RAVENSBOURNE RUCTIONS

NZ Truth, Issue 182, 12 December 1908, Page 7

RAVENSBOURNE RUCTIONS

The, Sorrows of Sophia Randell.;

Raverisbourne, no doubt," is 'one. -'of- the most charming and aristocratic . quarters of Dunedin— in the opinion of Its unpre* judiced residfehts— yet "We should be inclined to ' hesitate . somewhat • if / asked torecommend it as a sylvian spot suitable:' lot '..ihe indulgence of the "rest cure." In fact, to tell the naked, brutal truth, a 1 person would need to be very, : very d^ad and entombed many fathoms btefore he could secure any rest m red-hot; Ravens-'---bourne. The ructions that are continual-; ly being raised m that salubrious suburb have ended m Police Coiirt- procecduigs on many occasions. . On Friday yetani'ther bf ihe old familiar stories Was told" to a" breathless audieiicei "presided, over by- MrKenrick, S.M/ The residents oif Ravensbourne, it seems, are split up; into fierce factions. Family feuds are waged. The vendetta, flourished.^ True;tjhe enemies '■_ : : \A.O.O\ A:'-' DON'T ARGUE WITH. COLD ! alter the manner of . the passionate.^ Cor-r si'cah' m similar circumstances; ■ nop- do _ : they wipe out ihsults with the businessend • of : ,a' si.v-siiodter m oid- Kentucky- :■ jftyle. But their milder methods are merely due to .-enervating environment and'- effete civilisation. And certainly ; some of the Ravensbourne rioters seem HOt. a'erse to road • metal as a'v handy, convincing style of oratory. But -the itiost devastating volleys that are- hurled tiirbugh the outraged atmosphere 'are»the fctood^ur filing -broadsides- ol- bla^b, rnous '' BiLjngsg^W' and" the p6ison-s'fia y in%d v '.iave J . litis of 'paralysing abuse. One'- who is apparently ever m- the thick of the fray -is Sophia 'Randell. Sophia is ai; ahefeht' dame of tlfree score yearsi atitf ten, but still as spi;ightlv as a frisky filly. -Prior tb Priday.shißv had "been brought' 1 before the Court by* her opponents bn two -defi casions, and "each time bad : secured ~ ; the. verdict; ' An Italian gentleman hained Gallagher ' O/Let her go Gallagher") : is also Usually m the firing-linei and is no ftiepdof' the .inflammaule Sophia; Iri fact, he hajr x twice been convicted ' of : ' usihg ''labgwidaeV towatds the elderly 'damei This time ' he. was'a; Witness, and Sophia was the person accused of nanghtv things; the informant being Margaret T^pp^ another'of ' o ff '' : :'y/Z:fff THE ELITE OF • RAVENSBioURNE.;^ Sop t }iia w^s charged th^t on. 'S©p%tobe'r 13>. at RaYehsbouriiPi she did useinsult? infev words m. v ßpss-stree't, whereby, a breach, of the' peace . mi^ht have been 00: casioned ; further, that, on the ,.§ami. ..-QP* casion, she used indecent .language!.-' She, Was further charged, with havi»g_a6.sahlt. Ed Margaret f a PP bn October J|o ; and complainant 'pt^iyed that SoOljta^ ,_ h® bound 'bvefv m sureties' to -kee^'- $he peace. 0 . . The first ' I, two charges '. m 'jtegard to Septhmlier 1 13 were taken first, ,. and der fend;;nt pleaded 'Not ' guilty,"t. through her lawyer, Budge Irwin. The gentle and 'Courteous Burnard, who appeared for; complainant, observed m opening, : that defendant, who was old enough to know bettet, bad been a regular terror m the neighborhood, Infor--mant was obliged to take these- proceedings,., although shfef did so with regret. f . ■ George' Tapp, son 'of complainant, . a boy of about seventeen or eighteen/then spoke his; little piece. y He fiompqrted himself m a meek and lowly manned m ' tins'; box, "and' altogether, aped the, pious, Sanctimonious yoiing person very/ neatly .l He stated Ihat on the /a-tternobh of Sep- ' tember 13, which - was a' Sunday. he passed- Sophia's door, and she- started hurling off ehsi ye remarks at him 1 .; ._ He , always went to church, a peculiarity which aroused the eldeily lady's scorn., . She mentioned aribthvr lady- resident,' referring to her, according to George, as "old Mrs Wobbleguts," and! adding, "none of them that go to- church are any good." Presently phe. v'olu.nteered, the cheerful lnformatipii 'tbf George ' C(ijp alleged)" that "your v mb(her only ah old — '. !' I like old Mrs — ."Then she called George ,"A BLANRV YOUNG :A A^.rV ,> "Whem ,he> sfeirted to walk away;: she . threw stones' at him. He didn't ' ssjy^.anything to hfer tb^provoke her, he avowed l-pibus-ly. .All, he replied to her . fusillade. , of ißvectives' was rherely to state, 1 -"' ii |a x pained; reproachful voice, that the: asj)er-

|_rions she had. cast on his patents were 'untrue. The Magistrate : That was a very meek: way"to put it. v Cross : examined, Geofge admitted -that he had given evidence Magaiast Sophia; when Gallagher -was before the > Court pre-, piously; -•■::'...: Eroil Henaiing, aiv employee ,of the , iHarbor 'Boaid, :and: Charles >■ tGallagher,; ' lab'iifery bore out Georges story as : to the personal remarks attributed -to defendant. - . Cross-examined, Gallagher said : : - he was convicted and discharged rerenilv for us-: ing obscene language towards defendant. Six or ei&ht monihs ago "he pleaded; guilty to' a similar charge. Pressed to state whether he could not remember all Sophia said to the , gentle George, Gallagher retorted,/ impatiently : MNo, ' I can't; a Philadelphia- lawyer couldn't have rem mbwred all she said." Later on' he' informed the Court that he and a .man named-Smith heard; that young ; Randell ■ son of defchdant; was intending .tO dfcal vit out to George Tapp. "And ,so. we '-'Were waiting; prepared to inter■fere an£ • GIVE HIMA GOOD KfCKING," added the generous Gallagher. .Randell, {however, didn't, materialise. In opening the defence, Lawyer Irwin enlarged on- 'the -fact r Ihat- two previous, cases against defendant had failed. This dragging m of ah affair that occurred so long ago as September. 13 was obviously a., final,; ■_.at.t?mps.. . 'to . gut a conviction against 'tie eldirly: dame, Kfe' contended. Sophia went into the witn-ss-l.ox' and >.told' ; f her. Court "that she -had never toeen _ con vie ted; <'• of 'any : ' offehefe ' m . her ;7lif c j' - t 35 : years of ; which had) ; ' been spent m New Zealand,., and seventeen m this district. ; She swore positively;, that .she hever ;used any of . the .fblushful language alleged. George-started "cheeking her," and she replied, m sorrow . "I've heen ' _a , good friends to you and your, mother and- father, aiid ndw this is the way ybu treat me." She also protested that she did*-n't-like to be scandalised by -a: bby like him. / Cross-examined : I never did .use any of those expressions; I can. take my oath before. God and man." She was not m the habit of using swear words; never, did sw^ax, m fact, _..-.,.' .In giving judgment, the Magistrate said he was noto convinced that George Tapp. was as; meek and mild in* his remarks to defendant as he tried to make out; VERY PROBABLY HE USED '".. ..' ' "0.0 ;:''' CHEEK '• _'■' " to the; woman, a!hd perhaps bad langr uav.*. "But there was ho doubt that defendant did use -sbine -bad language. At the; same, time, the witnesses on- the other ■ side Were . none too. good to: bring .forward to convict her on. _There had been a,. great deal, of suuabblms going on and : the best . thing wast, for the parties to .leave each other alone. . If ' they' appeared m Court again he "should have to .deal with them severely. He .recorded a conviction' for using indecent fan&uaiye, but; inflicted -no fine. He also 'declinedto .allow., costs. The charge as to using insulting- words -was then withdrawn-- by. Mr Burnard. -...'-. i :-.;,,'. t , ... A The other ; oharges . were adjourned, . at the;request of Mr Irwin, for a- week. .