IN THE VICTORIAN TEA-ROOMS

NZ Truth, Issue 1144, 3 November 1927, Page 5

IN THE VICTORIAN TEA-ROOMS

A Direct Question

Jury Accepts Young Girl's Story and Finds Proprietor Guilty of Serious Charge

WAITRESSES' EVIDENCE AGAINST ARTHUR EDEN

THE story surrounding incidents m the Victorian Tea-rooms, as told by Maude Harriett Withey and two other young girls, was a remarkable narrative of an employer's unwelcome attentions and insults, culminating m his arrest on a serious charge. Answering: an advertisement m the Auckland "Star" of June 16, Maude Withey, a bright, intelligent girl of 19, applied for, the position, previous experience being unnecessary. Matters were satisfactorily arranged and she commenced her duties at 25/- per week. Her employer, however, developed the habit of putting his hands on her and passing insulting remarks when she resented his attentions. She smacked his face on one occasion. Once he asked her to go to the Dixieland Cabaret, but she declined. On the second Friday of her employment he offered her a drink of port wine, but she refused it. He told her that she thought he was not good enough to drink with or else she did not trust him. Because she did not like him to

Grabbed A Knife

think that she did not trust him, she agreed to have a "spot." One taste of the port, however, and she decided that it was doped and would not drink it. Eden explained that it tasted of whisky, but could not persuade her to take the port. Finally there was trouble over a hat which she purchased by paying 2/6 deposit, Eden going to the shop the following Saturday morning and paying the balance. She thought he would take the money, which amounted to 8/11, out of her pay. Instead of doing so, however, Eden approached her on the Saturday night as she was preparing to leave the shop and said: "I am on a promise for that hat." Maude promptly disabused his mind on this score. Eden then locked the door of the shop. This was on the night of July 2. He then forced her into the room at the back of the shop, where he threw her on a stretcher and a fierce struggle ensued, lasting an hour and a-half. In the struggle, the girl stated m evidence, she struck Eden several times and was struck m turn by him. Fighting desperately, the girl was finally threatened by Eden that if she struck him again he would kill her, she said. Grabbing a knife, she threatened tho man, and this seemed to bring him to his senses, for he then agreed to let her out of the shop. On reaching the footpath, Maude ap-

She Refused Wine

pealed to a man named Dodd. On the Monday she went back for her pay, because she could not afford to lose a week's wages. She worked all day. At night Eden had struck her. She had asked for her wages, which he refused to give her. She threatened to ring up the police. She had then gone out of the shop and telephoned to the police, later returning to talk to a group ot men who had congregated near the shop. In her evidence, the girl stated that Eden had asked her to sleep at the shop and had wanted to give her silk clothing and a fur coat. He had asked her to live m a house at Mission Bay. Under cross-examination by Lawyer Singer regarding a visit she paid to her solicitors, Matthews and Clarke, when it was arranged that a claim shoxild be made against Eden, the girl stated that she was not aware what amount her lawyer intended to claim. Lawyer Singer: If you had got £25 from him, you would have accepted it? — I certainly would. Her reason for bringing a claim was because she had telephoned the police and when they did not take any action she thought they did not intend to prosecute.

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.)

"You are the biggest blackguard I have ever come across!" Arthur Herbert Mden, proprietor of the Victorian Tea-rooms, Fanshaw Street, to whom this remark was addressed by Maud Harriett Withey, a young girl of 1 9, was found guilty at the Supreme Court of a serious offence.

"I was not going to ask the police a second time when they had refused the first time," added witness. Judge Reed (smiling): I don't suppose you have ever had so much as £25 m your possession? — I don't think I have had quite that amount. . Lawyer Singer reverted to the girl's allegations of Eden's habit of touching her and trying to put his arm round her waist. "How often did this happen?" he asked. "It did ' not happen so very many times during the day, but it happened more often than he had a right to do it," was the reply. Lawyer Singer: Well, I presume he did not have the right to do that sort of thing to you at all? — No, he certainly had not. Counsel then directed his attack to the girl's statements concerning the offer of wine alleged to have been made by Eden. Unable to obtain any admission from her that it was no unusual thing for her to drink wine, though she had partaken of some this year at a 21st birthday party, counsel turned his attention for a moment to alleged visits the girls had made to American ships. She denied having been aboard I any American ships other than a

visit to the American fleet when m the Auckland harbor. Counsel again returned to the wine episode. "Here was a man," he said, "who had been grossly insulting ancl had behaved m a way he had no right to do. "Yet on Friday, when he asked you to have a drink of wine, after refusing you then accepted because you did not want him to think you did not trust him — you ask the jury to believe that?" The girl (very firmly and very quietly) : "Mr. Singer, would you like to say to your boss: 'I

don't trust you enough to drink a spot of wine m the shop?"

little bit more innocent than you really are." The girl said she did not think this was so. Lawyer Singer: "You make it very difficult for me. I don't want to ask you an embarassing question — " Perfectly self-possessed and keenly alert, the girl interrupted and with cool emphasis said: "I think I know what you are referring to, Mr. Singer. You might as well ask it." Lawyer Singer: "Well, without making it too unpleasant, you are not unacquainted with men? "May I put it this way," he added. "You are not unacquainted with men — ■ you know their ways? And, Miss Withey, you have reason to know." There was a slight pause. "Well," asked counsel, "what do you say?" "I am waiting for you to continue, Mr. Singer," was the reply. Do you want me to put it bluntly, Miss Withey? — Mr. Singer, I am not m the habit of running about with men like Mr. Eden. I have left men alone for the past two years— l certainly know the ways of men. Lawyer Singer: You have reason to? — I wish you would ask a direct question and not put puzzlesl Well, I tried to save you, but you will have it. If you insist on me put-

Lawyer Singer "Weil, I would certainly have told him I did not trust him!"

"Well, had I done so, I would certainly have lost my position and work is hard to get. Most of my girl friends are out of positions," replied witness. I see, so you did not want him to think that you did not trust him? — I really did not want to get the sack. With a shrug Lawyer Singer opened fire m another direction, but m the exchange that followed it could hardly be said that he scored. "There is a matter that I hardly like, to refer to, Miss Withey," he commenced. "I suggest that you are endeavoring to make out that you are a

ting a direct question; well, is there somebody dependent on you? — Yes, my baby.

Lawyer Singer started to reiterate his previous statement to the effect that he had no desire to press, such a question, the witness at the same time endeavoring to make herself heard, when Judge Reid interrupted, saying: "Perhaps the witness wants to say something."

In carefully chosen words, the girl said: "Mr. Singer would put quite a wrong construction on this had I said anything, as he would have you believe that there were a number of men, when there was only one person and it happened two years ago."

Counsel abandoned the subject. Had not the witness posed as a married woman by telling Eden that she would not go to the Dixieland Cabaret with him because she might meet her husband there? he asked. Smiling slightly, the girl said: "I admit that was a lie." Did she know a man named Purdy,? Maude thought for a few seconds and then said she knew Charlie Purdy, the boxer. "You are the biggest blackguard 1 have ever come across," were the words Charles Dodd, a mill hand, of Hargrave Street, heard as he approachjed Arthur Herbert Eden's tea-rooms

m Fanshaw Street, Auckland, one night. The "words were spoken by Maude Withey, who had come from the tearooms. Eden followed her out of the shop. Addressing him, added witness, the girl said: "Please take me home." Eden immediately exclaimed: "You can go home!" to which the girl's re- [ ply was that she had no money. Eden then said to her: "Yes, you nave." A dark, well-built girl of 17, Hazel Millie Smith also told of alleged improper conduct on Eden's part when she was m his employ during August and September of last year. A male companion had caused a row about Eden's treatment of her and later the police had arrived, but no action had been taken.

Another girl, Kathleen Mary Little, 17 years of age, now living at Ellerslie, went through a somewhat difficult ordeal m the witness-box under cross-examination concerning certain incidents m her life m connection with her friendship for a young man named "Jack." Altogether she had been m Eden's

Eden's Statement

employ for nine months, she said. Her allegation was that he had been successful m the advances she said he had forced upon her. She had taken 10/- from the till on one occasion. Although the first act of misconduct had taken place before this incident, she alleged that afterwards he had used this as a threat to force her to agree to his wishes on two other occasions. The girl declared that it was not the boy "Jack" who was responsible for lier trouble, but Eden. However, when questioned upon this point by Lawyer Singer, she corrected this statement and said that "Jack" was to blame. According to the evidence given by the police, Eden had denied that he had ever assaulted the girls m his employ. In his statement, he attributed the. whole trouble, so far as Maude Withey was concerned, to his refusal to give her the hat which had been purchased with his money and which she had not repaid. T lawyer Singer did not call evidence and his client, was not placed m the witness-box. In his address to the jury, counsel asked them to discard the evidence sdven by the witnesses Smith and Little on the grounds that it was incredible that if Eden had acted towards these girls m the manner they alleged, they would remain m his employ. Judge Reed, summing up, said that Eden's relations with women

The Jury's Verdict

m his shop had not been of the happiest nature, according to his own statement. He had six girls m his employ m twelve months. Three of these girls had come forward as witnesses. •It was almost impossible to conceive, he said, that they would come before a crowd of men and reveal the things they had done if they were not true. It was for the jury to decide this point. Stress had been placed on the fact that these girls had not left their employ after Eden had assaulted and insulted them m the manner they alleged. ■> Possibly, his honor said, the explanation lay m the statement made by the girl Withey that work was hard to get and numbers of her girl friends were out of employment. "Unfortunately," added the judge," "all these girls are of a class who unfortunately have experienced something of this kind and it may have occurred to you that they are not quite as tender as persons who have lived a shel- ' tered life." After a short retirement, the jury brought m a verdict of guilty on the serious charge and also guilty of the charge of common assault. Sentence was deferred. -IlUinr'.lllltllilllllltlttr HllUlt Mill tIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItt llMl'lllllllltltltllllltitlllllll'-