WHAT OPENED THE BRAWL?

NZ Truth, Issue 571, 27 May 1916, Page 7

WHAT OPENED THE BRAWL?

BOYS IN BLUE AND " KNUTS " IN KHAKI DID THE LADIES INCITE TO RESIST ARREST Boys m Blue Bash with their Batons It was a very Disgraceful Seene — Magistrate Cooper Dismisses the . Informations

At the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on Friday, 19th, a pair of burly inciters appeared before Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., charged with inciting a prisoner to resist arrest. The accused were a fair-haired, little damsel named Alice Ferguson, whose fighting weight is about 7st., and a lady named Elsie Rod, a dark, well-set-up Amazon, who could give her sister incitress about two stone m weight. The circumstances arose out of a brawl which occurred on Lambton-quay on May 3, when the police were attempting to arrest a gentleman clad m khaki. The prosecution was m the hands of j Inspector Hendrey, while the two burly ; belles were represented by Mr. T. M. Wilford. ■'...- Alter the inspector had set out the j facts of the case, he called "John Hop" | James Frederick Charles Harrison, who | happened to be "adopting" a soldier of the King on the occasion mentioned on a charge which was specified. The "sodger" was not drunk but perfectly sober. The man began to resist; and several people said ; "LET THE MAN GO." "Then Mrs. Bod came, on the scene," said the constable "and asked me quietly to let the man go as he was not drunk. I tried to tell her that I was not arresting the. man for drunkenness. Mrs. Rod called out to me, 'Be a man arid let him go.' By this time there was a large crowd around. A number of people gathered and said, 'The woman asked you to let him go. Be a man and do so.' " The witness then detailed the appearance of Constable Tocker, and of how one of the ladies took hold of Tocker and tried to get the law's legal prey away from it ■■ ' . ; .• . ; LIKE A RED-HOT REVOLUTIONIST she called out, "Come along boys arid don't let him take your mates." This was like pouring hot soup on a bald man's head, it was exciting (or inciting). The soldier began to resist, and was taken along as far as the Occidental Hotel, but the pressure spt so alarming at the hotel that he had to let the warrior loose. The Inspector: Were any men of the Expeditionary Force hurt?— One had some of his teeth broken and his lip cut. Mr. Wilford: You say that the only thing Miss Ferguson said was, "Let him go, constable?"— Yes. Did you see Sergeant O'Halloran there?— Yes. . i Did you ever see a man behave like O'Halloran did— didn't he baton right and left?— l'll swear that he batoned no one. Did you baton anyone?— I BATONED SEVERAL. Did you hear Mrs. Rod say, "That man never opened his mouth?"— l could not hear.. , ... „ . . Did you not baton right and left like a lunatic? — Not like a lunatic. How many did you fell?— They couldn't fall, the crowd was too densely packed. (Laughter) . Did any fall? — One or two might, there were about 3000 or more people i there at the time. Now, that's an exaggeration, isn't it? — Perhaps it is. Don't exaggerate, please. Now, were there dozens of people inciting the soldier to resist? — Yes. And yet you select these two women out of the crowd? — Mrs. Rod was there at the start. ' Did you see a soldier go up to Mrs. ' Rod and say, ''Missus, they are taking ray mate away ?" — No. Didn't Mrs. Rod say, "Let the man go and I'll take him Inside and look after him?"— No, Did some soldiers call out, "We are ready to take hlm,,he is not drunk?" — Correct. Did the soldier call out to Mrs. Rod, "I am not drunk. All I did was to kick my hat along tho gutter?"— THE SOLDIER CALLED OUT NOTHING. Did Mrs. Rod say (referring to a "batoned" man), "You struck the soldier and he never opened his mouth?' 1 —No. Mr. Wilford: Then every man you struck down with your baton you felled quite calmly and deliberately? — Every man 1 batoned struck at me or kicked me. To the Inspector: He used the baton m defence of his own body only. Jaracs Adam Tocker said that he won watch-housekeeper on the occasion of the riot, and having RECEIVED AN S.O.S. from his "brother John" he went out to lend Ural aid. He found tin* previous witness clutching the recalcitrant "soiljcr" and he took the other arm with a view of assisting him to seclusion. The Inspector: Did you sec the defondants there? — 1 didn't see the young lady. Ah soon as 1 got there I got two kicks m the hack and was knocked down. Mrs. Rod put her hand on my shoulder and said. "Oh, let him go." I then proceeded tgwurds the tttutlon. with the prisoner and was pulled und knocked about by the crowd trying io take the soldier from us. We had got a* fur as the Occidental whan I received a kick and was practically knocked out. Mr. Wilford: Did you use your buton? — I didn't have one, worse luck. Did Harrison ?— Oh, yes. he did; opposite tin* Occidental 1113 SMACKKD THEM A BIT. Sergeant O'Halloran then hopped into the breach-box and said that when he came on tho scene of action thero was a battle In progress. Tho allies consisted of hlmsolf. Harrison and Tockor, while the crowd represented iho enemy. He saw Mru. Hood engaging herself In the vet of liberating the prisoner and he t«»ld to her, "You go home, thl« Is no plnco for a woman." Ho knew thut thrre wrw nnother woman there. The words Mr», Hod had uh»;U had v big iftttid on the prisoner. If Mrs. Rod had not been there he was «ur«> they would have got their prisoner to tho lock-up. "DUI It Incite the prisoner?" rmked iho Inspector. The witness reckoned that it eeruilnly UIU. Tho Inspector: Whut did you say to her? — I TOLD HER TO CO HOME, tliai it wft« no place for a woman. She was trying to pull TocKer rrom tho prisoner. Mr. Wilford: W»* that the time when she had her arms round the neck antl her knee m his buck (laughter) ? — All I way now 1« thai 1 uepcrnted Mr*. Hod from Tocker. What would you any of Tock«r. would you «ay that h& U» a truthful man?— Oh. ye*, he Is a truthful man. aSiat hearlutf a few remarks from

Mr. Wilford with regard to the defendant, Ferguson, the S.M. dismissed the case against her. In her own defence, Elsie Rod was then boxed, and she proved to be a statuesque lady with, dark and soulful orbs. She detailed" her experiences of the night m question. She is the proprietress of the Cafe de la Behjique, and had gone out to get some celery when she observed a soldier, who came up to her and said, "MISSUS, THEY'RE ARRESTING MY PAL. You know that he's not drunk, we've Just had tea . m your place." She saw some soldiers trying to get tho prisoner away. What she said to Constable Harrison was, "Let him go, he's not drunk." The soldier called out that he was not drunk, but had just been kicking his hat along and doing the goose-step. The men called out, "Men 1 of the twelfth,, respue your comrade,"

If you want hymn-books or a slate, A pen, or dictionary, Go down to BUI and plainly state What you thinks necessary; If works on health or politics (You're, perhaps, an actuary) Are what you want, he'll quickly fix You up with comments luminary So if you're after knowledge A deep For master or for lackey, Go down the Quay and have a peep At Mister William Mackay.

and some of them said that ir ho was not rescued that none of the twelfth 'would leave New Zealand. Mr. Wllford: Do you remember putting your hand on Constable Tocker's Bhoulder and saying, "Lot htm go; he's Home mother's son. He'll have enough to put up with at the front"? — Yes. Well, if anyone came along and saw you with your hand on his shoulder would they think that you were a ringleader? — I don't sco why they Khould. 1 was not Inciting the crowd. I said to the sergeant "A man has been struck who never opened his mouth," Where wus he? — Lying on the ground, BLI2EDINO AND INSENSIBLE. Witness had seeu the sergeant when ho came Into tlw> eufe and wanted Mlsm Ferguson's namo. She had refused to give it and the sergeant had threatened to arrest her if she continued to withhold her name. There were other women m the crowd and they urged the soldiers on. Tho Inspector: What did you way to Constable Harrison? — I said, "Don't take him. His mates ara here, why tiiko him?" You moo Constable Toeker was knocked down and kicked twice.— That must have been after 1 left. You know that whoever was tho cftUHe of it there was v very disgraceful scone? — Yea, but X was not the cause of it. Were there other women there?— Yes lots. Did they say anything? — Yes, they were Knowing and pulling the soldier about, and some of them were doing I a good deal of swearing. I Private Gilbert Ernest lo Cren re- ! numbered tho night of tho brawl. H« I saw the start of the row and was I within a few yards of Mrs, Rod at [ the limn and close to tho man who was being arrested. Ho suuv thre« other ' women thore and heard one woman say, "Don't let them tako him." it i wan iKU Mra. Rod and the only thine which he- hud lu?atd h<?r suy wn«, "T?h« man docs not upjx'ur 10 bo drunk." Ho j new her go towards the cafe. ■ To tht» inHpt-utor ho said that ho had I SKKN TUB WHOLK AKi'AIK from liv? Hturt. The police wore fol- ! lowing two koUJUtm, and one of thorn wtis not In-having In a (toUUt'rly manner. Ho wan kicking hlfl hat down the street. He saw ttu: pollctj nrrcmt him, Alico Vorffuson, a dainty lUUe bluoc>"fii) (lam««?l, f?nJ'4 \hut vln-n »h«r.w«nt out j»ho naw a, consiftble arresting a Holdltr, and sho eaid to him, "Oh, don't take him." Mrs. Hod iunl not incited the* crowd while shy wus there. She corroborated Mr«. lUtd'u tivhienco nn to Si"fK**nnt O'Halloran's nitliud«j so ht<r m llu> cntv. Frnuclu O'Hugen, a laborer al#o gave evidence. The ccufo wan dtsmisjiod.