STREET RIOTING

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 41, 17 August 1917, Page 8

STREET RIOTING

A SOLDIER ACCUSED

CORPORAL BEFORE THE COURT.

Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., this morning, heard a charge against a soldier named William Ernest Fordham, arising out of the recent disturbance in Cubastreet. Fordham, it was alleged, had " disturbed " Sergeant Cruickshanks in the execution of his duty on that,occasion. Senior-Sergeant Emerson conducted the prosecution, and the accused was defended by Mr. P. W. Jackson. Sergeant Cruickshank gave evidence as to the origin of the riot and the earlier details of the disturbance (already published in The Post). He said that tho polico had had considerable trouble in getting the crowd off the footpaths in order to get their prisoner away. Three soldiers were standing in the middle of .the road, calling'out loudly, "We are the 29ths; we have got the 's beat." When the accused, with others^ was asked to ".move.ion," he said: " I'm a commissioned'officer, and you cannot interfere with me." Witness, a little later, owing to the increasingly hostile attitude of the crowd, ordered the constables under his control to clear the street. Accused then came behind him and said: " Don't you hit a'soldier, don't interfere •with ' a soldier; :if you do, it will be worse for,you; don't forget I am a commissioned officer." Eventually, when the constables had got their prisoner away, .and were going down Vivianstreet, they were followed by a howling, yelling mob. Witness again noticed accused pressing forward, and Constables Quinn, Forsyth, and M'Millan in turn put him back. Just about this time two bottles of beer were thrown at the police, one of; them striking Constable Quinn on the back. A crowd of 300 or 400 followed the polico into Tory-street. Later that night, abctt 11.15, witness was, arresting a man for inciting another man- to resist the police, and the man about to.bfi arrested made as if to strike liinv Witness drew his baton, and, seeing this,-the man said he would "go quietly," which he did. Accused then came ' running up from about a. chain ■away, and shouted out, "Don't _ you touch that man; he hns done nothing. : About midnight, witness again saw the accused, who, on request, gave his name and address, and said he was a cor'•pona:•.- AVitness : told accused he would hear" more about his behaviour, and the licensed replied, "You can do what you ]ike about it; what you have done is no credit to you or your men. I have seen the whole' thing from start to finish. To Mr. Jackson : When accosted, late in tho evening and asked for his name and address accused gave correct particulars. He could swear positively that accused was the man who had interfered ",-with, him.' Accused did not deny has ■-actions- when-told that he would hear more of his behaviour, and he was not one of the three soldiers who had been shouting out in the street.

(Proceeding.)