SINGULAR AFFRAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6212, 14 October 1881, Page 5

SINGULAR AFFRAY.

A BOY STABS ANOTHER WITH A PENKNIFE. A singular case o£ assault took place on Wednesday afternoon, at 4.30, at the North Shore, arising out of a boyish quarrel, and in which ai boy' named William Jenkins, 9 years old, stabbed another lad, about 8 years of age, named Alexander Grattan, with a penknife, in the back. The circumstances, as far as we can ascertain them, are as follow :—At 5 o'clock on Wednesday evening Mr. Thomas E. Durance, of Devonport, reported to Constable Moar that his stepson, Alexander Grattan, S years old, while playing in Church-street, about half an hour previously, was stabbed in the back with a penknife by a boy named William Jenkins. Constable Moar repaired to Mr. Durance's residence, and found young Grattan in bed. On examining the boy, he found a wound under his left shoulder, such as might have been inflicted by a penknife. The boy informed the constable that a lad named Hugh Brown and Jenkins were quarrelling over something, when Jenkins took hold of Brown and was going to" beat him. Grattan, on seeing Jenkins going to accomplish his purpose, stepped between them to prevent Brown being ill-used, when Jenkins, without any provocation, stabbed Grattan in the back, as stated above. The boy Hugh Brown states that he saw Jenkins with the knife in his hand making the blow for Grattan's back. Constable Moar went to the house of Jenkins's' father (who is employed in the pilot service), and got possession of the knife, which is a small two-bladed one. Dr. Hooper was called in to attend the wounded boy Grattan, and states that he does not consider the wound as dangerous. The boy Jenkins was subsequently arrested, and brought up at the Police Court yesterday afternoon, charged with maliciously wounding, when he was released on his father's recognizances, and remanded till Monday next.