GUNN'S GOOD LUCK.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 6

GUNN'S GOOD LUCK.

ChUd-Yictim Violet Tries to Prove Paternity. An . affiliation case of a most unusual character was heard at Christchurch t'other day. It was unk-uie m its way, and incidentally it might be mentioned that it was badly saturated with perjury on one side or the Other. Daniel Gunn is a foundry hand, aged 21, and for a number of years it was alleged was a constant .visitor to the house of Mr and Mrs Ditford, who believed that he was courting their daughter Violet. Some time before the girl reached the age of 16 years she fell by.the wayside, and alleged that Guhn was the cause of her misfortune. He refused the overtures of Mrs Ditford to marry the girl, and the upshot was that he was arrested while at .work by Constables Gibson and Ward, and charged with the very serious offence of bavin* . '' TAMPERED WITH A GIRL over the age of 12 and under the age of 16 years m contravention of the Criminal Code. The case was heard at the Magistrate's Court, and he. was committed for trial. At the Supreme Court later a curious thing happened. After a lot of time had .been taken up m the hearing,, and the jury had retired, it was discovered that one of the jurors was stone deaf and hadn't.heard a damned word of the evidence, or, anything else. So there was ho hope for it^ but' to have another trial, the result being that Giinn Was found not guilty, the jury expressing the opinion that accused had had no connection with Violet Ditford durin-~ the month o£ November, 1905. The girl had sworn he had. The case had then been heard three times m all, and Gunn .naturally"'. thought he had got over all his troubles, but he suffered under a horrible delusion. The Ditfo'rd's slashed at him a^ain last week, despite the verdict of the jury, asking the Magistrate to make an order' against- him for the maintenance of the youngster Which was born m the meantime. So the old ground was ploughed over again. Violet Ditford, now over 16, gave her evidence m a more composed and emphatic manner than "she did m the Supreme Court—the result of experience, no doubt. Led b^ .Mr Hunt she detailed her relationship with Gunn. and the constancy of his visits to the house, generally two or three times a week: Alter he had ' GOT HER'INTO TROUBLE, ' she said, he didn't call so often as he had another girl. Sexual intercourse happened; before November, and . during the first week m that month. Gunn was three months m hospital, but intimacy occurred before and after he came out. He made her a present of a gold and greenstone brooch. When she. found herself ■m the family way her mother spoke to Gunn' about it, and he said he was only getting 35s a week and couldn't'afford to marry her. Then her mother said she would help him all she could to get a home together, but he refused. Miss Violet was sub■jected to a pepper hot cross-exami-nation by Mr Donnelly, who wanted dates of "these loving occurrences, but the girl declined to swear to any particular date. She had never put them down, but she would take her oath that he was the father of the child. You won't swear to any date because you know y6u will be contradicted ?—No, that's not the reason ; I'm not positive about the dates. How many times did Gunn have intercourse with you, m November?— I never counted the nuntber of times. Continuing, the witness said she wouldn't risk saying any particular Xlate—"l won't risk nothing," she .declared emphatically. Counsel then asked Violet a few pertinent questions regarding her alleged night frolics with other people. She de-, nied that she was out a good deal After dark larking and romping with strangers. She had heard a woman witness say so m the Supreme Courts •fout it was untrue/ She had never Jbeen seen surrounded by sailors m the street. It was correct that she was m the Lancaster Park Hotel somewhere about eleven o'clock at night: but she went on a message for her father. Another girl accompanied her, and at the invitation of two young men she had a drink—soft tack. In answer to Mr Hunt the girl said that on New Zealand Cup night Gunn called at the house—it was a .Tuesday—and they had intercourse m the shed at the bacjc of the house. ;(It was shown afterwards that there •were no gallops at Riccarton on the •first Tuesday m November.) The mother of the girl, Eliza Ditford, related that Gunn had, been calling on them _ for three or four •-jyears; and she always thought he was! courting Violet. He used to chop ■wood afcd do other jobs for witness „ m order that she could go out for a stroll and get some fresh air. The pair then .HAD .THE HOUSE TO THEMSELVES. ;( Cunning dog!) When she accused Gunn of being the father of the child, and asked him what he was going to do about it, he said "Wait till the baby is born and I will see what I can do." When he called at the house again she once more broached the subject, and reasoned with him, but he never said a word. Her husband was present, but he let 'her do-all the talking. She told Gunn that plenty got married on what he was earning. In reply, to Mr Donnelly the wrinkled dame denied that she told Gunn that a criminal prosecution awaited him for interfering with a girl tinder 16 if he didn't comply with her terms, or that she would not only bring an affiliation case, but prefer a criminal charge against him. She wasn't always pressing -Guhn to-.marry her daughter. Two other witnesses were entiled an& then Lawyer Hiint called Gunn himself. r He admitted that, he had -been alone with the "girl, and had taken her out once or twice, hut ABSOLUTELY DENIED

I Mr Hunt : What were you talking about of an evening when you called. I -We talked politics. (Laughter.) t Weren't you spooning 'with the girl ?— I have never spooned with anybody. He had never made love to her ; he was a bit particular who he made love to. In reply to Counsel Donnelly, Gunn detailed how he had been laid up three months m. the hospital, from July to September ; *how he had been an out-patient until October, and said that from October to the 3rd November he had been m camp with the Navals on Ripa Island. He never went near Ditford's place m November at all, and he stated how and where he had spent each night, calling witnesses to prove it. It appearsthat Gunn has a : "tart" at Heathcote Valley, whom he visits three times a week, a Miss Luroh, and that lady entered the box and said that they had been keeping company for 17 months. She never knew he ; RAN ANOTHER SWEETHEART until this- case first came on. Constable Gibson stated that when he and Constable Ward arrested the defendant he said "I have heen going with the girl -for two or three years. I knew she was in 1 the family way, and meant to fix it up. I never knew her age." Gunn never used the words "They were going to fix ■ -me up," meaning that they intended preferring a charge against him. Mr Hunt had contended m his opening address that thc mere fact of a jury finding the defendant not guilty when charged with having intercourse with Violet Ditford when she was under 16 m no way decided the -question as to whether he was the father of this child or not. Mr Donnelly corns-batted, this, and cfuoted a case tried m England m support, but Mr Hunt replied that the cases weren't analagous Mr Donnelly laid great stress on the fact that the girl had failed to give dates and the result was Magistrate } Bishop reserved his decision.