A TRVELLER'S TROUBLES.

NZ Truth, Issue 177, 7 November 1908, Page 4

A TRVELLER'S TROUBLES.

"HOPPIE" READE IN

DISTRESS.

Wanted it Kent Out of "Truth."

Dan Buckley Bears the Brunt of a Brutal Cross-examination. t

And Conies Out with Flying Colors.

An interesting civil action, m which James Alexander Reade, a commercial traveller, sued Jblm v Ourran, licensee of the Terminus Hotel, for £100 damages lor assault alleged to have "been committed by defendant on plaintiff on October 26, came before Dr. Me Arthur, .S.M., on Wednesday and Thursday. It was alleged m the information that defendant struck plaintiff on the face, and particularly on the right.' eye, several times with his clenched fist. Mr Toogood appeared for plaintiff, and Mr J. J. McGrath for defendant. Francis Alexander Reade, wine arid spirit traveller for ,Mr A. IS. Kernot, stated that he called at the Terminus Hotel on October ; 26 and asked the barman where Ourran was. The barman replied, "In the office." Witness knocked at the oiiioe door, and was told to "come m." Walked m and found Ourran sitting on a chair reading a paper. Curran threw his feet on the floor and j stormed , round the room, calling witmssr everything, then rushed out; Witness came out straight away, as he did not wish to be left there • alone with Curran's money. "No obsetnj lan<;ua.!:e was used," said Reade, '^but he touched the whole dictionary." curran was at the top of the stairs at this time, and Keade. called out to him, "Mr Ourran, if you want to have achat come do.wnstairs. 1 have respect for myself, if you have not, and I. won't _be • TREATED LIKE A PIG- . or a dog. Ourran then disappeared, and Reade, went and had a drink, with the, barman. "I was drinking soda, my cony, dition was right. I vary . my drinks with soda." Reade alleged, that whilst he -was imbibing the soda he turned round and got a smash on the eye that knocked him down. He then got up and gave Currari.pne or two on tiie eye, pure-;, ly m self-defence. The pair were separated by. the barman, "Dan Buckley,'' who could see all the melle. \ Curran went into. a room, but came out and hit him again. Reade then joined I two men ,m the bar and had some refreshment with them, after which he stated he went to \the chemist and bad his peeper seen to. Repotted the matter to his firm; and had since had 'his eye examined by' Dr. Hislop. Did -not provoke Ourrari m any way. ■■, Cross-examined by Mr McGrath, Reade said that he bad noV been, ordered or v ch|ucked out of every hp,tel he had been in.' He had had his little troubles, but wasnever ordered out. Did not "chiak": Ourran about his hat, and Curran did 1 hot tell him that he was always interfering with things that had nothing , l to do with his business. Did not ask Our 1 ran if -his liver vf&s out of order. Ourran told him iii-nii he would never give him an order again. Curran 1 did not say he did' not want to speak to witness and lie did not say anything about a pig. Did not say,; to Curran, "Come .along, I. want to have this out with you." While ; on the ground Curran did not say . . "A THING-L IKE YOU* - is not woi'th hitting." (questioned minutely 'oy i>:*r ivlcG-rath, : Reade at first" said that he had not been sluing to Wilson and Langdon at /the Briltania Hotel about givmg' Curran a h'eil of a hiding. He was' talkiiig tp v the t,wo" men on the subject' and said that he wanted tb Seep it out of "Truth." Dr. iVlcAfthur : You •have a good hope of doing that, haven t you ?' ' - Continuing, Reade said that while he was v on 'vhe' ground, Ourran hit him several v times. on the face. He did not insert: the challenge m the 'New Zealand : Times," and knew nothing about lit. The challenge was as follows :— CHALLENGE. I, HOPPIE REID, of Denver, wish to i • meet Bill Squires for the Chanipion&tiip ' of Australia for a ■ side wager of £500 and any suitable purse offered. .Manand money to be' found at the film of A. E. Kernott, neMn^tcii. . . ../•. i (Signed) HOPPIE REID; ' Dr. Hislop stated that he examined Reade on October 27, and found a bruise: i over the. eye and a small 4 cut under the i inner parti of the eyebrow. The eye was not injured. It was a small cut about : half an inch long, and closed: The bruise' i- could have beeD occasioned by a 'fairly i hard blow.. . ' By Mr McGrath : There were no other. ; bruises. He bad seen as bad cases with school and col ege boys when boxings , There appeared to have been' only ' one blow ana he did not look as' if he had been struck on the face several times. Wilson Russell Morris, a young manof i .between 12 and 15 years of a^e, chemist's assistant, stated that be washed de 1 i fendant's eye. He had a cut on his face • about an inch long. - For the defence, Sergt. Rutlodge stated : that he had known Curran for eight years. ' He was a very quiet and 'unas- ■ suming man, and the police 'had never had any trouble uilh him or his house, which was conducted vei,y well; Had seen Curran struck m the hotel without any provocation and quietly put the man out Avithout any u'nntccsi-ary violence. He was m plain rlothes at the time, and Curran did not see him. Uieade makes himself generally objectionable by his I manner. He spoke m bis oHicial capacity as a sergeant of police, and had no ; ferine; for Curran any more than he had "! for Reade. . . .i Dauiel Buckley, barman at the " Termin-^, ■ us Ho'el, stated that Reade came to the ] hotel on the 2B h October, and said, "I want to see t 1 c boss and h;oe it out with him. He was very excited and looked as if he had had a few drinks. • Witness did' nob think. Re;. de was m a fit state to do business, and told him he had better go away, making 'the excuse that the boss wasn't m a good hu-' mor. Reade said, "That's the time I want to catch him and -have a ■ ood row and we'll be the best of frinds . after- , wards." He knocked at the 'oilice' door and went m. The boss erne straight out, wilih a paper m bis band, and went upstairs immediately Reade went m. When the boss got to the top of the stairs, Reade' called out, "I'M NOT A PIG, come down and have it out like a man." The boss did not reply. Reade came back to the bar and witness advised him strondy to go away. He said he wouldn't till he bad it out. Reade shouted for witness and so id he would have a soda straight to straighten 'him up. The boss passed tbroueh the bar seven or eight minutes afterwards, and Re^de turned round to him and stud, "Now, come arid have it out." The boss said, "I don't j want to have {inythina; at pII to say to 'you. I told you to go out of the bouse j and not to come into it again. Reade I said, "I wont go out till I have it out j with you." The. boss said, "It you don't go ou * x I WILL PUT YOL OUT," and with that R»ad« struck him. De- .: fendant ilien ,ul i\ea;ie on the floor, .and I the latter said, "Don't strike me down, I'm an Irishman." The boss said, ,"I ! wouldn't strike you," and he didn't. : Reade got up and made a rush at the boss, who ■ defended himself. The whole : affair lasted a few seconds, and the boss ; went upstairs again. Reade went out and had a wash. He was bleeding. He came back into the bar and two men came m and asked Reade to have a drink, : and he had a soda water. Reade said, "If I was sober enough I could have held my own," and from the way he spoke witness 1 bought it was all over. I By Mr Toogood : Curran had a very J severe temper when m certain moods, j

Witness did not know if Curran was subject to brain-storms as he was hot a phrenologist. ' Mr Toogood asked Buckley it defendant had a walking-stick and witness said ho did not, know. Mr. Toogood persisted m pressing this point and Dr. McArthur said, "Well he might have had, and a pocket handkerchief or a white-handled tooth-pick, but it has nothing to do with the case."

The hearing " was adjourned, at this stage until to-day.