CLERGYMEN ASSAULTED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 150, 14 March 1918, Page 8

CLERGYMEN ASSAULTED

THE FEILDING DISTURBANCE

WILD SCENES AT A P.P.A. :'. "..v.' MEETING

f AQPQ RflEftßl , TBI? fAIIBT i/Aaca oW'Ulitl L'ill LuUni

(By.' Telegraph-Special Correspondent.)

Feilding, March 13. .Criminal charges arising out of the assaults on the Rev. G. F. Stockwell (Methodist), Rev. Thos. Miller (Presbyterian),, and Wain '(Salvation Army) came, before Mr. L. G. TieiA, 5.M.," to-day." -

Michael Rowan was charged' with assaulting the Rev. G. F. Stockwell, causing actual bodily harm; Simon M'Grael and James Egau wero charged with assaulting Mr. Stockwell; and Rupert M'Kee was charged with, assaulting Adjutant Wain. Sub-Inspector M'Kinnon conducted tho prosecution, and Mr. Co'op?r (Palinerston North) represented the accused. The charges of disturbing a meeting wero 'taken first, James Rf»an, Edward' Woods, Ruport M'Kee, Simon M'Grael; 'and Michael Rowan being charged. ' All pleaded not guilty. James Allen,, tailor, gave evidence that he rented the Drill Fall on.behalf of the Protestant Political Association fora lecture bv tho Rev. Howard Elliott. Admission -to the tall wn« ny ticket. The Rev. Mr. Stockwrli was chairman. While lie was sneaking he was hooted and? shouted at. Thero was sufficient noise to. prevent anyone else being heard. Witness Raw; Egan and M'Grael removed bv Win police. Others went out voluntarily. He thought the uitemintion went on for about twenty minutes.

To Mr. Cooper: He took'the hall in Iris capacity as secretarv of thp committee •of tlie Oranee Lorlgo, fonnrd for the purpose of rcmkinp; pralimii'S'-v .irranenni'>"+ s for thn of the Rev. Howard Elliott. Mr. Elliott came tn Feilding as part of tlm plan arranged ■by the P.P.A. in Wellington. ' Mr. Cooper: What is the Orange ■Locke?

Witness gave'no answer. "Mr. Cooper snM he wanted to know whether the Orange Lodge arranged lor the lecture.

Witness- said the intimation that Mr; Elliott, was coming, to Feildins; was sent to tlio Ornngo Lorlire, which was asked to make arrangements. They would not send a ticket to a man Known to be a Catholic. They did Jiot want Catholics there. The 'meeting was to hear an .address bv Mr. Elliott to form a branch of the P.P.A. in Feilding. Mr. Elliott was a paid political organiser. Witness had seen a few hostile political receptions, hut this one was a little bit worse than any he > had seen. It was not the whole object of the address to thiW mud at the Roman Catholic Church. The P.P.A. was to hold the privileges and Tights of. the Protestants without infringing on the rights of the Roman Catholics. They were not aiming at the Roman Catholi.cs at-all. : George Stockwell, minister, said ho remembered quite well the evening ot the meeting. There was a good deal of disturbance as they started to sing the National Anthem. Hβ appealed to the hostile element to be quiet, saying he was not an Orangeman nor a member of the P.P.A. The appear was of no avail. He had to ask the police to remove offenders.

Edwin Wain stated that he distinctly_ heard the words "You mongrel!" "You'coward!" Mr. Stockwell announced that the ministers present were independent of the P.P.A. or the Orange Lodge. Egan made a little speech before he • was put out. Witness identified tho live defendants as disturbing the meetJ.ng. The insulting words used were i against Mr. Elliott. ' Sergeant Cahill stated that the five defendants were the chief offenders and there were others not quite so bad. He 'cautioned the' noisy ones. M'Grail, Rowan, M'Kee and Egan woro put out in thai; order; 4 Mr. Cooper submitted that the meeting was not called for the purposes of m. lecture, hut for forming* a political association. He submitted that the reception was no worse-than the organJser or the general public pxriected when he was "attacking the religion of aYspct-ion of the people. The Magistrate "said he was not there To say whether +he propaganda was iviso or unwise. He held that the word - "lecture" in the- swtion of tbe Act covered a meeting. Mi of the defendants would hn fined 205., with 7s. costs. The fines wore paid. charges of assault . * committed for TRIAL. The charges of assault were then propeeded with. The Rev. G, F; Stockwell gave evidence that after the meeting Rowan made use of vory objectionable language. Witness and the others were followed by accused and a great crowd. When witness got into the darkness of Kimbolton Road the crowd came on with a yell. Witness's hat was knocked olr and he received a blow. He got on to the road and ran along a few yards crying -out: I'Tliis will not do; ■be British." He then got on to the path again and received a knock-out il-.10w.. He received considerable injuries, and was off duty for a fortnight iunder tho doctor. Thomas Miller, deposed that he had noticed Rowan in the meeting t.nd connected with the disturbance. He could not identify the other accused. After the meeting he saw a man standing ■with his back against the fence, and the man called out: "You mongrel." The man followed witness and others, calling out repeatedly and very loudly , words to the same effect. PreEently he heard over his shouldsr a - fierce, _ angry voice shouting an imprecation similar to the other words, and immediately following a heavy blow struck him in the face. He was stmck on the eye, nose, and mouth, one tooth being broken. Ho must have been stunned, and when ho came to consciousness he was lying on the ground, and as he rose on his hand and knees lie saw men running. He saw no can strike him or strike anyone else. Edwin Wain said he saw Rowan at the fence. He saw others later on. Rowan called out: "You mongrels.". Witness noticed the crowd i join up with Rowan and follow witness and the other ministers down the street. The four ministers were walking abreast, witness on the inside. A little down the street the followers were running, and one of them struck Mr. Stockwell from behind. He could iiinatify Rowan as the man who struck Mr. : Stockwell, who was lifted off his feet and knocked towards the kerb. Mr. Stockwell rejoined witness on the path, when Rowan struck him and felled him to the ground. Witness turned Mr. Stockwell over so that he would not lie on his face, and then ran after the man. Two women hindered his piogress, and said, "He never did it." Rowan turned round, still running, ond made a blow at him, but did not hit him. M'Kee then struck at witness. .Witness defended himself. Duncan Whisker gave evidence that ■ieiimet . Rowan backing through ■ the cro\vd/i. Witness said, "You are a cur." Rowan replied. "Please,-1 did not do anything at all." Later on he saw Rowan with five or six others, and heard Rowan say, "I got a beaut on to him." : Someone in the orowd

said/"Shut up, or you will a bo getting into trouble."

Mrs. M'Crorio stated that she saw the four accused in the hall,' and later on saw thorn again in the Square She heard Eowan .say, "1 got a beaut on to ono of them." Later on she saw the whole four together in the Square. Constable Anderson stated that after tho meeting M'Grael said to witness, "I will get tho rotten cow before the night's out, you see if I don't." Mr. Elliott was the man referred to. Egan said: "I would like to have him out on the Btrcet here. I would make a football of him." After the assault ho saw M'Keo and Eowan together. Constable M'Uonald stated that outside of the hall after tho meeting he heard M'Grail say, "If I could get ono on to it, 1 would do a month for it. Dinkum I would." Witness subsequently arrested M'Kee, and charged him with assaulting Adjutant Wain. Witness made no reply bearing on tho charge.

Mr. Cooper .submitted that there was no'case against M'Graol and Egan, as thero was no evidence they were present at the assault.

The Bench said there was an abundance of evidence of intention to as- ■ sault on the part of Rowan, Egan, and M'Grael. In regard to M'Kee, he was not charged, with assaulting Stockwell, but with an attempt to assault Wain. That was not an indictable offence. Ho would dismiss M'Kce without prejudice. He was satisfied there was a prima facie case against Rowan, M'Grael, and Egan, and committed them to the Supreme Court for trial. Each accused pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate granted bail, fixing the surety at £50 in each case.