TURNER THUMPED.

NZ Truth, Issue 166, 22 August 1908, Page 7

TURNER THUMPED.

TROUBLE ;i-A TIMARO ■& ! Porter Clashes with a f A feaily |oance4 and Bitm. ';■•-. : . :_f\-'. .; <'?■ -■■ ■-' .■ ■; -..-.. '-'i '■.•■•"■ j 1 Bill '-Duhfcari;' erstwhile porter at . tne ; Empire Hotel, / Timaru, evidently -thinks' no small beer or "himself when it comesV to using his ; buijch of fives .on an bppb- : nent,. : and- when, he planted his- dirty" left square on the jaw. ot a fellow-ser-vant •by • name Percy John Turner, Bill made such; a mess, of things that Percy: ;willr-. carry the mark to his grave, and.; vtur|her tiian that, if be"'«aiji. The result; . pi this : sudden (iputb.urst on Bill's, part' led to the pair appearing : before Magistrate, Wray ; at" tiie Timar.u ; S.M.: :Courf the, other ...4ay,;, J?ben/ Bill .was charged 'with haying. assaulted Percy:. John, hasiidisher^, at ,the pub," on August -'4th, with intent, to; do bodily bafmi , „ ; j, ,-liawyerEmslie piloted Bill thrpugh'the court levee/: and Solicitor Kaympri'd * appearea.for^ the injured Percy John, .who,* by, the way, trudged into the court arena: vwith about a : quarter-acre of bandages on his facp.':..-;'-'.-'. •■•;'>.'•'■■■■■ ■ ':•-..■:■'}. '',-..('

: In. opening; thei.;balli! Solicitor Emslie said that an unprovoked assault had been 1 committed by the defendant , ; Duncan, ;who .. had got home on Percy, to ; spich .an extent that' thirteen stitches had /to, be puti n to close,, up his face a bit. ; It was;/ alleged, that . Bill had struct . Percy under, , the; optic vwith a glass ,m vhis fist. ./Dr. Bower i testified to ttiej extent of ith« injuries inflicted on. the complainant .Turner, and said that had the wound been 1 a little : higher Turner would probably have had -to ■do rhis- cooking with one • op-tic-less. ;

ifi ;next.gave 'his version of the .affair;,.: which , was to" the efiedt that :/ he: wantedrhis: tucker -at 9.3.0.' on -the day m question, and. Duncan refused point-blank, ;to-. dish, it upfpr ,him,- whereupon Percy John leij out atf Bill's liig m earnest. Mrs Bums, 'wife jf the licensee^ ibst no time, m telling Turner v> '•.,;■- .-•;•■-. ".,.■

; : TO MAKE piMSELF SCA^UE:: ';" " Before departing,, "witnesa Went into the dining'room to say good-bye . to his..fellow pub. grafters, and .'there saw pill and the waitress « doing the heavy. Turner addressed his „ corworker "With : , the rer ; mark; "Well, .Billy, you're red hot.',' This . was ..too; much, f or BiU, who; let out and landed one on Percy's ; jaw, faking the claret ' flow as swiftly as the JNile ■ in ' season. After a lew .unpleasant sallies had passed between the two, ,Turner left to;, interview the medico, leaving Bill and the .waitress to do a quiet smoodge on their owa. .;.;, -" : ; f . -To Solicitor Raymond witness denied being on the^toooze' the night before^; but took a bottle of grog with him when he left, evidently to <wet his- whistle on the' road to Dunedin, where he intended to make tracks for. *' Mary Kelleher, a buxom-looking girl, who might be mistaken for an actress, gave her version of the affair. . She said she saw Bill , with a glass m„ each Band, and, afterwards, saw 'the gore Hcnying.from Turner's . fatfe^ but- the fair one did not see how Percy, met his Waterloo. .'-•:. -.■■■"■ : . Mrs Burns deposed ■ that she heard a noise m the kitchen on the morning in' question and upon investigating tbk matter she promptly*, sacked Turner. ■ i To Solicitor Emsli^ the Witness said that .she was not' aware that the rule forbidding serving the hotel employees with swankey had ever been .broken, and had not senfy for | the. police/to take away one of the employees Avho was under the influence. This was the second time that Turner had been taken on the job! Alf Wilson, second hash disher at the P,ub> ' had a hazy, recollection of \the fracas, and swore .that the swift retribution meted out was of such a ••• lightning .character that ". he. had no time' to make. . a calculation of the' number of times Percy larided\ one on Duncan's lug at the first interview between the pair. Defendant , Bill Duncan 'PUT UP A GAME DEFENCE, stating,' inter /alia,- that Turner came: into the, bar and asked for a,( drink, which was, promptly refused, as he looked to be. as lull as a tick. When . witness went into the kitchen for his .breakfast later, Turner "walloped him all round the place tuntil the headr-waiter ; intervened', and stopped Percy John from doing lurther damage. . After a few remarks by Solicitor Emslie, the case was- adjourned to enable a witness who was absent, to give evidence. On -the case being called again tie head waiter, Herbert . Alvison, told his tale of the affair, and; Magistrate VVray settled the matter m one act, holding that Turner was of a bullying nature, and whatever trouble *tfc\cre' was he "was to blame for it. The charge of assault would not toe sustained.