THOSE CHARMING PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR

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

THOSE CHARMING PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR

■■:'H%y ' ,; ■.-• , __ — ♦ ■ — ' ' ." ■■'' ■"v - ' "; " -.'■ •'■• fernetts' Bellicose Behavior (Creates j f iiumpus In Randolph Street

...'..'■ ■ ■ • • . ... I ■ ■■■■•.■• :"NVZ. Truth's" Special Christchurch Representative.) '> THBißarnetts; of Randolph Street, Woolston./are really the most h cnarmirig. of neighbors. - ./ , .

P^iajid'-Maand Ma's sister thought nothing of lining up m force and ; . p%>ueing the life of Rose Stanton, whovis'said to have' been a thorn m 1 their, isjde 'for^ years past. •-.'.- •• But-'-JVlrs: ' Stanton has at .last rebelled^against their unneighborly ,at- . tentions and ' the Christchurch magis-trate-has ordered trie Barnetts to find sureties! -to keep the peace m future.' /It.AYajs'^he . usual pot-pourri- of allegations 'and counter-charges that made up the" story .ns , told to Magistrate Lawry.,}last week. . • ', But 1 Mrs. Stanton's tale of woe received such backing frpm. disinterested, witnesses that the bench was* left m no' doubt as to the origin of all the trouble., What had made matters worse for Mrs! 'Stanton was the fact that she ; suffers- from heart trouble and could , not'skind the bother and rows that ' were'Jiiiaking'her life ;.a. burden. ' , : ; Chtirles Henry Barnett and his wife, Edith -Annie, knew all about the heart trouble -and played on the fact, be- : cause,, vsaid Mrs. Stanton, they never t lost . : an opportunity of shouting: , "We'llvgive' you heart .failure;, we'll, keep ;• oh at you until we see you carr ried out." „ All of which was very distressing to the lady next door. ; -, Had;;the /.Barrietts confined their iii-r sultihg^remarks and behavior to Mi's. ; Stant'c(n'iiyniatter3 might never have; : reached; ' the "crisis, but -the poor • wjjman;^' daughter, "Violet, also came ' in'.' fdr|h'er. : share of odium. : ': 1 ;-iyiol£t v ,had been ill: with peritonitis - and :wh'eh she : returned' from ■hospital she had,. the humiliating experience of ; hearing ;froih ihe lips v of hen next-door ■ neighbors that they knew what had been, with her. \ : ."= •:••■'■ .: They^ent, further,- it. 5s \alleged,. !■' making, -ho ; secret of their ; belief that ; the girr had become, a- mother arid' had ' been ibarbarpus enough to bury the irifantjin the garden. >-:. 1 ;■ ■ ■ , --.'■■." All' of which was grossly i. untrue.. .A grand attapk- was, also made by the Barnettsi against ' Mrs. : Stanton's soh;' who. had been convicted of -obscene language ...some twelve... months agg,. allegedly at the instigation of the [" ■Bafhettsi-; ••<••■ ■'.-. .■'•' .-<■'■■> ..:'•-■;''" „ ',-■. , fi.^ "Yes,". we -put: it pver v 6n your spn and i we wili< put it oyer- on you, too," was •■■ the; kindly observation, .of, the: Barnetts when : taiinting the : boy's mother with • ■his--lap.se. '- : '-\ :■ . " :; --: : ;,-' ';.. "\' : ' ■ -:* ■ The .lad's conviction; was a; very sore i point , with Mrs. Stanton and she ■made : no seqret-bf.,her^belief^ba i s'ed.-pn ; --'whjit: l the ; Burnetts had' told 'her,; aihce— that |

they had convicted her son .onii false evidence. She- alleged that Mrs. Barnett had said that she did "not hear the language used by the young man,.but that they had "put? it over on- hini, anyway." Further verbal brickbats , were hurled at the mother, arid daughters iririuendoes broadcast over the fence regarding the character of the females m the Stanton domicile., - ■ ■ ' "Mrs. Barnett told me one day that she would poison my/dog arid set fire to the house," said Mrs. : Stantonwhen^ recounting the catalogue of ' insults i \which had been heaped upon her by her neighbors. . She ..was so afraid of the Barnetts that . slie began to shake every tiihe slie heard their, vpices. ; ' The strain was becoming too.: great and- she .- simply mu^t have some protection from the pestiferous attentions. ■o.f. the quarrelsome . family>^:ext door. So she : appealed to the magistrate. But when Charles Barnett began his story nothing was said which m any way shook the truth of the tale told by the other side! . , ' ■"•' Full of 'confidence and innocence, Barnett started; from the coirimencement heaping the whole of the blame on Mrs. Stanton.,, , - ,;,v •'-'.He' candidly admitted; that* the troyr, ble had 'been going ipn for the : past six^ years and that 'it had its . origin iris a 1 barking dog, which the Stantbns'owriedHe had cbriiplained again; and again;; but' could /obtain^ no redress; r although he had corii|municated with the authori-, ties. . .-■• ;.'''...-. '■;■• '„■■' ;.'■ ':'M^;:.f'--. ':'■:' - : : . Barnett' denied saying th^ things ; he was alleged, ;to : have said^de-/ c'laririg' that ; he -never usedsstrpW^ ■'' language or' abused^ Mrs.^Stanton , . '.In . any : way. r- : : : '.- ; J.. ; ; ;>■..;" V-V; ; ;' ; ;^.; .,, : '_" > : He and his wife had been subjected to a amount of annoya,nce by-;haying : parcels^ cpritaining'odds, and ends of rubbish placed on their lawn. He'had merely . rerrionstrated>with. Mrs. Stanton ;on the point, althpugh when pressed under eross -exariiination he. admitted that .- he had .no , deflriitei proof th9.t^ the' parcels,-' had been sent by the Stantons. ' ; ; . ':/'..;..•'; V; .Hubby's story was .backed' up; by his wife, • who complained bitterly. - about the' langutLge used > by- the.. Stantons; - ; r .. "The language '..use.cT by them m ■ frbrit of my children was-some-thing- disgraceful,/ so there,'?- she • heatedly told the bench. ■ ; <; But:. the bench had ./heard- -enough to satisfy him> that the Barnetts were .at faultVaridhe/.brdered them to enter into sureties' to -.'keep the poace, fixing fairly .aubstantial-:arii6uht3; ' ' - ■ ■ ■■' ' : . ■' ■ i.,,^. ■ " ' .■."■,..■.'■