A SERIOUS CHARGE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5802, 20 January 1906, Page 7

A SERIOUS CHARGE.

Tii:'. DI..MU OF BASIL GH-AIIAM. BVo YOUTHS IILFOI’-K TilL ('GLUT. I’KOCI'II'IDINGS AD.IOERNFD• ,‘l the < "itv Felice Court yeatordey J.riu Can--Kin and IVrcival George i--/.ar, voiilhs, wor*. nliarg.d on r«I , .ini l l Uelore Dr A. McArthur, ».M., wit ii killing nil- .Malcolm B;.wl Hay (Iraii.un, oil |iw-.*mh.T 10*Ji. thereby roii.iiiiunig inaiu-niiii'iiter. Tills 1- the c.-lcc arising out of » riwul di-l'irLin'o 11! Cubai.tl.e'. D-.l'Ctiv-e UlT,i),-:g cmiduciwt th- pr«*ecutioti. Mr Uiiionl ajvj.eitn.; for ( ninerori. and Mr Biaii on Be/.ar. (,‘laude Harold Ciinnt, dairyman, residing at No. to, Mem sWwt, said that ..hortly alter u duHilt on ,aUUdav Ih-coiuber Kith, he wiu. standing tl . In- the Koval Oak Hotel, ut the corner of .Maiin«jr.> and Cuba :.tr,ei-. J. Caii.eion '.one of tile accme-l*, Aithnr O.diurtie, Benina Sullivan, ami Arthur Connor «*>r.< with him. While he v..is standing liier.- thr.v other vuiing 1 *:! o.v- nan.iv I itarvey, ,S< 04 tin > . and Idaha in 1..1 They wore going up Cuba nll-w. en Ihe Koval Oak sale Willies- did not hear anything said when they ■■wilt by. ami nothing look place. Aeeii.vl Cameron went -ip to the other i«n%y ami when wiln---tiartv went up to the newcomers Jmy weie 1 talking light.'' llarvu'y .'-aid hr could take on" two of wittutv.» par'y. Cameron picload Onh.-rm- hrm.veii, and t.hev i.taruri to go to Taranaki place. They had a -oulfle at, the corner. Cr.iinun ruslied at Camei-on, nd a Uv.lle tell on the luot.path. It 'ame Irem Gruhain. After Mud Ikuncrou and Graham fell; but wum-w did nm see any blows struck. W itnass pick.sl Camerim up,' took him 11- tar a.v the .Silver Grid, ami then went back to bud Connor. i!<> rd Connor out of the crowd, and went bad; to Cameron. W’it nets v til 011 -lined to walk up Cuba ntivet with Oanierou, when Gnuiam latino up, and said tometliirig witness did not hear. Witnens raitl lo Grahiuu,

"Why tit<l you want to hit Cameron in the i;ioe witit a bottle ?" Ho donitsl this, faying ho would not do anything so (xr.vnrdly. Witness then peinu-d to a mark on Cameron's fact*. Gr.mam ;.ild "Don’t [aiint." then .-tep[xvl hack behind wit in.tvs, and struck Cameron from behind. WTtmws got (.AunoroJi away, and did not. soo any more of Gm'ham till ho was in tho hands of tho police. The recoud altercation took placo oppoaito I’o.ire./s boot hop. When Graham was taken away by the jiolice, ho was on tho right-hand s.du of tlw st-rcet, near tho boot nhop. To Jlr Wilford; ‘Witnces only know Cameron by (fight; ho alx>ut nine stone seven pauuda in weight. Witness wiib perfectly offtain Oruhtun rnahod at tfamoron. ilo wa,s also oortain that cn tho second occasio,! bl.-i-ham .truck Caumron a cowartliy blow from btfiiind. To -Mr Blair; Graham was ‘'krokiu;' for fight." Arthur William t>.;'K>rnc, labourer, iv.fiditig at Island Bay, said he renumbered iKiing at the corner of Alanuor.s and Chiba streets ou tlio night in question. Several men were with Lit... including Cameron, Chant, Connor, and Sullivan. Witness saw Graham and fun malar tUarvey and Scottnoy) paw along. Cameron it IT witnexi’s party, and went over to the other [kuTv. Witness followed. Harvey. Cameron, and GraJiam were talking "light." Cameron told tho others not lo look for trouble. Harvey said he could light any two of them. Cameron picked witness out to go and light with him. They started for Taranaki place. At tho Royal Oak corner Cameron struck Graham. Two or threo blows were bxchangod between tho two, and a bottle dropped ou tho footpath, but witness did not know wliore it canto from. Camoron and Graham foil, and it appeared that Cameron wan on top of Graham. Tho two men had got into grips before they fell. The next witness know was that a crowd had congregated, and a policeman wan on tho scone. All tho men then walked up Cuba street. 'limy stopped opposite Pearce's boot shop, on the other side of tho street. Witness next saw- Graham strike* Cameron, and immediately aftcrwartls nceused (llexar) strike Graham. Witness did not know what effect the blow had on Graham. Ho did not see any other person strike Graham. It appeared that Bezar struck Graham on the* right-hand side of the back of the head. Tlie blow did not seem to be very hard. Witness could smell liquor on Graham. Graham looked 11 hit ‘’drowsy.” To Mr Wilford; Half an hour did not olapwo between tho two scuffles. In answer to Harvey saying ho would " Lake on ” two, Cameron selected himself and witneas to fight. Nobody was to fight Graham. Witness saw tho skin was off Oamoron’s cheek-bone under tho eye. Witness considered it would bo tho result of a blow from a bottle. Witness heard nobody say, “ Good night, Adolphus.”

iNorman McArthur, carpenter, depened that ho was in Cuba street on the .night in question in company with' Bestir ami Potoreon. Seeing a crowd at tho comer or* Taranaki place and Cuba street, ho wont to see what was tho matter. He saw Cameron, who said somebody had struck him with a bottle. Tim polio; raored tho crowd on. and •witness and his mitts, with Osborne and Cameron, went up Cuba street on tho left-hand side till opposite I’carce's shop. Cameron, who was a little abend, wan struck by somebody. Witness row Bezar step in and strike Oimeron’s assailant on the head. Witness w.U) then shored by the crowd across the road where a man was lying. To Mr Blair: Bexar explained to witness seme days after the occurrence that he struck the blow in tho excitement of the moment, and it was to save Cameron. Tho man Jones, dairyman, said ho wan in Cuba street. Ho was with a man mimed Walker. He saw a crowd, and recognised Cameron in it. Cameron told witness that Graham had struck him with a bottle. Later on. when opp<:«rto Pearce's, witness saw Graham strike Cameron a blow from behind. Afterwards a stranger struck Graham. Graham backed towards tho gutter, and that was tho last witness saw of him. Alexander George Walker, boarding-house-keeper, deposed to Cameron saying ho had been (struck on the head with a bottle. Ho corroborated the evidence of precious witnesses os to the striking incident in the vicinity of Pearce's boot shop. Deceased reeled, staggered, and fell across the gutter at Pest roe's shop. Deceased might have tripped. At this stage Mr Wilford became suddenly indisposed, and had to be taken home. The case was adjourned till Wednesday.