IS HE THE MAN?

NZ Truth, Issue 183, 19 December 1908, Page 6

IS HE THE MAN?

An Alleged Exhibitionist Arrested. The instinctive tendency of holy church towards sexual depravity is now a byword, and, truth to say, the Cathedra'! City's record of late m that- line would disgrace the most immoral city m the world. The violation of young children is becoming a common industry, affiliation cases, divorces, and matrimonial differences about the lodger, fill the Court records, and quite recently persons have been going aboiut the city exposing their person to women and young girls. The repetition of this offence m different parts of the municipality, with merely a short period between each case, led the authorities to assume that a numfaer of degenerates were operating at one time, but although two men, at time of writing, were m custody for THE REPULSIVE MISDEMEANOR, there is no reason to 1 believe that the majority of the offences, .although committed at widely separated parts of the town, were the acjs of one* and the same man. At Fcndalton, Addington, VVoolston and other suburbs the "exhibitionist" has been observed. ., He rode a bike, one ot those racing machities. with high sea,t'and low handle bars. His common practice was to ride past a woman, or women, dismount, then, after making a remark drawing attention to the indecency, would expose his person. The astounding part of this business is that the majority of the offences were committed on the public highway and m broad daylight. Han attempt were made to capture him the r~~''- j j would immediately, ge.t on to bis

bike, and pedalling fiercely "would disappear m the distance. Several infuriated relatives of shocked females have pursued the rullian on cycles, but were unable to get anywhere near him. lie has long eluded capture, and tlie correspondence received about him by the police would fill a volume or two. These lellows are ALWAYS CAUGHT IN THE END, however, and the police think that m George Henry Barker, an athletic-looKing person apparently about twenty-six, they have the culprit. Immunity from capture is apt to make such persons careless. The offences became- so frequent and open that some of the scandalised victims were abile to take the number and the make ot the man's bike. This eventually led to his downfall, and when Barker left Iris machine on the wayside at Jfendalton recently, first 'Tec. Ward, then 'Tec. Uifoson placed themselves" on guard over it. As anticipated, Barker returned, for* his machine and fell into the ample embrace of 'Tec. Gibson. It was then a mere matter of identification, and when eight females UNHESITATINGLY PICKED BARKEK out from a crowd of other men as the culprit, and, moreover, when four of them selected the man's peculiar bike from a number of others, the arrested person Was charged before the S.M. Uoiirt with two of the offences at Fendalton to enaMe the police to obtain a remand. Chief 'Tec. Bishop applied for a remand till the f ollo\v;ing Saturday, which was not opposed by Lawyer Donnelly, who is the.' man, and the adjournment' 'was granted accordingly by Magistrate Day. Bail m the sum of £100 was allowed. ' -•' .•: •. ■■?■ ■ .••'■"■ ■■■' < • • Barker belongs to Hingland, and arrived from King Ned's Country ■ a- few months ago. He is a remittance , man and has been staying at boardlng-liouses m various parts of the city, his .latest liashery being ,m Cashel-street, Chriatchurch West. He is -a man with an athletic record m the Cold Country, where he, has won .many cycling road races. In fact, when arrested, he was wearing a medal presented lor establishing record time'in a 50-mile road race, which accounts for the great distance between THE , SCENES OF HIS OFFENCES ■and the difficulty experienced m catching him once he was astride his wheel-r-that is, assuming Barker, is the man the p.eofle who have identified him say he is. t is altogether a burious case, and many people with female relatives breathe freer since the man's arrest. An extraordinary feature of the whole business is that on the day prior to the apprehension, of Barker, a dark, swarthylobking young man named Walter Edward Jennings was arrested by Constable JMcCormick, at Woolston, on a charge of INDECENTLY EXPOSING HIMSELF before three little girls on the River road. Jennings was before the S.M. Uoiurt on Friday, but was remanded till Sa-turday, to enable the police to work up the dase. On Saturday, before Magistrate Day, the young man pleaded no,fr guilty arid eHected to he dealt with summarily, but said at the last moment that he would dike to see a solicitor. ,The Clerk : He has already -been remanded from yesterday. Sergeant-Johnston: Why didn't you teH the police you'; wished to Consult a solicitor ?— I forgot all about it. Jennings was accordingly remanded till the following Monday, bail being allowed m the sum of £100. ' ■ Oil .Monday morning Walter Edward Jennings was formally charged, before Magistrate Bishop, .with indecent exposure m the presence of three, little girls at Woolston, and pleaded "not guilty" to the charge. Lawyer Donnelly appeared for the accused, and mentioned that he also appeared for Barker, who was charged with committing a number of similar offences. Jennings was charged with i one < oSenee only, and although counsel wouldn't advance an opinion as to the innocence or guilt of either man, he suggested that' Jennings ■was not the guilty person. There was 'a great resemblance between the two mep, .and m the he asked for a remand until the following Saturday, when Barker could also be brought before the Court. : Magistrate Bishop remarked that it was .a . mere matter of identification, and ihe Would have to give the accused person any chance that 'would enable him to es- , tabiish Ms innocence. Mr Donnelly stated that the young man I had hitherto borne a high character m ?the city. • 1 His Worship remarked that his experience of these .cases was the same as Mr Donnelly's. , / SEXUAL OFFENCES WERE EXTKA- \ ORDINARY _ . land quite independent of ordinary good i character. The remand was, granted. Mr Donnelly asked for, and succeeded ;in obtaining a reduction ' of the bail tq one surety of £50..' Jennings was for seven years with T. Armstrong and Co., drapers and warehousemen, and for a period also with Strange and Co. He is a. decent-looking fellow and his guilt or innocence will be decided m the S.M. Court on Saturday. Although. "Truth's", scribe hasn't seen the resemblance convincingly, it is known that youngsters . brought to the police station got confused between both men, and were uncertain of the identity of theculprit. When the case is tried one. can imagine Mr Donnelly placing the accused's double alongside of him and- asking the witness to name the exhibitionist. The scene should .be nightly dramatic and provocative of considerable excitement.