NASTY NEIGHBORS.

NZ Truth, Issue 282, 19 November 1910, Page 6

NASTY NEIGHBORS.

WHEN WOMEN WAR. How Husbands Are Hauled In. Chief Justice Exercises Leniency. The case of George Joseph Beasley, 34, blacksmith's striker, charged with an assault causing grievous bodily harm upon a iimn aiamed McOalluru, m Holland-street, on Septemjjer 27, came before the Chief ' Justice (Sir Robert Stout) aofl a ]ury of twelve at the criminal sittings of the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday (Friday). :

Mr T. Nea/ve appeared for the Crown, and Mr R. B. Williams foi the accused.

The 'evidence for the prosecution w>aa similar to that which had been given m the court below, which has already bee n published m "Truth."

For the idefonce, accused said that on the date of the alleged assault he came home about 5.40 or 5.45 p.m. Hie sat down with his wife and his father-in-law m the fcitohen. Mrs McCallum's little , girl called .for am enamelled bowl which Mrs Beasley -had obtained from Mrs McCallum;. Mrs Beasley gave the howl to : the child, and the child went away. Soon afterwards. Mrs McOallum came into the house with the bowl and threw it at

Mrs Beasley, saying, "Tshis is mot my b pot." The bowl hit Mrs Beasley and , ricocheted off on to her father, . who was holding Mrs Beasley's child. Almost immediately McCallum came up. Both McCallum and Mrs McCallum were under the influence of liquor, and . THEY BECAME ABUSIVE. Accused said he gently pushed McOallum out of the place. ' McCallum struck;accused, wtfw> slewed McCallum round, and,, being ' intoxicated, fell into -the gutter. Meantime Mrs- Beasley and 1 Mrs McCalMion were having a handrto-hand .conflict of their own..

Mrs Beasley 's father gave corroborative evidence. Hie said he was watahing a to see the sp-ort" (laughter), but he did not interfere as htf thought his daughter was good enough for Mrs McOallum. The two women had been upon bad terms for , some time previously.

Mrs Beasley, a cross-eyed specimen of femininity, then gave her version of the affray, tinctured with graphic details of 'how Mrs- McOallum "made me nose bleed"'.: and how "me clothes wuss dragged off of me." She said that McCaJluan scratched accused's face with his fitßgjer-tnails./ Bad blood had existed some days before. The O.J. : Then this row was a continuance of the previous row ?— Yes. A young married woman, closely related to Mrs Beasley, who 'bad been with the McOaJHums during the day, testified to' sundry bottles of beer consumed by them prior to the assault. Both were under the influence of liquor. The jury, : after a quarter of an hour's retirement, returned with - a verdict •of guilty of common, assault, and his Honor admitted the prisoner to six months" probation.