SECOND-HAND ENCOUNTER WITH

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

SECOND-HAND ENCOUNTER WITH

A TWO-FISTEP SEQUEL Elderly Sheik Puts His Love f b Test and ; v v Hubby Puts Him In Hospital

■ ' ' (From ''N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch .Representative.) WELL on into middle ag6, aMt an the beefy side and with no. :- V hair to speak of , Thomas Jos eph Barnes, of Ohristchurch, hasstill a good conceit of himself. : ;

AND where tht ladies are concerned —-well, he is a bit of a gay dog, don't you know! But when next time , this "elderly sheik is tempted to ogle and "mash" a married woman m her own shopparlor, he would do well to remember that husbands are apt to* come home unexpectedly and when they do all sorts of things can happen. A second-hand dealer m Christchurch, Barnes called at the shop of another dealer, ostensibly to talk business, but as hubby was out the amorous one filled m the N time by paying marked attention to his wife. - Not that there was any harm m talking "shop" to - the woman, but Barnes did more than, talk "shop." He began to talk "smoodge" and it was while he had his i arm round the lady's waist that hubby appeared on the scene. v * f Then there was trouble — serious trouble for Barnes, who, as a result of the encounter, spent a week m hospital, having repairs effected to two black eyes and a pulped face. When he came out of hospital Barnes attended a sale at which the other man was present. When Hubby Arrived Without waiting to explain matters, the oth,er fellow saw red and gave Barnes another hammering. The second Don Juan was beginning to fear for his safety and he took the case to Court, laying an information for assault and making application for his assailant to be bound over to keep the peace. , No sureties were granted and the outraged hubby, whose name was suppressed, was merely convicted and discharged on the assault charge. When he entered the box to tell of his troubles and fears of further attack, Barnes appeared to be quite chirpy and at ease, but when Lawyer Charlie Thomas rose<.to cross-examine him he changed his tune and became quite confused. ' "Now, come on, Barnes, let us hear the real cause of this savage attack," was counsel's first thrust. "The reason for it was his seeing me m the room with his wife," was the reply. i Counsel: What were you doing m there, anyway? — Perhaps it wasn't quite the right thing, but she invited me m Jhere. - What was wrong about your being iri the room? — Well, she said I had my arm round her waist. /' /And had you?— l don't know whether I had or not. * This was too much for counsel. "What," ha shouted, "you tell us I you don't know? Well, are you able to? say whether you were kissing J the lady at the time her Husband arrived?" J

Barnes was not at all clear ..on this point. c Counsel: What did you go there for * if it was not for some Immoral purpose? I put it to you .that the real position was that you' were up to your old games trying to take 'women down, as you have repeatedly told this man you have been m the habit of doing? — No, that is not so. Is it 'hot a fact that you go about boasting of the conquests you have made; among women m this city? — No, it is not true. Well, after what you have told him about Women he looks upon you as a bad egg. What did you expect when he' came m and found you with your arm round his wife — a bouquet?— Oh, no! Counsel; "You got no more than you thoroughly deserved and then you had the impudence to have a solicitor's letter sent to this man threatening proceedings m the event of any further «J assault." The Magistrate: Did you tell , your " , counsel (Lawyer J. B. Batchelor) what you were doing when the husband ettj-j^ * tered the shop? — Yes. <&!*• Did you tell him you were kissing his wife? — 1 don't remember whether I "was 7 ' - ' "You know what the feelings a decent man would be if v he> found his. wife being tampered with by a man of your, class?" The Legal Betnedy Barnes admitted that he did and admitted that he had no i*lgh£ hi .the shop at all. i , «'*' " kk' , Leonard Charles Q/wresEs provided much merriment by h!s.'d:cSduriL'bf"the second assault at the si^le. which 'he witnessed.- <■' He informed the bi&ch that he came from WarwicksWre-forJginally and did not think that an such as had occurred was the- *way to settle a marital dispute.- '"', Owens admitted?* to Xiawyer Thomaa that he was married, but when asked how he would -settle a dispute if he saw another man with his arm round his wife's waist -he could give no answer. r " The p^oint was thrashed by counsel and m sheer desperation Owens offered a solution which convulsed the Court. "Oh, well, you have to find out how to settle that; you are the lawyer, you know," he remarked with inspiration. The. magistrate did - not require to hear the case for the defence. "The attitude of Barnes is enough," said the S.M. He refused sureties and on the as- v -) sault charge convicted and Hlscharf^J "' ' the defendant, whos© ' nsimetp on c*au«&' *S sel's application, waji^vittjißed^^^^.^