A GARRULOUS DEFENDANT

Evening Star, Issue 19263, 31 May 1926, Page 8

A GARRULOUS DEFENDANT

KEPT m " BALANCE SHEET " A magistrate not to he easily ruffled is Mr H. W. Bundle. This morning in the Police Court, however, his patience was quite exhausted by a defendant named Philip Reeder, who was charged with disobedience of a maintenance order. The Maintenance Officer asked for an order. Reeder, whoso arrears amounted to £lo 10s, went into tho box. Ho said ho had been in hospital as tho result of an accident. Tho name of his employers could not (in the way ho said it) bo easily caught, but eventually he spelt it out as Moucur Bros, and Tobin, of Caberfeidh. The Magistrate: What are your weekly earnings? Defendant: The wages are £5 8s a week, hut I lose a lot of time. “What do you make, then?” asked His Worship. “That I cannot say. Eighteen shillings a day is the wage apart from lost time.” “Every man knows how much ho earns,” -said the Magistrate with less patience than he had hitherto shown. “Yon are here,” he added, “to tell the court your position.” Defendant again affirmed an ignorance of what his exact earnings were. “Name one working man who keeps a list of his earnings,” he challenged confidently. “ What, then,” sharply demanded the Magistrate, “ do you make in a year?” Reder was unperturbed .by the, abruptness of tho query. “I have not got a business,” he replied, “so I don’t keep ; a balancesheet.” The magisterial patience was quite exhausted when defendant said: “If you asked me something easy I would tell you.” Mr Bundle’s reply came in a voice that robbed Reeder of a good deal of his sang froid. Reeder,” ho rapped out,” “you are here to tell the court your position! Why are you not able to do that?’ “This case,” he proceeded, “will be adjourned for a week. You must get a list of your earnings from your employer.” Defendant tnereupon reluctantly departed. “See that that man is warned to be hers next week with his list ” said the Magistrate finally; and the court went on to deal with the next case,