THE "GENTLER" SEX!

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

THE "GENTLER" SEX!

AN AMAZONIAN AFFRAY. Feminine Hair-Pulling Contest. A Defiant Dnppa-street Dragon. Fierce Furious Feline Fight. Duppa-slreet, Berhampore, which is acted for its well kept reserve, and which is on, i the way to Wellington's pretty seaside} suburb of Island Bay, had a glorious onting at Magistrate Riddell' s seminary last Monday morn. The. neighbors of the de- ' iectable district wore their Sunday bcsi and smiled maliciously when the cause of much dissension and discontent was obliged to abase herself and answer, a variety of charges calculated to disturb the peace of a most law-abiding, neighborhood. It was. set forfcn that on Feb. 12, Minnie Bonniface and Julia Cavanagh did use threatening behavior m Duppa-street whereby a bieach of the peace was occasioned, that Minnie Bonniface at the same -yfcime and place did use indecent language, that Harry, her husband, used indecent language on the same wild occasion, and further that he, on the same date, did counsel the commission of an offence, to wit, a breach of the peace by one Minnie Bonniface. Subrlnspeetor Norwood conducted the proseeufeoh, wfiile Mr H. % P. O'Leray appeared for Mrs Cavanagh, the Bonn»accs. being undefended. Difficulties came early. . Mrs Cavanagh is a rather plump, middle-aged female, and she took a seat by her young and bashful counsel. In answer to her . name Mrs Boaniface, a swarthy-complexioncd, fiery-fooking female, eagerly bounced into court dragging two youngsters by the hand. As the sympathetic side of the SJtt. was not touched by this domestic display, he coldly suggested that the court was no place for children, and out marched the Duppa-street dragon, who handed her offspring over to her husband. Then another difficulty arose. Bonniface had to be called m to face the music, and as he had charge of the family, he proposed to march them m with aim. . The fiat issued forth from the bench that somebody else had better mind them, and as Orderly Jones' presence was necessary m the court, the services of Constable Mahony, of the Hutt, were renuisitioned, and that stalwart trap stood m the passage valiantly caring for two temporary orphans. These, preliminary difficulties having been adjusted, the casus belli was investigated. As usual, it was a child that started it. Something happened, and a little Yid lad named Davis was pounced upon by Bonniface as the offender, He was violently shaken by the agitated Boanifaee- The boy cried, and Mrs Davis,, a Hebraic female, who experienced much difficulty m making herself intelligable, appears to have protested. Bonniface thereupon made a request to see her sick, diminutive Yiddish husband, threatening at the same time, with choice sanguinary expletives, to murder him and her. The threat to murder an inoffensive little Jew; was ' too much for the wife, who sought the good services of Mrs .„ Cavanagh. That lady promptly arrived on the sceneand set about to quell the disturbance.. At the same moment Mrs Bonniface arrived, and taking m everything at . a glance, she referred to Mrs Cavanagh as the fat blanker ihat hit her the other day. Handing over a baby to Bonniface she sailed into Mrs Cavanagh and caught her by the hair. Bonniface next held Mrs Cavanagh, and being advised to give it to her, Mrs Bouniface obeyed her spouse, and punched. Mrs Cavanagh clinched, then grabbed Mis Bonniface by the wool, and the neighborhood was then horrified to see two respectable females fighting .' like infuriated she cats. " ■-■'"' -.'• ■ '' . ■ '. ' * ■; Mr O'Leary, m cross-exaniiuation, ■elicited the fact that Mrs Cavanagh Was the first attacked, and that whatever she did was done solely, m self-defence. Invited to' ask questions, Bonniface started to give his version of the fracas, but he was promptly pulled to order. His missus, however, was restless and fidgeted a great deal. She darted fierce glances at the witness. "Let them have their own way," she commented. "I'll •get a lawyer ou^ my side when I have time." Joba Sing, a roost pronounced Irish navvy, was t one of the outraged spectators of the disturbance., and his complaint on entering the witness-box was that be had lost a day's work through •the case. His story bore out the version given fey the Jc-.wess, as also did that of another reputable female named Clara Fearne. . Mrs Bonsiface didn't ask any questions, bat remarked, "I say it is not true. Mrs Feszne is the cause at the mc'scbief rijgb* through." , . Bamitace didn't . ask any questions,, whereupon Mrs Bonniface, by way of v effect, added : . her have har own way. She will be punished by God for 'the stories she has toW." Moses Davis, a halting, little, bewhiskered Yid, who was sworn with his hat on, gave a general outline pi the affair, after which, on Mr O'Leary's application, Mrs Uavanagh was discharged. Bonniface, ;yho lives apart, from his terrible mi-ssus; then went into tne wit-ness-box and declared that he had gone up to Duppa-street to pay a visit to his wife, and aJso to give her some money, -jwhen he was dragged into the whirlpool by somebody casting grave doubts on the legitimacy of Mis Bs children". He really did not --snow what Ire said, but he heard no indecent language used, nor was there any threatening behavior. : : Mrs Bonniface 'followed. She declared that Mrs C. struck the coward's blow. That when she was struck she had a child m her arms. "She called me anything but a. woman. She called my. husband a gentleman and me anythirig but a woman," was the - burden of her plaint. Then she expressed the opinion that women and children needed • more protec- ! t-on. She denied the use of indecent language. ..••..: j The fcJ.M. considered the charges proved, «v& on the, first charge imposed a fine of SPs nnd 15s costs.. Bonniface 'was also fined the same amovDt for counselling the ofxcjicc. On the other charge, each were convicted and discharged.