Was Catherine A Jinny Woodser?

NZ Truth, Issue 1127, 7 July 1927, Page 7

Was Catherine A Jinny Woodser?

■ • '.... (From ; "N.Z. Truth's" .'Special^Auckland RepresentativeO ■._'-.•: TO have at her disposal ttteleisurie hours m which to make a daily tour of the taverns of Auckland wa(s the.'gp6d' of>'Cath- ; fprtune.. :- .erine\Nesbitt v '".■ ■' .;-'.;.■'. i; ■ r - -■/■■■■ ■■; -.r }<{;-. ■■.."'' -, -. ; : ,-.-■.-■ v .' ■ ;.■ • ' -.

HER itinerary would, appeal, to many; it appeared particularly attractive to the' attentions of rthe; policerso much so, m fact, that a detailed account of Catherine's movements during recent months was; kept by several members of the; force. '■;' " ; ' ' .. The record, as entered up, by these diligent men, m hliie, would have done credit to the diary of a > -journalist whose 'duty it- was to "cover" the .visit of some .celebrity. V ../. . ; Catherine was given an opportunity of hearing a detailed record of . her pub patrollings, as read from --the numerous 'pages" of three constables . note-books, when she was charged at the Auckland Police Court with being an idle and disorderly person , and having no, lawful means of support. _,; TThat put a criminal aspect^m the minds of 'the police— upon Catherine's; amber-tinted ambuliations was her jn*cllnation to consort with persbns "whose characters i were riot .to the liking of the. '.lawful' palate.. \ . ■ . There were too many Hildas, ■ 'Queenies, Margarets .viand; Jeans— i . „ whose names appeared in 'red ink, upon the driminal records— figur..- v * ■. :ing m Catherine's list of oobbers.": ; y- ; ..•#.. .. . ■ ■ • .-■ ..' „ . -■' ■■• ... ••:•■ Then, again,' Constable Wilson .had; seen her m company • with: a Hindu, ;a' i^rbman who was married to a Chinese, and ta notorious lady of ill-fame by the f .rj[ame of "Spotty." - • ' 4 On \onc occasion .Catherine had been Warned by the constable, but she only remarked: "Scotty is on. a win; she's picke'a up a man with a roll .of notes. I", wisra I could get one ■ arid I'd soon .have it." ; ' . "' J . It was 'Constable Butler who saw Catherine m a street argument over three bottles — two of them containing' beer amd the" other being a man by the ninie of George Bottleai .

• Lawyer Dicksori ' brought his verbal brushihto dperation upon the character; of his client, .'and considering the dark nature of the police coating, the varnish . of .virtue which he applied took rather well. .' ' Catherine, he said; was mai-ried m March, 1926, and her husband had/kept her by certain moneys received from the Old Country ; arid' his own earnings, i /l The woman had no possible . -chance of entering , the avenue of respectability for. the reason that previous convictions had thrust her frornthe narrow path. V Ills'- client, said counsel, had no alternative but to^mix with the class pi people mentioned m. the police eyldence,,' although she had not always been aware of their identity and had usually gone into the hotels to have a drink on. Cher own. ' In cross -examining one of the police constables, Lawyer Dickson asked if he among the "lamp-post" units of the force. / : . Sub-Tnspector Lewin took exception tot-" the: reference, but was told that counsel was merely quoting ,a recent remark' of" Police. Commissioner McIlveriey;'' ■';■;- ; ; :H//- ' . '-^ ■■■■-.'•.; "During :- ; your ■ peregrinations around town did. you not bother to verify that accused was married and' lived with her mother and husband .at Ponsonby?" pursuecl , counsel. \' ; ■-■" "" "■ :,. •". t "-. : : - '' y The constable, said he had accepted Catherine's statement* to that effect. Magistrate McKean considered the woman quite capable of looking after herself and dismissed' the first charge. But Catherine will have, to discontinue her associations with her vagabond friends and her pub prowlinga or else come up for sentence within six months. ' '