3 Fighting Maoris Before Court Today

Northern Advocate, 6 January 1948, Page 4

3 Fighting Maoris Before Court Today

Three Maoris became involved in a fight in a Whangarei hotel yesterday afternoon:

The trouble ended with one of the natives in hospital and the other two in the lock-up for the night. The sequel was their appearance in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, charged with behaving in a disorderiiy manner in a public place while I drunk. I They were Thomas Robert Maunsell, alias Andrew Smith. 24. labourer, William Andrews, 26, a labourer, of ! Waiomio, and Paul Jones. 25, labcurj er, of Muritai. The three accused pleaded guilty. Sergeant J. Greenlees told Mr- W. C. Harley, S.M.. that the three Maoris entered the Blue Bar of the Commercial Hotel shortly after 3.30 yesterday afternoon. They pushed to the counter and started jostling some pakehas who were standing there. Andrews told one of the pakehas that he did not like white men and that he would like to “have a go” at him. TOOK NO NOTICE The pakeha, who had a crippled leg. took no notice of Andrews, who then caught him by tire shirt, shook him, and asked him outside to fight. The men were separated and the pakeha with two companions left the bar to avoid further trouble and I went across to the main bar. The three Maoris followed them over and again started an argument. The pakehas tried to reason with them but they were looking for trouble. Sergeant Greenlees said. A scuffle started and ended up in a general fight. The licensee, with the assistance of several barmen, put the defendants outiside, where they were arrested by Constable H. S. Lindsay. Jones tried to strike one of the barmen as he was being put outside, missed and put his fist through a glass panel of the door. “The Maoris had no provocation whatever," Sergeant, Greenlees said, “and the worst feature of the case was their following of the pakehas from | one bar to the other.” !

The pakehas were much smaller than the Maoris. ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL Jones had to go to the Whangarei Hospital for treatment after cutting his wrist on the broken panel of the door, and Maunsell and Andrews were in the police cells for the night. In reply to a query from the magistrate, two of the defendants, Maunsell and Andrews, intimated that they had been overseas during the war. Mr Harley: You two should know bolter. It is no good you coming back here and behaving like tiffs. The three were convicted and ordered to pay 10/- each.

i “That will cover the cost of repairing the hotel door and cleaning the ■blood from Constable Lindsay's uniform.” Mr Harley said.