THE FIGHTING THREE.

NZ Truth, Issue 245, 5 March 1910, Page 7

THE FIGHTING THREE.

LURID IANGUAGERS LAGGED. Rattray-streei Rumpus. Frantic Flutter on the Footpath. | Mac. Tackles a Trap with His Teeth. Beer Leads to Bash; Bash Leads to Bobby, and Bobby Leads to Beak and Boob! On February 22 David Sullivan, i Thomas McNamara and William Lyndhurst were drawn together by the hand of Fate, or by some more potent influence, such as a fellow-feeling on the question of ale. Whatever brought them together doesn't really matter, but together they got, and between them managed to create a stir which even the | warm neighborhood of Rattray and Mac- I laggan streets, Dunedin, has not witnessed for some time. McNamara started drinking at about 6.30 a.m. on the day m question, and about 10 o'clock had two shikkurs with Sullivan and Lyndhurst m the Gladstone Hotel. They issued forth from the Gladstone and wended their way to the Crown, but as Sullivan was beginning to show signs of wear and tear he couldn't get a drink. They went again into the street, and here Sullivan was nabbed for swankiness by Trap Sweeney, the. gentleman with, the- red face, the deep voice, and the general get-a-move-on appearance. Sullivan was gathered m at the Crown, but before he had been taken hali-way down the block towards Princes-street things began to happen. Lyndhurst took a hand m ■ things and tried to' release Sullivan, but Sweeney gave him a bit of a push and scattered him about on his back m the gutter. Thereafter, both Lyndhurst and McNamara made use of a lot of low expressions m telling Sweeney and the big crowd of men and women m "the street what their expert opinion about Sweeney was, and also directing Sullivan not to be led away by Sweeney, and if he did do so, to "give him a go for it." Sullivan at this time was at the Princes-street, corner and began to "give him a go," this operation consisting of laying hold of the corner building and refusing to be propelled* towards the boob. Then he got down on his back on the footpath' and jthrew his feet about m a manner :• calculated to create a breach of the peace or to break auy near-by article which was m any way breakable. At this stage Trap Havelock bought five carijs m the. : game. The trap on this beat has ■ the duty of standing- In the middle .of the crossing atßattrayrstreet, alternately facing the dawn .and Speight's brewery^; for the purpose of snapping up people w^io do damage to the city's many "by-laws. On this occasion Havelock was facing the dawn, and consequently" previous, proceedings had been at his back and he had not noticed them, but when he heard the row on the 'Corner he at ; once placed his services at the disposal «pf Sweeney, who was having, a bit of a picnic. Havelock went over, and heard McNamara telling Sullivan not to go with Sweeney, and he told Mac. that if ho didn't make himself scarce m a short time he would be boo&ed also. The copper with the curly flaxen hair and the dreamy eyes then turned his attention to Mr Sullivan, and after a hard struggle, m which further aid was lent b} r Trap Finch and some civilians, he was handcuffed and sent off to the lock-up m an express. Havelock arrested McNamara, and Sweeney lagged Lyndhurst later m the evening. During the scuttle McNamara fixed his teeth m Havelock's tunic and tore it terribly. Naturally the heroes of the occurrence were called upon to face the magistrate, Mr Bartholomew being on the I>imediti police court bench to deal with them on Friday last. Sullivan (for whom Mr Scurr appeared) pleaded guilty to drunkenness, resisting the police and using obscene language. McNamara pleaded not guilty to inciting to resist the police and using obscene language, and guilty to chewing up Havelock's tunic ; and Lioulhurst entered pleas of not guilty to charges of Inciting to resist and using obscene language. In cross-examination by McNamara, Sween&y said Mac. was perfectly sober. He had never said he would smash Mac. up, but he had many a time told him to get out o! town and get work. He be- j lieved It was true that Mac. had been discharged on December 17 on a charge of vagrancy and that a similar charge laid about January 18 had been withdrawn. . Havelock m his evidence repeated certain remarks .made by McNamara, but certain others he felt called upon to write down. In answer to McNamara, who was the oitiy oae of the accused who took the ! treoWe to cross-exaraine, Havelofk said Sweeaey didn't tell him io nab Mac. GiVteg evidence on his own bebs>lfi M«N<miaza denied using obscene language or inrit&g to resist. He perhaps called Sweeuey a plain, unadorned pig, but he ! certainly didn't call him the elaborately obscene kind of hog that the police evidence made out he did. When lie came across to see the fun Sweeney said he'd have to get out or fce'd get boobed, but Mac. ventared .to suggest timt Sweeney's hands were fall enough as it was. A lot of intere,stißg facts were brought to light when Sub-Inspector Phair started to .cross-examine. Mac. had to acknowledge a long list, including a large number of sentences for theft, assault, and breaking and entering, one of the last-named ofiemjos making him a guest of the King for three years. Magistrate Bartholomew said he reckoned the offences barf been committed all right. Sullivan's case was different j to\ the others, acd he had decided to m- j flict a monetary penalty on him, although lie felt that he deserved a sHght streinii for the beastly language be had been guilty of. Sullivan would be fined 5s for drunkenness ; £2 or seven days for resisting ; and £3 or fourteen days for the language. The offences of the other men were more serious and there weren't any extenuating circumstances. McNamara would be sentenced to a month for inciting, three months for tbe language, and fined £2 for the damage to the tunic and ordered to pay the cost of it (£2 2s 6d), m default 14 days. Lyndhurst got a month for inciting and three months for language. In all cases the stretches arc cumulative. '