cn. To Mr Lucas: On the evening in ques- 1 tion he wns wearing his inspector's badge. Before the door was bu'st open ho was standing inside. lie had not . put his hands out to push defendant, back beforo defendant struck him. He denied that he had struck defendant. William S. Grigg, police constable, i said he saw Dallev strike Cox nn the side of the fare, and then duck Irs head I and try to get away in tho crowd. ; Witness pursued him and grnsped him I by tho arm. T>alley turned round and' Tnado as though to strike him, but whon I he saw who witness wns he stood quiet, i He gave witness the name of "John- I aton," but Inter siid it was Dalloy. Cox had given defendant no provocation! whatover. j Leslio Hardie, chief city inspector, j also nave evidence. | Defendant snid that when ho was car- ' i ricd in by the crowd, Oox caught hirn by tbo neck and pushed him back. Wit-

ness noticod nothing nbriufc Cox to indicate that lie possessed any authority. Witness caught him by the chin nnd pushed )ii:n hack. Witness turned round r.nd wns walking in when ho got n "smack" en tho sido cf -tho mouth from Cox. He turned round to see who it wns nnd the constable caught him by i!ie collnr. ITe made no attempt to strike the constable. His lip was bleeding. T" Sub-Tnsnector Mullnney: He had given the constable tho name of "Johnston" btv-aiise he wns a bit oxcited, and <!;d not fare what he did. A'f'o'l Thomas D'lloy, brother of tho cefendnnt, pave evidence in support. •T!'e_ Magistrate said it wns impossible tn l)clievo the story that Cox would attempt tp st°y the surging crowd by putting out his hands. He (his Worship) was not going to say eithor of the brothers had a hand in the battering in lof the doer. It wns nn indisputable fact thnt had been struck without nny provocation upon his part. The meeting hnd been a* erowded ono, nnd n j number of people hnd gathered rnts ! dr> ' f»-« :-1, ... . locked, and ccrtain persons had battered it in. Under such circumstances, would it bo possible for any sane person to try to stay 't •• • ' v ■ . ■ I: s a:.d a • maVs ehin? H : s Wo-shir> went'or, to that ponoos disturbing a public loenting wer e rnenves to the domrcracv. Jhcv were there," ho said, "to prevent a fn|Jow-»,t'zen in nn exalted nnsition from exercising the rs?ht of'freo speech. The persons who take -u n that attitude, cspcmllv at a time like this, , are wor*e enemiei to the Democracy than criminals. Free speech is one oF the bulwarks of Democracy, nnd anv person attempting to set aside such a sacred privilege is a dango~ous nerson." He was nothing to soy defendant wns in that position, but ho did snv thnt without any provocation defendant had struck Cox end thon tried to run nwav. nnd he pnyo a false name. He would bo fined £o, in default one month's imprisonment.