COWARDLY ASSAULT.

NZ Truth, Issue 80, 29 December 1906, Page 6

COWARDLY ASSAULT.

The Result of Biting Beer.

When John Foster, .teams ■■ contractor on the Midland railway, blew into Christchurch ior a look' round he little thought that he!d spend three weeks m the hospital as the result <?f a single punch on the jaw. But so it happened, and .that w as Reform his holiday -assumed. By some mischance he got wined and met a carpenter chap named James Gilmour Hutoheson, who was. m a similar condition. The meeting hap-, petted m Alfred Burns' feeding house m Manchester-street ; neither had met before ; they rowed about nothing m particular. Burns separated I them and got Foster up the street, but Hutcheson followed and gave Foster such a biff that the rest was oblivion so far as the la~%er was concerned. Before he did so he remarked, "Now you can have all you are Hooking for" ; Burns' description of' i the knock, out was that Foster fell on the back of his head, striking the pavement like a log of wood. Then '.Hutcheson started to get away, but an the crowd passing remarks he ASSUMED A FIGHTING- ATTITUDE , as if he was willing to take on one or the lot. However, a constable ended the argument.' William Mason, rifle gallery man, told the Court that Foster had plenty of time to put up a defence but he didn't do so. Butoher Gibson, who saw the affair through his window, said that when Foster was struck he went back on his heels with his arms spread out and his eyes closed as if dead. He was unconscious. Went out to attend the stricken char*, and called out to Hutcheson, "Come back and help to pick un the man you so cowardly knocked down." It wasn't a fair manly blow, but A COWARDLY ONE. Constable Carney, who collared the John L. Sullivan hasher, brought him back to where Foster was lying, and then Hutoheson said : "You have got what you have been looking for, do you want any . more ? Have I killed him?" he arrested Hutoheson fos both drunkenness and assault, and on the way to the station he said : "When I met the fellow I said, 'Here I want a bit of you,' and I struck him ; I hit him 'b hard and I meant to." John Foster, who had been m hospital for three solid weeks, maihlv owing to the drum of his ear heing broken and perforated, told the Court that he recollected nothing at all about the occurrence. He put his loss of memory down to .^the shock' he received. On the application of Mr Donnelly who appeared for accused, (who liad been m quod all the time t'other cove was m sick bay) the case was dealt 'with summarily. Accused had no evidence to offer, as be was drunk at the time himself and knew*' nothing ahout the matter either. As he had £7 to his credit at the police station the 'beak fined him that amount, half to go to Foster as compensation. As it was holiday time, however, he allowed accused to draw a quid of that for his 'keep. The costs, which totalled a few notes, had to he paid m a fortnight. There is a moral attached to this case which' doesn't need much finding.