INSULTING A POLICEMAN.

NZ Truth, Issue 129, 7 December 1907, Page 6

INSULTING A POLICEMAN.

Kelly's Kronk Konduct. : There 5s one policeman m Christchurch who was grossly insulted on Tuesday morning. He answers to the roll, call of duty as Constable Smith,. : wears a shaven countenance and a smile that would, soften the heart of any damsel who had a heart to be softened. That is when he is m good : humor, and no obnoxious cabbie tries to run over his toes at the street junctions. On this particular occasion he was rather wild, and showed it m the usual manner. It might be '•mentioned that Smith is very much inclined to obsesity. When he is m igood form he is as plump as a Xmas turkey, and m years ta come when •he has blossomed into an opulent '^squatter -he will make an ideal Fatj.man one reads about m the papers. Came along Ernest George Kelly, ■spieler and thief, and what-not. He remarked the proportions of Smith, who had pinched him a year or so 'ago fora bit of business which didn't redound to- the credit of Kelly, whose people are allegedly respectable. Mr Kelly grew insulting," and sayeth' he to the peeler : "What is the cause of your big belly ; is beer the •cause of that ? Why don't you go and do some b— — work and get the gut offi you ?" These unseemly sentiments were uttered m Colombostreet, and were calculated to provoke a breach of the peace. Kelly was getting a cab to take his things to the Railway Station at the time, ,and, according to the constable, he was arguing with him (the constable) before he made use of the above printed flowery remarks. Smith told him to get away about his business, or else there would be SOME SORT OP TROUBLE, Well, Kurious Kelly persisted, and the result was that when he got into the -cab the policeman got m, too,, and ordered the jehu to drive to the Po-. -lice Station. And that was how the tables were turned. It was Billy Boyd who made double fare when <iie only expected one. and he corroborated the constable m Court. Kelly, now reduced to a flabby sort of person m a check suit, said he did not use the particular bad word mentioned m the information. He had spoken to the peeler, but the latter had accosted him first, and asked how he was getting on. He never intended to insult the consijable. It was shown that Kop Kursing' Kelly had an awful bad record, and that lie had been many times m chokey. Bishop, 'S.M., promptly fined him a fiver or a month, and no time was allowed m which to pay. The prisoner had three quid on him when arrested, but that, of course, was insufficient unless he could liorrow from friends.