NASTY NEIGHBORS.

NZ Truth, Issue 123, 26 October 1907, Page 5

NASTY NEIGHBORS.

WILLIAM WOODS WAXES WILDLY. Unwarrantable Reflections on a Lady's Virtue. " I'm a Respectable Married Man !" A"ny person entering the witnessbox to give evidence m a criminal prosecution requires to be, like the missus of Caesar, very much above suspicion. If a lady testifier is no better than she ought to be she gets a hot time of it from the opposition counsel, who desires to "test her credibility, your Worship," and even if she is a virtuous female, who is the victim of malicious rumors, the questions put to her cloud her reputation with a sinful shadow that is never entirely dispelled. Alice Evans is the wife of Alfred of that ilk, and lives at 35 Courtenay Place, Wellington, two doors from the mansion inhabited by Won. Henry Woods, whom she charged with using insulting and indecent language and with being a person who ought to be bound over to keep the peace. Woods is a harmless looking individual, who seemed about 19 years, but he is really a married person and lives with father-in-law Sergeant ; m fact, he is such a colorless ' personage that the outraged lydy mistook him for a Sergeant and addressed him as such m the summons. The complaint alleged that William "Henry kept a horse, which he secured by barricading the common right-of-way to houses from Allen-street, and the animal was of the vicious jßian-eating type. Alice was m thfe^ght-of-way on one occasion, when the horse came at' her open-mouthed and bit her on the arm. She complained to Woods aboufc the miatter, and he replied with brutality, "YOU ARE A PROSTITUTE, and you get your living by prostitution !" She then complained to one Watson, who is an inspector of some sort or other, and "Woods repeated the aspersions on her irreproachable character m his presence. This was on September 2, and since that date a bottle had been thrown at her from Woods 's house, also a horseshoe. One night Woods was talk-" ing to another man when Alice came out, and Woods remarked, with scorn, "There goes the b '," These particulars were elicited by Mr Jackson. In reply to Mr Cook (for the defence), Alice said she was married on November 10, 1903, at Auckland, and her maiden name was Alice Rooke. She left the jealous Northern city eighteen months ago and iw<as now living with Evans, who was an expressman. She replied with emphasis that she had never lived m Ponsonby, Auckland, and didn't reside with a person named Harry Carver there. She didn't stick Woods up at the corner of Courtenay Place and Allen-street, on August 18, nor did she say to him, "Hullo, where are you going ; I suppose you're not going to take me home ?" She didn't remark to Woods, "What a nice hunch of violets you've got," nor did she invite him to come inside and be sinful with her. She denied with indignation that she had asked him for ss. When the horse business took place she didn't remark to Woods, "You've got a b fine cheek to let the horse go round the yard;!" There were seven rooms IN HER VIRTUOUS ABODE, and she took m lodgers. She knew a woman named Mrs Stevens, who used to be Tessy Russell, but she was not m the habit of going out with -her at night, although she had been with her once m the afternoon. Magistrate Riddell considered this evidence irrelevant. Mr Jackson (to witness) : Are you a woman of the kind Mr- Cook is trying to make you out to be ?—Certainly not. You do not stick up young fellows and ask them to go for a walk with you ? — No. Inspector Stephen George Watson stated- that he interviewed Woods and Mrs Evans ab'out'the horse, and he heard Woods remark to the woman, "You are a b — — l prostitute ; you bailed me up one night, and I'm a respectable married man." Woods, m his own defence, was proceeding to give evidence regarding the occurrence on August 18, when Mrs Evans was guilty of soliciting, but Mr Jackson objected. "Even assuming," said counsel, "that the woman is all- that she is said to be, it would not affect the case." His Worship expressed agreement with this sentiment. Mr Cook : But, surely, sir, suppose I call members of the police force to say that she associates with a well-known prostitute, would not that affect the case ? .His Worship pointed out that this was a charge of using insulting and indecent language, and it was unnecessary to call evidence as to the character of the complainant. Woods stated further that Alice's conversation with him at different times was foccible and impolite. Once she said, "That b horse has nearly killed me !" and on another' night she remarked, derisively, "YOU'D BETTER GO HOME TO MOTHER, or you'll catch cold." . He denied calling her a b , but when the Inspector was there he was rather confused, and couldn't recollect if he hurled aspersions on Alice's respectability at that lady or not. He had informed a friend that he intended pleading guilty. Mr Cook again applied for permission to call the police' as to character, but the bench considered it unnecessary.' His Worship, after summarising the evidence, said he held the use of indecent and insulting! language to be proved. No matter what imputations might be cast against the woman's character, that was ..no .justification for the. language used. The application would be dismissed, but Woods would have to pay the costs of Court and solicitor's fee £1 Is, with one witaess, 6s.