SLIGHT SUM TAILS FOUL Of FIGHTING FAT

NZ Truth, Issue 1035, 26 September 1925, Page 7

SLIGHT SUM TAILS FOUL Of FIGHTING FAT

Bellicose Boy's Behavior Brews a Big Bother

(From "Truth's" Special Auckland Correspondent.)

Fat and Slim, both the sons of doting parents went to school together. They lived near to one another but thereby hangs a tale. / ,

Fat fancied his fistic prowess but Slim was a lover of peace. Then came challenges to fight from Fat but Slim turned the other cheek. Finally Slim's father took a hand, trounced Fat and m due course made his appearance m Court.

Mr Poynton, before whom the case was heard at Auckland last week, ordered, all names to be suppressed, but the case being of such interest to parents it is worth the telling.. Fat and Slim went to the same school. Fat found Slim an easy mark for his unwelcome attentions. Theso took the form of trying to make Slim fight. Slim, who comes from nervous, thin brainy stack ("both parents were there for the 'court to judge) had no wish to light nor probably the inclination. PUGILISTIC FAT. With the cruelty of children to one another this gave the pugilistic propensities of Fat the incentive to make a set at Slim. The childish feud, it such a one-sided affair can be termed a fued, had been going, on for some time. • The followers of Force had even on one occasion broken into the boat shed of Slim's father and . badly trounced the boy of Peace.' Truly a case of injury to insult. ', Slim's parents, as may be imagined, bubbled with suppressed wrath, but such matters do .not arrive easily at a solution. . .' .. • • i ■ ■Eventually, 1 however, the father -of Slim, with the- natural instinct ..p_f a parent, could stand the unpleasant hostilities of Fat no longer, and ife quite humanly, if not wisely, took the law into his own hands. . ; ■ It is safe to. believe that the mother wouid have bean the aggressor had sh& been a 'strong woman, but the task was. beyond her;- When called upon to give, her evidence she collapsed, with nothing of the stage faint be it said. Slim's enraged, but unwise father, lay m wait one morning at his gate for the bully boy of Ponsonby. Fat, neve.r dreaming of .the fate- m store for him. presently came along with other children on his way to the house of learning. As he 'passed the gate of Slim's home, the victim's father, a small thin man, mode a sortee, captured the surprised young Fat by the ear — boys cars were ever used as handles — dragged him inside the gate, and twisted his ears to such good effect — not from Fat's point of view be it said — that ho was compelled to his knees.

On his knees he was made to b?s young Slim's pardon. He was then let up, and according .to soroo accounts, sped upon his way with the wrathful parent's boot. . Fat lost no time m getting home it would seem, for he was very shortly paraded before a doctor, who told the court that his right ear was swollen, there was a laceration behind the ear, and he complained of pains down the side of the head. ■ • ■ It was also said, and this does not read well for one of a fistic disposition, "that he seemed frigtened and inclined to cry." Slim m the box said Fat would intercept him and demand "Will you fight me," "I* don't want to fight," replied Slim. Vrhen retorts Fat: 'Til make you -fight." . „ t' " ■

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx X X X The following is not our com- X X ment, but an editorial note by X X, the "Detroit Free 'Press," which, X X before it knew Prohibition, ad- X X vocated Prohibition: X X X X It is interesting to specu- , X X late on what would have X X happened had the United X. X States devoted to the cause X X of ' temperance arid control X X one-tenth the time, energy X X and money now spent on X X trying to enforce what X X -, passes for Prohibition. X X . X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Slim's father told the court that Fat was hounding his boy down. He had a perfect right to got o school m peace, and that he had put up with the bullying for some time. - ' There Avas a touch of Booth Tarkington about the scene m court when looking at a row of little, boys and girls sitting demure and silent m the back of the court. "A BIG COWARD." One little witness, who" owned to the name of a well-known cinema, star once of the music hall stage, told the Bench that she had called Slim's father "a big coward." Mr Poynton held that "parents had no right to interfere m children's quarrels." It was not a trivial matter when a parent took the law into his own hands to punish another person's child. Such action might lead to famijy. feuds, ending m tragedy. On these grounds he found against Slim's father, and inflicted a line of £ 2 and -costs. , Fat's father, to judge by a. short whispered conversation' which took place with his counsel evidently wished the memory of the ear pulling to Jing'Mlonger than the physical- injury to his ear, and the 'tale of costs at one time seemed as. if it might be endless. Doc-tox-'s feeoj £1 3s, Fat's father's expenses 10s, solicitors costs £2 2 — £3 3s were asked' for. ■'■ "j Will the peace of: the neighbour-, hood now be assured? ' '„ . |||!l||||||lllll!llll!lllll!ll!llll[i!l!llll!l!ll!ll!IIIII!l!llli!ll!l!lllll!lllll!!II!l!i!iilil!liil!lt