Wednesday's Doings

NZ Truth, Issue 683, 20 July 1918, Page 5

Wednesday's Doings

On resuming on Wednesday morning, Mr. Macassey proceeded to call further evidence from neighbors regarding the character of the house owned by Mrs. Griffin. He then reached the notorious letter*, and their admlssibility was at one* challenged by the Judge. Mr. MaoMßey argued that they were evidence as to the woman's character, and Mr. Q'Leary combated this by sta,ting that that was not the question before the Bench. She was charged specifically with keeping an improper house, and her previous character had nothing whatever to do with the present case. His Honor said that he would admit the letters at the moment, but would reserve his decision as to whether they were legitimate evidence. He did aoi think that they were, but he WOULD CONSIDER THAT MATTER LATER. Mr. Macassey at this stage produced and read three of the letters, of. a more or less compromising nature, to the accompaniment of a running commentary from the Bench of a deprecatory character as to their value or intent. Ultimately the letters were put In, subject to the Judge's reservation that they might not yet be accepted as proper evidence. Counsel for the Crown then turned his attention to the finances of Mrs. Griffin. He said that by agreement with Mr. Jackson It was arranged to admit that £4 of her Income, as specified, was correct, but that any further amounts alleged to have been reeved as ordinary Income would be disputed, On the • other side her expenditure showed £4 16s a week of ascertained amounts, including £2 a week rent, 6s a week for the schooling of her two children, and £2 10s a week that she had paid m deposits and ■ . TIME-PAYMENTS FOR FURNITURE bought during the period covered by the information. On the top of this £4 16s she hod to pay out of £4 the cost of food and clothing for herself and ch.ll^ dren, lighting, heating, and all other domestic incidentals. This closed the case for the Crown. Mr. Jackson, m opening the case for the appellant, said that the question revolved around what evidence there was as to the house being conducted for gain or profit: In order to show that there had been gain or profit it must be absolutely proved that: money had passed, or the inference to that effect must be very strong. He submitted that the judgment of the magistrate m the Lower Court had utterly ignored a number of facts relative to the financial position of Qrlffln. He argued that after .paying expenses Griffin had £2 13s 3d oyer for general uses. The mere act of' Immorality did not make a woman a prostitute. It must be shown that she had received payment before she could be so classed. His Honor: It would amount to the game thing, I suppose, If jew«H«ry were given? Mr. Macassey;. Or olothes or liquor. ■ His Honor: EXPENDITURE ON A WOMAN, Mr. Jaokson proceeded to refer m detail to several portions of the maglsr trate's judgment, which he .said were contrary to the weight of evidence. Constable Tricklebank's evidence was most unsatisfactory, and incomplete. He referred to the suggestion that Mrs. Griffin's mode of living was extravagant m view of her alleged means. He then put the appellant m the box. Mr. Jackson: Now, Mrs. Griffin, th 4 constable has sworn that on the night your house was raided he saw m your wardrobe a large number of expensive flresses. Do you have bills at the drapers?— No, I do not. Have you many clothes?— l've got a costume I bought three years ago, the one I have on now is a year old, and another one that I bought last Easter. His Honor: That would come within the period overlying the convictions. Continuing, witness stated that she made her own underclothing, and that she neither drank nor smoked. His Honor: What do you mean when you say you don't smoke?— l don't drink except a little spirits occasionally —medicinally, if I have a cold. His Honor: Do you ever buy liquor?— I've never bought any liquor m my life. Mr Jackson: Do you ever entertain lavishly— suppers, and so on?— No, not more than to the EXTENT OF BREAD AND CHEESE. Continuing, m 'general examination, Mrs. Griffin stated that Winifred Olsen was a boarder at her house., and was keeping company with a certain Lleutedtnt Mullins. She w^s visited periodically by Mullins and a number of soldier frlQnds. Mullins was a constant visitor at week-ends and at other times. At the week-ends he slept at the house. It was the same lot of young men who used to come weekly, with an occasional different one. Misses Elliott and Pringle were friends of Miss Olsen, who was a musical girl, and played well. Most of the visitors were also musical. The men always caught either the 11 o'clock or 31.15 car back to town, and none of theni had ever been there later. There was no liquor ever brought to the house, and the statement that a large supply had been brought on one occasion by two men and carried Into the house by the girls was . AN UNMITIGATED LIE. The allegation was made m. respect of *- the night of the raid. That night Miss folsen and Mullins returned from a holiday and they arrived m a motor-car. Their only luggage was two portmanteaux, and the only liquor brought was two bottles of beer, which were m Mullins's portmanteau. It was not true that cars ever left the house at early hours of the morning; nor was there music or noise at those hours. She had been ill for some time, and had been attended to by Dr. Shanrt. She was Buffering from gastritis. No man had ever been m her room while she was m bed except Lieutenant Carnahan, who came m one night with Miss Olsen to see how she was getting on. No other man had been m her room except the doctor and her son. When Lieutenant Mulltna atayod at weekends he slept m the back room m her daughter's bed, and her daughter pamo m and slept with her. .-There we,re two bafls m tho back roeiiv

His Honor: I see from the plan that they are marked "Child's beds." Would one of those be large enough for. a lieutenant? Mr. Jackson: There are different sizes of lieutenants, His Honor: Well, would it be big enough for this one? Mr. Jackson: It was large enough for me, (Laughter.) His Honor: Well. Ist it go At that. Vurnlns-ta the ayldeneo of the window Wind, witness stated that aho fllopt with the easomant windows open and the green roller blinds down. There were also hanging curtains to her bed. His Honor: Are they Just the same now? ' Witness: I think so, but I can't say, Mr. Jackson: She HASN'T BEEN HOME FOR A MONTH. Continuing, she stated that she had never seen the wind blowing her blinds about, and had never been annoyed by it. Her visitors were always entertained m the dining-room. Mulllns would go into Olsen's room to shave, because there was a better light there, but no other men ever went In there. She described m, detail the various arrangements of the blinds at the doors and windows of the house, and stated that it would be impossible to see any but the merest fractions of the rooms by peering through the blinds. She denied emphatically that on January 19 she had been In bed with a man. His Honor, who had been examining the plan, said that according to it the witness who had deposed to geoine this incident on her way home would have had to. turn round after passing the house to see anything, and then, owing to the position of the bed, ehe would only be able to gee the foot of It, as the head was against the wall longitudinally to the window. Mr. Jackson: That is so. ' Have you ever been m bed with a man?— l have never been m bed with a man m my life, barring the man I married. , Not even with your son?— No, not even with him. Mr. Jackson here put m a doctor's certificate to say that he had. been atr tending Mrs. Griffin for gastritis, from January 27. His Honor: That would be after the date of the earlier allegations. Mr. Jackson: Have you ever seen anyr thing Immodest or improper m your house?— -No; there has been no such' be. •> havior on the part of any of my guests. I would not allow such a thing,