JOHN HENRY HANNAN

NZ Truth, Issue 602, 30 December 1916, Page 7

JOHN HENRY HANNAN

THE HABERDASHER AND HIS HOVELS LONG DRAWN OUT COURT PROCEEDINGS Magistrate Frazer Convicts— Notice of Appeal Given The S.M. Directs the Release of Purvis Grahani (From "Truth's" Auckland Rep.)

Quite a different atmosphere pervaded the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Friday afternoon last when it became a certainty that the end of the weary, woeful wading through days of evidence m the hearing of the police prosecution of John Henry Hannan, was m sight. For nino days the hearing hus been going on, and on two occasions the DEFENDANT COLLAPSED and had to be removed to his home. The charges against ilannan were that he let Federal Boordinghouae, having reasonable grounds for suspicion that it was a house of ill-fame, Hannan being the owner of the premises. Sub-inspector Mellveney prosecuted on behalf of the police, end Lawyer Lundon appeared for Hannan. The first witness called on Friday was Roso Maria Hannan, wife of defendant, and owner of much property, who said that "hubby" collected tho rent for her. She paid "the rates on the Federal House property, which it had been arranged should be transferred to ber name, but this had been neglected. Sho remembered her husband on one occasion telling her that he feared considerable drinking and bad language were features of Graham's house, and at her suggestion her husband rang up the police, and asked that a watch be kept on the place, as he feared sly-grog selling. Hannan also wrote abettor to Graham, to which the latter took strong exception, and denied tha^.tho house was anything but well conducted. She had visited the house, but had never made an inspection of the rooms wljlle Graham had tho tenancy of the house. Witness had noticed a woman there, but understood that she was Graham's •housekeeper. Witness was not surprised to see a woman there, as she thought it would be almost impossible for anyone to run a big boardinghouso without a woman to do certain housework. Witness had never received v complaint from the police previous to tho raid, about PERSONS OF LOW CHARACTER residing m any of her. or her husband's houses. Delia Carlton. or Mary Donovan had never tenanted any of defendant's house with thelatter'a consent; In fact, Hannan was a very strong, udv.oculo of the,, wiping out ol drink and tho woman of ill-fame. The Sub-inapector: Can you give | me any idea when it was that Mr. ' Hannan came to you and told you that he had a. suspicion that the place might he used for a »ly-grog shop?-— About two 'months ago. Does Mr. Hannan suspect immorality on the part of a respectable person whom he had only seen on one occasion? — I don't know what you mean. ! Well, is he Blow to make accusa- | tions of immorality? — He is very carei fill. H» i« not In the habit of accusing people of anything if they aro Innocent. Ho would be very sorry to do any harm to anyone, even to you. Hut ut the same time ho is v man likely to make a statement after giving it full consideration. Now, r« thin alleged ringing up to tho police. Do you know whom it wan that he spoke to?~One of Onperjjfwtntf. He asked for the Sui«inopecinr. tlu-n the Senior-sergeant, and th< a for jiny of tin' Hergeantri. What t'onduct would you we pen m a house where drinking and bad JniiKiinge were going on. and the hnxtm u\ a Althy condition? — 1 have nev««r beer. In mien » place and therefore cannot wiy. Now. If you wore Informed that drinking, bad language and Buch Uk,were Koiiiff on In a house, nnd the fear \vn« there ihru It might \evn\ m something- es*»e. what step* would y<vj thU* tv $pP« with It?-— t Icrw those mauors to my husband. fY«ry well, ftnd I'll leave you to ih,< court. Hannan: Don't tAlk to my w.:>

like that. I'll— l'll— you wretch—' Hip Worship: All Tight, Mr. Hannan, just sit down and keep quiet. At his own request the Rev. Howard Klliot was allowed to go back Into the witness box. He said that the Rev. S. J. Small field's statements touching the evidenco of the deputations introduced to the .Minister for Justice by Mr. J. S, Dtckson, were denials m contravention to fact. Witness said he knew from personal knowledge. His Worship Said he was not going: into the question, and the matter would have to drop. No man; said his Worship, or even a society, should say they represent THE WHOLE OP THE PROTESTANT COMMUNITY. No on© had a right to do so. Mr. Elliot said he could produce resolutions to show whom the deputations represented. His Worship said he did not care what societies passed the. resolutions. No one had tho right to say they represented the Protestant community. Mr. Elliot said that he personally knew that Hannan took no part m the deputations, and did not know of them. THE DEPENDANT IN THE BOX. John Henry Hannan, defendant, said he had lived m Auckland 40 years, and for 33 or 34 years had owned houses. During tho whole of that time his attitude had been favorable to the cleaning of the city of drink and prostitution. About four years ago defendant purchased houses m Cook-street, and these he gave to his wife as v birthday gift. The reason he purchased tho houses was to try and reduce the amount of drinking which he alleged went on m tho Bobblo Burns Hotel. This enabled him to close up an alleyway, against which tho brewers protested strongly, and a deputation was introduced 'by Mr. "Mick" Sheo« nan and waited upon the City Council to got tho alleyway opened, but Jt wa« no good, and the alleyway remained closed, and would do sa while defendant lived. He denied that anyone of bad character had evor livod m any of his houses with his consent, and related instances whore ho had, on learning that tonants of his WERE OP LOOSR CHARACTER or glvi'n to drinking, instructed workman to pull the house down. This was done m PhllUp-sureet because the prostitutes m the hous.u had refused to pay the rent or go out, and when ho spoko to them they told him to go to hell. Down camo the houae. On another occanJon Constable McAUst^r told him that one of iiin tenant* m Uakor-streot wan a proMltme und had nearly killed ft man. Defendant anU tho constable then went to the house, and defendant pulled tho woman out and gave her In charge. . These were only two of many such instance* where he had to uk" extreme «tops

to get tenants out. and which he related m detail to the court. Defendant had no knowledge of Delia Carlton living m No. 62 Federal-street. He was aware that she had been a tenant of his. Touching Graham's houße, defendant sajd that when the war broke out he reduced the rent 5/-, and after Mrs. Graham's death twice more knocked i); down, each time 6/', or m three cuts he sliced 15/- off. The first Intimation defendant had that the house was not being kept as clean as it might bo, was when he received a notice from Haines, one|of the Council inspectors. Defendant interviewed Haines, and the upshot was that Graham received a notice to clean the house up. Graham then saw defendant and suggested that if defendant would have the house done up he would pay £5 towards the cost. This offer was turned down, Graham being told to quit the house. Eventually Graham offered £10 towards the cost, and this was accepted, defendant assuring Graham, that so long as the PLACE WAS CONDUCTED DECENTLY he would not be put out for twelve months. The first time defendant saw a woman In the house ho said to Graham: "You are making my house into a. brothel. 1 am not going to stand this. You will 'have to put them out at once." Oraharn replied, "1 am doIng nothing of the sort. < I deny it over and oyer t uguin. , There is nothing worse than drink here." Defendant did not now believe there had | been any immorality carried on .at Graham's house a,t any time. If lie had thought so he would.. have broken Graham's neck. He added that all hi* enemies seemed to liavo been brought against him m this case. The worst tenants he had had m his houses were policemen, and he. would not let any of his houses to a policeman unless he knew him to be a strict teetotaller. On September 20, defendant wrote Graham, m which it was stated that the rent m future would bo doubled. The object of the letter wa.s to get Graham out. as frequently a I notice that the rent would be doubled was effective m getting people out. Ah to going about telling people hla house was a brothel he had no recollection of ever saying it, <md although he would not say those witnessen who had -said he made the remark were deliberately telling a lie, he thought they were. A man would be a lunatic to do so, particularly a business m&n. On one occasion he did go to tho house and saw a drunken man there, and then asked Graham if ho was going to turn the place into j a brothel? Graham denied it, In short, defendant had never tolerated persons of doubtful character m hl« houses. Tho Sub-insp<?ejtor.- ton have no recollection of telling Mr. Halnea that the place was becoming a brothel? — No. | You have no recollection of telling ! tnspector Paul?— Do you think lam a roadman to go and say that the place I gave 1800 sovereigns for Is a den for prostitutes? You don't recollect saying anything to Rice?— No. But you do remember challenging Graham more than once and euch time he denied It? — Yen, Did you know that a notice to quit forthwith is bad? — No. AMONGST THE SOCIALISTS my cnarncter i*» blackened on the street. It has been told on tho nJrotl that 1 put a woman out durltiK confine- j ment una threw her dead baby after her. What do you think of that? Why j f tell you that Mrs. Hannan i« a good { : woman and tho first to help the poor. The Sub-inspoctor then read the following lottt'f: Victoria-street. Aumtujk 10, !9la, j To the Inspector of Polleo. j Aucklam:. • Dear Sir, — Yesterday, between 5 j p.m. and 6 p.m. a very respect- I tiblo looking man enme Into my [

office of business and made a re- < quest for the keys of No, 18, Sus-sex-street, as he said he wanted to inspect it with a view to renting It. He was to return the keys the first thing this morning. They have not been returned and I suspect that i he has go e the keys so as to use the house for immoral purposes. If you could. spare a man to visit the ! i place to-night lam almost certain j they would make a haul as there j i are Indications of visitors being : there last night. i Yours faithfully, J. H. HANNAN. The Sub-inspector: You are a man whose suspicions are very quickly ' aroused? — Yes. And if you saw drinking going on \n ■ a house and gaolbtrcta frequenting the ! place you would become suspicious?— [ Yea. ■ Very well, that will 00. The Sub-inspector then sat down and 1 the evidence concluded. Neither the Sub-inspector nor T^aw- i yer Lundon desired to address the Court. In giving his decision his Worship said j ; there were two charges against Han- j f nan, but that of "letting" could be dis- ! . missed as it was about four years ago ! > that Graham took possession and up i I till the last couplo of months the place ; had been well conducted. It had been . shown that the owner of the house was :■ Mrs. Hannan and the charge would be .amended to make defendant Uip . agent instead of landlurd. There could I be no doubt that the place was a bro- ; thel from October 29 to November 9 i . and the whole question WJUS whether i HANNAN HAD REASONABLE ! * SUSPICIONS I ; that it was so. He visited the place j ■ frequently and saw. the state of the | ■ place and Hannan had himself toid i ' IWUHons the place wa« a brothel anrl he j ! admitted himself that ho aaw bad \ characters about the place. It could ■ not be said that Hannan did not have reasonable grounds for suspicion and 1 that he allowed the tenancy to eon--1 I Unue and his Worship was satisfied ■ j Hannan did not exorcise his full pow--1 era to have Graham evicted. His Worship went on to say that he 1 did not think Hannan willingly suffered immoral conduct to take place on his premises, but was probably actuated by the fact that Graham was an old '- tenant and he did not want to deal harshly with him if Graham could pull 1 himself together. There was nothing to reflect upon Hannan's business or personal morality. He did not seem ; to realise it was his duty to get the • people out as aoon as he knew what 1 was going on. It seemed to be purely a question of dllatorlncss. Upon the 1 fac« of the evidence it was merely a technical breach, and as Hannan had 1 been put to considerable expense that would be taken into consideration. Taking all the circumstances into con- ! .••{deration, defendant would bo eon- ! victed on the second charge and lined Lawyer Lundon asked that the fine be Increased to JL*5 is to allow of ap. peal. His Worship acceeded, and the security for appeal was fixed at £40. ; OLD "BILLY" 'RICHARDSON, who had been a regular attendant throughout tho hearing, informed the court that thi» flu* would be subscribed for by tfcinnan'H friends. GRAHAM RELEASED, Purvis Graham, who had previously ! been ficmenced t<> nvclvu months for ■ piling tho keeper of tho house of illj fume, but who was granted ft re-heurinj? ! i of hIH cuse was called on at the coni elusion of the case against Hannan. It vvaa deolded to admit the «>videnc« given In Hunnan'w atm\ Rl« Worship yaU\ from th«* ovidane* j it was apjuueiu Unit Graham hnd l>#en drinking heavily and \va» t\n> tool oi others. Graham hud already served about Mix weeks m gaol and his Worship would take that into eonulderftj tion and dtoehurge him from that day. | An officer of an Egyptian Ojunel ; Oorp««. now its vuHUed hoirw*. tolls a | Hiory curmil i" Oilro how i.<>rd Kit- { ; rlu'ttcr onco Upi'erlbed «*:iin«.l ridldK. ! , "U'm like v itnmv of cup and bull." ! I KiUt he, "Von throw \\u> ball Urto ihf nir ami try U> niteh it lv the cup, | W<r||, v.Jhmi yt'« ride a carnal Uu« brute I plays cup and h»\\ v.-Uh you ana rnls«pu | , mnily « vory tini"!" .*■!!??:* Firu.-iii <»i»;it«-ur lui><!."«cajw» IkUjikm*) : "I ?!ippt"»f> yo'.s don't mind my f b<?\n?: m your JW'M Mr. Gone!-" Kar- i ■• iaer <Iuho! rb-urtily): "The longer you j «u»> - the be'U'F. Mi««. Fact is, f)w hlrdu j ; ';ivi» hern very troubi^om** thi* #«*&;>• I : on," ! { A SOLDIER'S PRESENT. • ! J'or ;i uoJjJJt'r :»: tlw fror.t <.r m ] ; (trittit* of Klu^nsfl 'or «>f»' c?Hllif I or •li*{j<-Htn« micro!"** of <tit»<':u*o. *j*hf j (Mr*?™. I>u»«inft. l,ui.» v.ri:<-; "H hni> b-s-n }ftsl*.<T #viri'r!j|ii>c t° <'>"" R»"n» '.\\f> , womU'rful . ; ,»a5« W6 now iuv-o (or [ l:'Hi*nxof." ♦