THE STREET TOUGH.

NZ Truth, Issue 72, 3 November 1906, Page 4

THE STREET TOUGH.

The most objectionable feature o! Wellington of a -Saturday night is that it is almost impossible for peaceaibla citizens to walk the streets without incurring the risk of being dragged into a brawl. To some extent a little jollification on a Saturday night is excuseable. Saturday night, the world over, sees everybody richer m packet than any other time of the week, and with a day of rest m between hours of toil, the temptation to get blue tjlincl and suffer the sorrows of a recovery the next day is, with many, one hard to overcome. Nevertheless, with a great number, Saturday night is taken advantage of to let the penned up hog of the previous week run riot, and the result is inconvenience and danger to the more sane and sober sipht-seer and those who desire to decently "do the town" and make purchases. Saturday night riots m this city seem to be on the increase of late, and we have' Magistrate McArthur's assurance that he will not deal lightly with the rioter m future. To use the words of that Magistrate, those guilty of blackguardism, who come before him, will not be outside gaol for Christmas. It is just as well this announcement has been made, and -it will be much better if it^'is given effect to. Last Saturday night m Wellington seems to have been' a more drunken "rational" evening than usual. 'From eight ' o'clock till long after ten, Lambton Quay, Willis, Cuba and Mannersstreets were scenes of wild disorder. Drunken ruffianism practically took charge. Free fights went on unchecked ; m fact the public-houses seemed to have put on a special fighting brew, and as usual on such occasions the police were nowhere to be found, and m +he one instance where they were on the scene, the "foorce" made a hoi" mess of it, as police couit proceedings last Monday rhornihg proved. In Willis-street a number of brawny, braTlinir miners, who are' employed on the Seatoun tunnel, smarted out to have some fun. ' The said fun might have been considered harmless had it not assumed the shape of bailing-up pedestrians, male and female, by punching the males and mauling the females,' and knocking their parcels out of their hands. Needless to say such fun was not appreciated, and a free fight was the natural result. More than one black eye was exhibited m the Police Court on Monday morning. One big,' burly chap, named Oallinan, was charged with assaulting a Willis-street shopkeeper, who, when the fracas was at its height, had rushed out to protect his windows, and for his trouble got a rough time. The upshot of the case was that Callinan was discharged, principally be^ cause the police evidence was very weak, while that of the miner and his pal? was strong, very "strong" indeed. Judge j then, the surprise of the onlookers, when, after Callinan had shaken the du,st of the Court off his bluchers, another case was called, where a poor, inoffensive youth, with badly blackened , eyes, was charged with creating a breach of the peace.. He was acquitted because ample evidence was forthcoming that Callinan, the injured innocent of the previous oase, had been the breaker of the peace and had .behaved more ljke a wild beast than a human being. How it came about that the police were unable to secure that evidence was not shown, but it js a fact that Dr. McArthur had the mortification of finding that he had made a mistake, for which the police were really responsible. It was then that the magistrate made his threat of putting Saturday night rioters m gaol until after Christmas. It is to be sincere-* ly hoped that when the opportunity arrives he will not shirk, his duty.