JESSIE BURNS STABBING AFFRAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 221, 11 June 1908, Page 8

JESSIE BURNS STABBING AFFRAY.

EVIDENCE OF THE WOUNDED MAY: . ANOTHER. ADJOURNMENT/ " : Further inquiry was made-yesterday after-' , noOn at/ the Court '-into -■ the charg-i against Joseph Zimmerman, Gusuav Nauzaak, and Eugen Full-'Haaso, inombers of the crew of the steamer Jessie Burns/ who stan'dxharged with -having, on May 3Cf, ; at Wellington, caused factual bodily harm 'to .AtholZani, a sailor on ? th'e same vessel 1 •• ■ Zaiii,: who■ has been, ill' the hospital siribo May 31, suffering from wouiids inflicted on the .night of May 30, had. so far recovered, yesterday as to bb able to have his. evidence taken. To tin's cud tho Court adjourned to' tho hospital to proceed witK the .case.Miy W. G. Riddell, S.M., presided,. SubInspector O'Donovan. watched the case '-for the police, and Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared for defendants; Zarii's . evidence was given through a Greek interpreter." Witness deposed . that he went to bed on board his ship at 5.30 on Saturday night, May 30. He had had no drink that day. Soon after he had turned in. a German fireman named Zimmerman came into the sailors' forecastle and wanted witness to fight. Witness told-tho fireman he ' Had better wait- until the morning, but a .struggle ensued,'after, which Zimmerman , was taken away by ;the'boatswain, whotook a knife from him.' After this the other two accused, Full-Haaso and - Nauzaak, entered the forecastle and called on witness, to fight; Witness got up l a little later,. and. .went out into the alley-way. Full-Haase and Nauzaak were there,, and witness passed them on his way to'the door of the -forecastlo, where, he met Zimmerman,-who used offensive-language to him; The fireman rushed, at witness and, struck him a, blow on the neck : which wit-' ncss found after 'was a stab. - Witness was wounded again on the shoulder. He. grap-' pled with the fireman, and tho two of .them fell, oyer a box near No. 1 hatch. .Aftejstruggling on'the deck for some timo they, got up, and witness was stabbed again, twice—this timo in tho back by some one he could not see. He could not identify cither of tho other two accused as his assailant. After this Zimmerman again stabbed witness five times in the leg. When they separated witness went forward to the captain's room. In answer to Mr. Jackson witness stated that he did-not catch hold of the funnel of the stove in the forecastle, and strike Zimmerman with it. / The stove was. knocked over during the struggle in the forecastle on the first occasion. - ' . .

At this stage the case was adjourned until this-morning, when His Worship will , give his decision in regard to the matter.