A CHARGE OF ASSAULT.

NZ Truth, Issue 107, 6 July 1907, Page 5

A CHARGE OF ASSAULT.

EX-PUG, PETTEIfGIIL IS PLUGGED.

Bother Aboityj-Soard Money.

DESPICABLE DODGfes OF THE POLICE.

A case which presented unusual I featifees m the Magistrate's Court on i ; ?flond% was that m which Gillooly . struck ''(Pettengill and Pettcngill- retaliated with violence and then the, row became submerged m Court pro- \ ccedings, with Mrs Pettentrill bobbing i about the surface m a disturbed manner. Pettengiil, who is an elderly prize-fighter, now nearly blind, keeps a small shop m Ingetre-street, with his missus, and Gillooly was the Same old boarder. | The story of Pettengill, whose came is James, is that Gillooly owed a fortnight's board,, and it occurred to the experienced man. oi the world that if he was unable to pay two weeks' board his capacity / for paying three would be infinitely - small. He remarked to that effect to* 'the defaulter, with the intimation^ •that he could go elsewhere. Thatj was m the morning, and Gillooly? left, returning at. noon for his duds^j possession of which was violently re-,, {used. Gillooly offered to go uprs stairs, 'hut Mrs Pettengill added her ; •resistance, whereupon the discarded; boarder caljed her 'blackguardly names?; v The enraged Pet+engill then pushed: him out of the thop, and he went', on to , the pavement, where he invited? the ag*ed man to come out and fight. Pettongill, wlto is suffering from par-* iial blindness, refused, but goadedv to action by the taunts of his in-j solent opponent: he did so, and Waft stabbed on the arm by Gillcoly, who then threw the knife. in Pettengill'S;, face, inflictinig . another wound. He'l again possessed himself of the knife^ but, as the police had been sent for;' he made frimseif scarce, and escapedj arrest. That was the narrative asi> elicited from Petten-pjill by Sub-In^ spector O 'Donovan. - % To Mr Wilfotd (for defence) : -Hfll could see well enowgih to know tftsif*. G-jllooly struck him. He had Km| self teen a^ old prize-fighter. || Did you ever assault anybody?— Mo. s. Now, then, be careful; pull your?, self up. Did you ever assault anyfs body ?— Yes. . § What did you get— eighteen monthsfe -No. . . r. Do you mean to tell me you ne.ve|| pot eighteen months' for assault ,?-& It v/as five y<ears, and I didn't do it. Wi That must be another oiie. Do yos -V" remember when you travelled witli| Jane Barry, the -fighting woman ? — ■ No. •' ... 1 Did you travel with any fighting ' woman '?— No ; At was a boxing lady. ' I The orderly : Silence ! - ... Did yfeu *iot get eighteen months'. 0 •while with her ?— No ; I was only con-. ' victed once m Sydney. , , ,' Your Missus— l notice you call •■? her'? "' .your "Missus"— is she your wife? *■ M-aisjistra'te Rdddell : You needn't* J answer that question. . "j Witness said), further, that his^i^l J did not have a lemonade •bottle#ttpr ''< _ddid she hand him a^ wjking siflcy, to^ ' |[Ktrike Gillooly with. _ ■T To vStib-Inspectot, O 'Donovan : He. PT had bis coat off, with his sharD rolled up to the elbows. Agnes, wife of the last witness, a comparatively young woman, corro-j b-or a ted. In addition she has slapped! Gillooly when he was m the.^hop, '■ for insulting .language. He HADN'T PAID HIS BOARD, and she wasn't going to keepf :bpen house for him or anybody else> . To Mr Wilford: She had ta^wn him ; for years, both on the Ept. Belt, .Ohiristchurch, and at InV'ejß&rgill. He workedi for a butcher m Christchurch. When he was dismissed from.' a meat coiapanyhe had written to his mdth.er at the Bluff, saying he had poisoned his leg and wouldvhave to nave it oft owina; to consumption. Sbe knew two m the family who had died of consumption. When his mother came up she was surprised to see him walking m the street, and left for the Blufi again without speaking i o him. . Mr Wilfotd asked if the witness had cast aspersions m the morality of Gillooly's mother prior to the fracas, and the witness vigorously denied the impeachment. She also, denied, that, m. retaliation Gillooly hfld impunged the good. fame of witness. This last <questioH related to the reason why she JeSt Christchurch, and witness sa-id tfoe Christchurch business was beside the question altogether. His Worship : Answer the question. Witness '• I don't know what he tr.Rans. His Worship : Answer the question. Witness.: Christohurch has nothing t o do v.nth. thisShe acknowledged her signature to a receipt for the board money owins, but it had only been paid on the previous Thursday, by one Arthur Murray. (has. Cutts, restaurant keeper, In-;; a :-sL>-e-streei>, -said he heard GjUoply! ofier Pet»teiigiir out to fight, ajid saw j bi m throw i nto the f-a^ee of the vet- \ crivn battler an article^' which resembled a tin-opener. Saw the face wounds inflicted. , To Mr Wilford : The tin-opener m iT>it ilnve been a bike-spanner. A constable irave evidence as to beiny; called to the scene, and saw the wounds. ■ .[ Sergeant Beattie- also saw the abrasions. To counsel 'for the defence lie said they were not serious. He did not think the scratches on the face WERE CAUSED BY FINGER NAILS, although they were rather lengthy. Daniel Cutner a person of pronounced Jsw.is'h aspect, who elected to be sworn with his hat oft-. .• witnessed part of the altercation. .The yovng fe^ow wouldn't go without his things. Viheh Pettengill came outafter. Gillooly Cutner, much alarmed*, had warned the ancient : "Look out ; h9's got something m his hand." Cxillooly threw , the -thing m Petten-p-iii's faofe and also struck him on the arm. The thing Looked like a pocket knife. He was satisfied that the thing struck Pettengill's face first. „ •.! ... , ■ ..-'• This was the case for tbc pnosecubioa. ' A y-i (•■■■■

, In his own defence, Chas. 'John Gtil-* Jcoly said that on May 8 lie owed ; Pettengill a fortnight's board, ..and had left m theiaornino-. ag described. ■When be returned at noon : Pettengift and .his Missus were m the shop,, and Gillooly said to 'the Missus, "Where is my mother staying?" She replied, with scorn, "I suppose she's m a sanguinary drum, where 'she's been all her life." Gillooly x6fylied, with heat, "You- ought to be ifae last to say that, as you.- were |xiven out of a house on the Town ■Belti, m Christchurch, for keeping a ilrum, and your children were taken •Jvom you." Thereupon Mrs Pettenkill swooped down upon Mm andStruck him m the face. Also the % 'furiated Pettengill, with imprecations caught him by the throat and forced him out into the street. He.attempted to give Gillooly one on the point m the old way, and • Gillooly retaliated. Gillooly had a light spanner m his hand at the time. Mrs Pettengill brought up reserve ammunition 'm the shape of Gillooly's own walking stick, which she banded to the disturbed Pettengill, who swiped ouft and missed. She also GRIPPED A LEMONADE BOTTLE tot emergencies. It was not true (■hat the hoary-moustaebedi person had come out of the house after his victim. The whole thing started from the reference to Gillooly's mother. To Sub-Inspector O'Donovan : Had liot been asked for his board on aoy faay previous to . the 8-th. He Was staying with Mrs Trask when arrested at Hastings. Axe you living with a woman ? — No. Were you with a woman at Hastings ?— I was with_Mrs Miirray. 1 Who is she— what is she ?— She's a woman. The Orderly: Silence ! Witness further stated that his effects were still at Mrs-PettengJU's. He hadn't called for them,, as he had gone to get work. . :* Three young fellows— Cunningham, heard part of the conversation and Joseph Seatr&, aiid Alfred Barrett — substanrtaated/ Gillooly's statements jWith referen(je to the language and |.ction of Petlbengill. ' j Magistrate Riddell said the evidence was conflicting ; there, appeared to have been a| row and both parties vere/to blanie. Gillooly, by thrown?; whatever Jhe had m his hand, had een N guilty of ,an unwarrantable ac* *on, but lie had received some prorooation. Fined 20s and costs 7s ; vitnesses Bsi It was conierninig. this same Gillooly ■rad Mrs Mutr&y that '''Truth" had bmethiug tof say some moct-hs back. % will be; remembered by readers *at Giloolyj and his friend y^ere stay--1 |g in a 'bop.rdiaDg-house m tJ'Welliaigf %, and -w^re accu'secT •by. v^he land- - W/ma of liavj^g purloinei^|j|Re_ -£<>>» flonifruie^btiru lainiiatfijJl^Knj.^j The ilete<^iives made an a^auw%pou the house, and m qii«stt.oniog 'opie . lady ; Ivvere most insulting m their remarks , and made various offers and threats; to try and induce her to adjnit that ibe or Gilloqly bnew all about tjie bheft. The h^gh-handed action they took withouit one tittle of evidencewas recorded tat the time), and it is only now, witen another chance has been given 4ih«m /that they again show their -tfepth and do their .best to blast the iieputation of a woman for no other \reason than that- they somethijtg" to her discredit . *n fche past* Iv appears that Gillooly was arrested Im. Hastings, but previous to his kfrest his employer, a butcher, fcadJcßt some money from .his premises. t*P iadt Vth.at Gillooly worked there {was quite enough ' for the demons. Tney pounced upon him as the thief sisjraight away. It was subsequently jrovedi that quite another person altogether had 6ollared the cash and Ibhat Gillooly couldn't have possibly Known anything aibout it at all, but mat didn't prevent the ;d.'s from add iiti insult to injury and baking- up the pfest of Mrs Murray's life. Her whole history was, cried from the housetops, and everything [that they couTt do to damai her reputation was dine.; This is thesott bf thdng that I • - V ■ ; MAKES CRLWALS OP HONEST PB3PLE, md prevents repentant criminals fromi iver reforming. | Instead of gdving •bis woman a hflpiog hand ' and all lonor for tryife to lead a respectible and honestflife, their one ob- j ect seems to M to drag her down nto the gutter land make her pay or the one slip febe made by forcing ler to abandon all efforts to lead : > xn honest and clean life; and revert |o a life of sin, lending, possibly, m [crime and gaol. VSuch seems to be She laudaWe ambition of these manqtjs _of jbhe law. a Pretty protectors >f society, ~\<to(0i>&l They must needs liound down a woman", whose only auit is a desire \to live an honest Lfo. Perhaps next time the police aye reason to interview Gillooly (if sver they /do) they will do so withiut bringing Mrs Murray's name into fie matter and without offering her. by gratuitous insult.