BUMPING A BOARDER.

NZ Truth, Issue 142, 7 March 1908, Page 5

BUMPING A BOARDER.

THE MAULING OF MILES. Peculiar Pranks at the Paragon.

The Patrons Protest Against the Presence of Pimps.

T-his honest paper doesn't claim originality for the remark that misfortunes never come singly ; they come married, so to speak ; and, judging by their numerousness, those misfortunes that have lately visited the Paragon hasli-'house of David Barrie, Wellington, are of the Mormon persuasion. The sly-grog raid started it, and sundry misdemeanors have been revolving round the prosecution ever since. Several Court cases lately haye had most direct relationship to the Sunday purge proceedings, and the Barries are familiar figures m the S.M. Court. It is needless to say that the grog grievances were discussed by the many boarders, and the miserable miscreant who didn't express sympathy for the police-courted landlady enjoyed a large measure of unpopularity ; wherefor, rwhen.a perfidious " lodger was accused of putting the cops on to

This is Davie, a popular cabbie, As a driver he isn't a baddie, There is only, one thing That the Irish king Is m the least a little bit faddie

(That's his mo.)

the plant it wasn't safe to take the villain's part. ; Herein, Jack Miles made a mistake. , He. didn't believe the; suspected informer would do such a thing, and said so, and his championship of the unspecified crawler brought him within the zone of sus^picion, too, and he v was. hurled ofi the promises late one night, with no clothes on ,to speak of, and was able to show marks of violence on his arms to ijhe Court fully a week later. John Franklyn Smith, the person recently, convicted for selling slygrag m Barrio's, was particularly in-' censed with Miles, and whenever the two came within hailing distance o£ : each other a thunderstorm was a mere circumstance beside the disturbance that took place. It was duc'to some sarcastic, observations by Smith that Miles , OFFERED TO FIGHT HIM for a fiver, and Smith alleges that he was frothing to ineefc bis enemy. Although' Miles' boarded at the Paragon, he lodged m rooms m Mannersstreet, near the Police Station, taken by Barrie*for bis surplus boarders, and a person named G-ussie occupied the same room. On one particular evening Mies got home at 11-1&. and before he retired received a visit from Smith and a large person named Martin. Smith spoke with brtterness of something Miles had said about him, and he reminded Miles of bis offer to fight. Miles was tired and told them to go away. He would talk to them m the morning. They went, and Miles retired to bunk. Fifteen, minutes later he heard a crowd outside the door demanding admittance, and. rising, he- resumed- his pants. A voice which sounded like Martin's said', I break .the door m ,?" A female voice told him to do that just, so the door flew m under the pressure of a mighty shoulder. Then there rushed inio the room Smith, Martin, and a person named Kennedy, also Hansen, while Mrs Barrie remained on the landing. Martin clutched his victim and ran him out of the room, then several hands laid hold of him and he was hurled down the stairs. It was a long drop, and Miles didn't touch much on the way down. He got Out of the house m scant attire and consulted the police. Subsequently the accompanied Peeler Brown to . fthe Paragon, the base of operations. s to Which the belligerents had retit-ed. Smith and Mrs Barrie were poirfted out as two of the offenders, and v the lady, filled with annoyance, HURLED A ROLLING-PIN AT THE ' ENEMY, who retreated m disorder. Mrs Barrie, who was christened Mary Jane, and Smith were subsequently charged with assault m Ihe Magistrate's Court, and Mr Wilford defended. Miles, m cross-examination, denied receiving notice to quit. Joseph Gussie, who wears a disabled foot, didn't see the actual hurtling down the steps, but a laborer named William Rose did. He yelled out, "Give the man fair play," and thereby joined the ranks of the rebels, a circumstance which he found yery inconvenient later. Three or four persons had their hands on Miles,, including a person named Hansen, and the victim was having a crook passage. Rose was kicked out on the same night for siding with Miles and was obliged to go to the police for an order to get his clothes from the Paragon. "I wanted a change of pants," remarked Rose ; "the ones I had on had no seat m them. I was almost exposing my person." So far, the evidence against Mrs Barrie taking part m the actual assault was practically nil, and Soli-

citor Wilford asked for dismissal of the case against her. Riddell, S.M., however, preferred to hear evidence for the defence.

It appears that Miles had made himself extremely objectionable, and when Mrs Barrie asked him to pay Is 6d he owed her, .he threw the money down on the table and observed, with irritating meaning. "I'm a man of mv word ; never mind Smith or any of his clique." Miles then returned to the footpath and

USED BAD LANGUAGE, for which he was ordered off the premises. On that same evening, when visited with hostile intention by Smith and his second, Miles spoke to them at the top of his voice, and the fearful din made by him could be heard right across at the Paragon, so that Mrs Barrie, with the moral and physical support of her star boarders, went across to inquire into the disturbance. Thon she discovered that the objectionable person ordered off the premises m the morning was still there, and she gave orders for Ms removal. Martin broke down the door at her instigation, and he was the only person to touch Smith, who wasn't thrown downstairs, but leaped down like one possessed, or like a squatter dodging the landtax. The madness of his blind leap astounded Mrs Barrie, who stood by m alarm. "I thought he was Wiled," she said, Asfnrßose that wretched creature came to them cashless, and, weeping piteously, begged for lodgings until he could get work. His subsequent ingratitude occasioned Mrs Barrie much pain". He was now £2 15s m arrears with his board. (This Rose denied)., Sub-Inspector O 'Donovan : Why did you take those men across with you ? why did you not take your husband ? —My husband is an invalid. ,

Are you married to Mr Barrie?— Yes.

Really and truly ?— (No reply.)

Mr Wilford objected to this style of cross-examingtion. His Worship : You needn't answer the question. • ■■ .

John Franklyn Smith gave evidence consistent with the above story, and the case was adjourned for a few days. !

Evidence was given by several other witnesses, who testified to Miles's unchristian language on the footpath and Mrs Banrie's instructions to him to leave .her. respectable premises. The fact that Miles liurled himself down the stairway, without assistance, became increasingly apparent, and the part taken by Smith m the assault was clouded by obscurity . ■ • , ■

Maeistrate Riddell commented upon the element of doubt as to whether Miles jumped voluntarily into

•There's sporting men as knows a thing and muddled mugs as don't, An' as the mare trips lightly up the street Jack Waters knows he's m the know an' knows that tell he won't— i That is unless you get him • bloontin' I sweet, i J E knows, does Jack, what, nose will win by feet. space or someone propelled him downward with extreme violence, but his Worship said the assault was com- [ mitted by Martin before that stage of the proceedings. As proof was inconclusive that Smith participated m the assault, the information aI gainst him was dismissed;, but as i the man-handling was effected by the I instruction and under the direction of Mrs Barrie, that lady was convicted and fined 20s ; also ordered to pay witnesses, 36s ; m default seven days'.