PUTTING HIS POT ON.

NZ Truth, Issue 156, 13 June 1908, Page 6

PUTTING HIS POT ON.

' A Tough Neighborhood.

Marvellous how overdose of beer ikcrves to direct the fierce glare of'publictty to the sinfulness of .certain rieigbjborboods per medium of the police*court. The bouse of Mrs Mary Kerr, m a "lane ■ off St. jksaph-street, would have retained its reputation for unimpeachable respectability |»ad not the occupants commenced wearIng, hop leaves m their hair, and kicking tip hull's delight generally. The police^nIfcered the establishment at l; 30 a.m. on jJune 3 and hurled two persons into the. Street, one of whom was James Walsh, b dnidc-complexioned individual with a Wood-shot eye, whose face would get him iten years' without the option if punishment;; inrent by looks ; but he ijuestJonecjl the against him subsequently 'm. a ' fcghly intelligent manner that Tjetraye* 1 tnowledge of the courts. From the explanation of Sergeant Johnston, m the .Christqhurch S.M. Court, Walsh was abusing Mrs Kerr, the landlady, when, she said she would "put his pot on" with-the . police. The term is familiar, but is believed to have a highly-respectable origin, "Put his pot on!" being the- death (warrant uttered by the chief -when the the early cannibals, proposed having boilEd missionary for dinner. When Bobbies Regan and Brown entered the premises [the enraged female directed them to the room of Walsh, where two rolls of oil.cloth grere idiscovered, said oitcloth BEING THE PROCEEDS OF A ROBBERY. Magistrate Bishop : What sort of a tiouse is it ? Is it a- brothel ? Sergeant Johnston answered significant-; Iy, that there was only one woman there amongst a lot of pea, and appearances • didn't point to rigid morality. Mary Kerr stated m evidence that Walsh came to her place occasionally, ' staying for a week or two at a time. When the police entered he was a lodger on the premises, and obstreperous with ■ beer. When Walsh was m beer He toUJi her the oilcloth had been stolen, and she, Vput his pot on" with the police m' the! taanner already stated. When Walsh *told r , her the oil-cloth was ill-gotten she ordered" him to remove it from her house, and she-{ personally threw one roll out into the* yard. Walsh remarked that he had "lift- • r ed" the property from a cart sjtandi&g mi front of a tradesman's shop. The thSeving' person had been working at Scott's. Walsh (to the witness): Who put, theJ bjl-cloth mmy room ?— I donft know!, \ When did you first see it?— lt ' was.: brought m on Saturday night week, , : Were you sober when the.poiice arriv-^ ii ?— I was sober. Was I softer?— l coufdnU say, whether : you were or not. - ; i Your husband— Was he^sober? ; Her what? asked his Worship m sur-i-i prise. • , ' ' 1 Her husband, your Worship— TKasfee^so-^ tfer ?— The police went into the hous»*ano^ $aw if he was sober (with dignity), . " Mary, volunteered further thai when* (Walsh brought the oil-cloth he said h&v. bought it and put it m theftouse, and* as soon as she found ifwas stolen shegave the man m charge. Constable Regan sard the beer andiotli— tr occurrences happened on THE- HEIR APPATC®ITrSv(BIRTHNIGHT, When .he and his brother copper put£ Walsh and another i/jdividual off the' ,ipremises,at /the instigation of Kerr. TJie. ; ifamily party was celebrating nothing. m. 4 Siarticular m a rifctous manner,. and when i »he police entered at 1.30 a.m. ewry--body was drunk, including Mary. As the', jfcwo brutes were being, removed they reproached the wofcnan with being a police *imp. Walsh was arrested fox druidsen)ness, and Beajamrm Hindle, who runs a at 'the -corner of Tuam andColomboptreets, claimed the oilcloth, later. ; His Worship*: What sort of a place is 4 Ithis, Constable 1 ?— It is evadentiy a place [of prostitution. Bad characters *go there, , J»nd men make it a resort. . Where is it ?— ln Wilsontstreet, off St.. B&.saph-street. "Oh, I toow, a'very deleotabfc locali-i, fij," replied his. Worship,, -ntoo had vis-{ jions of past ''patients"- from .that quar-ji i<ter. ■ ■ <■• .' Benjamin Hijdle said/-.he missed thc^ Toilcloth from a delivery -cart » ( in^. front i of h jhis shop on Saturday week. . \ ■■ His Worship, to /acensed :,- Well, whats {have yoii to say'?-3>,«didn'tJtake the oiH fcloth. " ( You were found wfcfch^it •m your pos-> Session. Is there cany^recoriljagainstshim %> f The police knew nothing^ of the man,; ibnd his Worship .« expressed f. surprise. f'Who^ ,'are you ? ?, WHERE DO^YOUICOMEIFROM?" : me questioned. i f- Walsh stated that- he -had* worked for> Jl»rendergast; and Johnson m the North flsland and ftfr firms m CaniDecbury. He? jsaid he was^ going tunnetlingvifor McLean •and Sons when arrested. His Worship told Walsh .plainly that |it was "Wiry lucky for .-Mm- there was no {^record agaahst him. The ,-Magistrate had ia shrewd suspicion that Walsh knew jmorc about the theft than he .professed fto know. "I will give yon the benefit of uthe very small doubt fthat exists, acfcused," remarked'^his W-prship..-" The* case /fs dismissed." - 1