A NIGHT ATTACK

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 117, 14 November 1916, Page 8

A NIGHT ATTACK

ALLEGED UNPROVOKED

ASSAULT

COUNTY RANGER SEVERELY

INJURED.

A moonlight occurrence at Nainai, Lower Hutt, on the night of 26th Sep tember last was the subject of enquiry by the Snpieme Court to-day, when Richard White appeared before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) to answer a charge of having assaulted and caused actual bodily harm to Robert Charles Dick Mr. P S K. Macassey appeared for the Crown, and Mi M. Myers for the defence

Mr John Stuart Munro was foreman of the jury. "This was a cowaidly and brutal assault, ' stated Mr Macassey in his opening statement Proceeding, counsel said that on the night of, 26th September last Robert Charles Dick, ranger, in the employ of the Hutt County Council, was on duty at Namai, Lower Hutt At about 11 o'clock at night Dick found two horses wandering, and took them to i a house m Rata road In response to his whistling, two men came out of the I house, and a man named August handed Dick 2s for the horses Meanwhile, one of the horses had wandered up the road, and White, who had meanwhile joined the party, went off in the direction of the animal Dick almost immediately followed up on horseback. Dick attempted to take possession of the horse, when White called. "Leave that horse alone." Dick replied that the horse bad been in his charge for the last ' half-hour, whereupon White threw a stone, felling D,ck to the ground The stone caught Dick behind the left ear, and rendered him unconscious As the result of the assault, Dick's hearing in the left ear had been completely destroyed The motive suggested was that White and Dick had had a previous difference in respect of a horse, and had not been on friendly terms since. It was contended that there was absolutely no provocation for the assault. Counsel proceeded to call evidence in support of his opening statement (Proceeding.)