FIREMEN & OFFICER CHARGE OF ASSAULT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 27, 25 February 1913, Page 8

FIREMEN & OFFICER CHARGE OF ASSAULT

"TROUBLE WITH A RUSSIANS •4» FINN. i , j night happenings on theSj&r o"f England were recounted before ,' Mr, W. G. Riddell at the Magistrate's *' Court to-day, when Andrew Buchan, . second engineer of the vessel, was changed* by William 1 Vallie, a fireman, with > hiving on 22nd- February assaulted him. Mr, P. W. Jackson appeared for the ( prosecution, and Mr.- T. Young for the , defendant. ' -•Mr. Jackson, in- opening the case, said \ tfiat Vallis was a fireman on the Star of England. On Saturday night, bettyeen 11 and 12, he was in the firemen's loom' when there wus a row started. In1 frjrniant went to the second engineer to get him to interfere, but defendant, ''fur answer, hit him a severe blow in . tl}e face, knocking him down. Then he commenced to kick him. The next tfting that informant remembered was that he was in the harbour, and Buchan was in also. If tme charge were proved, counsel said, he would ask for as heavy a penalty as if the assault had been by a seaman on an officer. Informant, in evidence, said that there was a row in the firemen's room, caused by a Russian sailor, who said' that he "hid lost five pounds, and who called .the firemen unpleasant names. Witness went to the second engineer, and asked to have the man removed. When the engineer saw him. he eaid, "Get out of this." Witness said, "Very well, sir." and defendani hit him, knocking him down. Then he kicked him. Witnces did not remember anything alter that, ac he lost, his senses. When he recovered consciousness he was in the water, and the Second engineer with him. ,To Mr. Young, witness said that he was not drunk, and had only had three drinks in the evening. There were half-a-dozen bottles of beer brought aboard, and two of them were consumed by the men m the forecastle. The RussianFannys, conduct started a fight in the forecastle. When witness got to the officers' quarters he found the Russian there. .Arthur Griffin, another firemen, said that he went with Vallie to complain fo the second engineer. Immediately the s^ond engineer saw them he hit Vallis in ,tho fitco^ and knocked him down. When, witness attempted to interfere defendant hit him, too. Witness went Jtway,. but came back to rescue Vallie. He* called the fourth engineer's attention to the way defendant was kicking Vallis, and tile fourth engineer said, "Oh, that's nothing. He's only joking." Witue«S7,went away to get assistance to re- j cover V»llie ; and as he was going do-An the companion he heard a splash and saw Value in the water. Then he heard a- voice call out, "The second engineer .has got to go over for him," and the second engineer went over. x Cross-examined by Mr. Young, witrness said he could not be sure that thero was no beer in the forecastle j "you don't go looking afound for beer when you go aboard." Did you not chase the Russian sailor to the officers' quarters ?— No, sir. Were not the officers in the alley-way keeping the Russian away from you or you "away from the Russian?— ~Xo, sir. "Was the Russian sailor in the officery' quarters when you went along? — I couldn't say, sir. Was anyone struck in the forecastle?— Ifes> by the Russian sailor. W-hafc with?— A bottle of whiskey. Joseph Allen, fireman, said that he «aw the second engineer take Vallis into the recess,' and kick him. Before that' Mr. Buchan had been kicking up a row. and had ordered two men ashore. Then he saw Vallis and chased him. What happened to the Russian sailor? --He went ashore with the two con* stables, , Did the constables search you?— Yes, they searched all of us to see if wo had his money. Witness went on to say that the second engineer had threatened them all. When he w ag { n drink, as he was this night, he was not fit to be in charge of ■men. • William Gibbes, fireman, said that he saw ValHs getting kicked, but did not interfere because the second .engineer said he would treat them all the same. -Mr. Tfoang: He wag against all of you?— Yes. And you are all against him?— We don*t want to go to sea with him again. ..So. you want 'to get him locked up?— Noj but we want this to stop. Frank Norman, Win. Henry Thurlow, and Henry Ferry also' gave evidence. Mr. Young said that the story had .been trumped up by the firemen, who wished to get the second engineer into trouble. As a matter of fact all the iiremen, he asserted, were drunk on Sat* nrday night, and the injuries they received Were got in the forecastle, Evideuce would be cr * >d to show that the Russian Sailor was chased into tike of» ficer*.'', quarters by the men. The second engineer ordered the men away, but they refused to g^o, and so he pushed them out, not using unnecessary force. Frank Focus, the Russian Finn, who was understood with difficulty, said that there was trouble about his money in the ■ forecastle, and he hit someone with a Ducket. Then sotneone hit him, and he went to the officers' quarters. The defendant Andrew Buchan denied absolutely having struck or kicked any man. He said that the Russian, chased by Vallis and a number of others, went to, complain to the t chief officer. While witness and the chief officer were keep* "ing the men back the Russian slipped ashore and fetched the police. Vallis dad blood on his face then, and his head was cut, Mr- Jackson: Now. are you the acknowledged bully of the boat?— l don't thitik so. If you asked them their unbiased opinion I think -they would say that they bad ncvev been bctfer treated. (Sounds of dissent from witnesses at the back of the Court,) They are v pretty good body of firemen7—You can't take {iremoti as a body. After further evidence had been called for the defence, the Magistrate dismissed the case, holding that, though it was suspicious, the evidence was too unsatisfactory to base a conviction on.