A BACK-SLUM RIOT.

NZ Truth, Issue 245, 5 March 1910, Page 5

A BACK-SLUM RIOT.

COURTESANS IN COURT. Chinese Consorts Cavort and Curse. THEIR DREADFUL BILUNQSGATE. "The Separated Woman's" Errand. "Going to Lay Oat a Dead Chinaman." What Happened on the Road. The aristocracy of Haining-street, Wellington, does not frequently air its grievances m a common Magistrate's Court,' but: should any of' the denizens of that disreputable quarter come to court with any complaint, then indeed - things do hum. It is only a few weeks ago that two Chinese trollops had a verbal scrap before Magistrate Riddell, and one of the valorous females . was then described as the Queen of ffaininsstreet. "The Queen" on that occasion swore that' she had been inexpressibly ! shocked at the sultriness and luridity, ! likewise the obscenity, of certain lan- : guage used to her. The language used ! was undoubtedly jblue, and the SJBL held i it to be blue, and "the Queen" staifced I majestically from court, conscious that ) she had upheld the law. Positions, how- \ ever, were reversed, or rather much more '-mixed on Monday last, when th? ' said "Queen," whose name is Kate MnDsvelj was called on to answer charges ot having, on February 16 , last, smitten the moral atmosphere of Haining-street with Rome awful obscene language, and with having, on the following day, assaulted Edith Dixpn, who m her turn vat> charge ed with having, on the same date, used some blue epithets to Kate Moßbel. . Two young_ lawyers, Mr P. Jaekaon' and Mr F. Kirkcaldie, appeared la the matter, the former shepherding Edith, and the, latter bearing the buzdea of the masterful-looking Kate. ' The opening address of young counsel Jackson told a terrible tale of a fierce Haining-street feud between tfa» females, whom he delicately mentioned «s residents of Haining-street. . The language used by the 'flashing-eyed Ka*e the young lawyer described as shocking. In plain black, without trimmings, young and fat and innoceaHopicisff m the witness-box, Edith. told how. an th» morning off February IR, she was at the window of her Chow domicile, when Katie came from her unhallowed abode and poured forth a flood of obscenity, that dots, dashes, asterisks, etc., cannot convey to. the mind. There was no justification for the abnse. Tne other female had for a long time made it a practice to abuse and vilify her, but •the witness took it gently and marmured not. It had gone on for a long time. Later on,' .about 1.30, Kate came along again and stormed the citadel and used identical language m the presence of two - other delectable females named Mrs Young Kee and May Cronin. .Several Chinese- persons were m €ie vicmitr, but they did not count. The next day the witness went out to visit a friend, and while proceeding along Hainingstrcet, Kate, with fire m hex eye, came along ,and biffed her. No provocation was given for this assault. She lived at one end of Haining-stibeet and Kate hung out at. the other. She avoided Kate as, much as possible. ' To , Mr. a Kirkcaldie : She had lived m Haining-street .about. one and a half years. Kate had blossomed forth within the past six months. Can: you suggest . any reason why she should .annoy you ?— I was owe m a case agaiast a Chinaman, that she lives ;with. . . . . ' Why ./djdnMr yourr"fiiend" lake ?onr part?-— Wb.y should he? I don't want him to ta&e my part. Now isn't all' this trouble dae to tiw fact that she gave evidence against yoor female friends ?— No. Have ' you ever 'been before the court ? Witness : I was once changed . with theft and served a sentence. And the woman Cronin ?— She was bound over to keep the peace. And Nellie Young Kee— she was fined for using obscene language ?— Yes •; foe words she didn't use. And you three can't take your part against' this lonely woman at the otter end of the street ? Mr Jackson: She's far from lonely. Re-examined, this witness said it was five years ago since she was convicted of theft/ Since then, she bad not been before the court. ■ : . Edith was next invited to state the grievance that Kate had against her. It was m a divorce case that she had given evidence, and her evidence was against Wong Sing, with whom Kate now l&ved. ' May Cronin; who lives with Joe Quin m Haining-street, gave evidence tha*i on the day m question she was at Dlxoa's house and heard Kate let herself go freely. Later on she heard Kate again sing Edith's praises m strains that cannot well be set to music or. published m any self-respecting family newspaper. Kate, had frequently annoyed Edith, who was a good girl and never interfered with anybody. , Mr Kirkcaldie : How long have you lived m >Haining-street '! — About five years. , She had, she admitted, been convicted .of assault ; had had a prohibition order taken out against her, and when a girl had heen sent to a home. Helen Young Kee, who lives apart from her Chinese siiousc, gave evidence also of Kate's leml'le flow of obscenity.- --■ Cross-examined.: She had been convicted of using obscene language, but it was all lies. That was the case, and young Mr Kirkcaldie, m addressing the bench, made some disparaging reflections on the virtue of Haining-street, and, incidentally, referred to the witnesses for the prosecution as "criminals." Mr. Jackson objected. . The S.M. : Call them "offenders." ; Mr- KiD'caUiie ; : They have all committed, crimes. , • Kate, attired m a black silk empire gown, and a duck of a light-blue Merry Widow hat, with blue ostrich feathers to match, then gave her version, and proved quite an actress. Her address is 47 Hainicg-street. Very fluently she reeled off half a dozen sentences of the most revolting obscenity, which she swore had been hurled at her by Edith Dixon. She denied having assaulted her, and explained that she. was the one who had been assaulted. Kate's share was to simply .push Edith, away. , Mr Jackson : Don't you live with Wong Sing ?— Yes. Continuing," witness said she did not . wish to associate with a woman like Dixon "who keeps the house sbe keeps." Mr Jackson : Well, is the evidence these witnesses have given faise ?— Yes it. is". It is perjury. , Weren't you thrown out of a place m Tory-street? — No. His Worship thought the cross-examina-tion irrelevant. Maria Smith, who, when asked what she was, described herself as "a separated woman," explained that she was going, with Miss Mullivel, to "lay out a dead Chinaman" when Miss Dixon assaulted them with some awful language. Mr Kirkcaldie : Did you give any provocation Y—W one whatsomever. Mr Jackson ' And these witnesses are concocting these stories? — Yes, it is a concoction of spite. Mr Riddell said that so far as the charge of assault was concerned, it seemed to him that each party who gave evidence was able to take care of herself, and it would be dismissed. With 'regard to the obscene language, from the fluent wav m which each witness used it, it might well be assumed that it could have been used by each defendant. He would penalise both parties, and fine each £3 and costs, or 21 days' imprisonment!