NOISOME NORTH-STREET.

NZ Truth, Issue 111, 3 August 1907, Page 6

NOISOME NORTH-STREET.

MINNIE McNEIL'S MISTAKE, Sweet Sisters Have a Row. Max Woolfe's 'Appy 'Ome. The Hot' thoroughfare m Wellington which bears the same moniker as the Rev, J. J. North, was the scene of a verbal disturbance at 11.15 p.m. on Monday July 15. This is not an uncommon experience foeNorth street, but the , lydy responsible on this occasion was unnecessarily loud m her unseeming re* marks. On Monday last Minnie MeIMeil was charged with using obscene' language too blushful to be mentioned? m open court, at the time, on the date, and m the locality mentioned.. Minnie^ who was defended by Me Jackson, is a good looking young woman, who wore a blue frock, with hat to match, as the society papers say, relieved by a grey fur boa, and* she also wore an expression of suppressed tears. The principal evidence against her was given by Bobbies Mahoney and Lister, whose attention was directed to _ a three-roomed cottage from* which blood-curdling screams ani J language emanated. ■ The dreadful words which horrified the constables were written down m the charge sheet, and were carefully read by the people concerned. The peeleTs demanded admittance, and were ushered m by Max Woolf, who is getting quite a familiar figure m the witness box, and who is living with! Minnie. They found mi n the house Max, Minnie, and Minnie's sister, and the row was about Minnie's sister. Minnie wanted. to kick her out, but Max would not hear of it, hence the trouble. In reply to solicitor Jackson, Constable Mahoney said the language could be heard by the occupants of a cab which drew up at the entrance to North-street, and also by stray pedestrians who gathered to witness the circus. When outside he couldn't see Minnie, but he recognised her voice. The words weren't UTTERED BY THE SISTER, • who was too frightened to speak.The constable, with a clearer recollection of things, got permission to change the character of one opprobrious epithet m the charge to another unpleasant word. There was trouble between Minnie and her sis- » ter.

What class of people live m Northstreet ?— All sorts.

Any particular sort ?— Good and bad.

Is language of that sort, though not so sultry, a common thing m North-street ?— Not altogether. ' Constable O'Donovan : There are some respectable pool- people m the street, are there not ?— Yes.

Th,ey have no choice ?— That is so. Constable Lister corroborated.Minnie's sister was m the back room m bed, half-dressed, • when the police entered. She called Lister into the room to tell him about it. The class which resided m Northstreet was pretty rough. Mr Jackson, for .the defence, denied that certain portions of the language were used, and remarked that Minnie had called Woolf "A GERMAN COON," instead of a German something else. But even if bad language had been used,- it wouldn't have the same eijfect m North-street as it would ia | a more respectable quarter. The | people who heard it would be residents or visitors to the street for dubious purposes, and their morals would not be greatly outraged by, the language. - 1

Minnie McNeil said she was Jiving with Max Woolf, and had a disturbance with her sister on the nierht m question. She put her relative out earlier m the> day, but the expelled person came back again while Minnie was out. She had taken her m on the previous Saturday night, and tried to get rid of her on Monday, but .Woolf wanted her to remain till the morning, and Minnie and Max had a row over it. She called him a German coon. She also called her sister a prostitute, which she was, nothing more or loss. Her sister slept m the kitchen, but was m the passage when the police came m.

Max Woolf corroborated. During the twelve months he had lived with Minnie, she had not made use of the shocking language mentioned m the charge.

Magistrate Riddell said they hsd evidence that the street was- a rough one, and people went there either by. choice or through necessity. Certainly there were persons there who. like the accused, did not have a veryhigh moral standard. The evidence showed that obscene language had been used, and ho. imposed a fine of 40s, and costs 7s.