WHY ALL THE SECRECY?

NZ Truth, Issue 1175, 7 June 1928, Page 9

WHY ALL THE SECRECY?

Frafitk Bid For Suppression Is Favored By Court

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Gr eymouth Representative.)

- Frantic efforts were made the dthe mouth id prevent the publication of had made an ass of himself } and hac ]\JOT cqrrtent with approaching — and ' insulting — "N.Z. Truth's" representative, the lover of secrecy also w"6nt to other quarters, including 1 the police, arid even attempted to bring personal influence to tfear An higher . gtiarters. The trouble arose when two gentlemen — or rather men — drank more than was good f pr them. The result was a fine old row at the house of one of them situated m an aristocratic street, and one of the parties was thrown out, returning still looking for blood, and battering m the" door. The police were sent for/ but, when they responded to the 5.0.5., the aggressive' orie^ — ario'ther well-known citl* zeri— had made' himself scarce. He did not travel faff however,- and as the police were taking down the remarks df the inmates of.- the house; m their little notebooks, they noticed a face at. the window. I)ashing but bravely into the darkness they discovered the owner of the face, trying, to hide himself, a la ostrich,' behind some bushes m the back-

yard. Invited fey a burly constable to "come along with me," he soon found himself di the police station.

Perspnal ,f ri6 nd s . . , ....... got to work promptly, and he was bailed out. , ... Then the impudent one arrived at the station,' . and, stepping: hard upon the personal influence accelerator, did His best to persuade the man' m charge to drop the, case. . . , „ ...... Wheii told plainly that it couldn't be done, he got genuinely riled, but, was promptly shown where he got off. The police were not to be played with 1 liKe that, and. they Armljr intimated their. intention of hauling the urger's friend into court. And they kept their promise, despite the pressure of persona^ influence, and it a very' reluctant gen'tlemari wHof answered his name. There, were many spectators m the court-room,' arid the news' was riot 16ng m circulating as to who was "on th'e mat." • Th'e subduecl-lookirig offender had LaWyer Bill Joyce en&acfe'd/ and a pled', of not guilty . was entered to cHarges 6'f b'^m'g found wi^n'oUt ia'w^uf e>ccu£e on the pre-' rni^e^s of one" other, and wilfully ddm^ing the door.

Magistrate's Hint

r daij b\) H Tdkll-kHbwH citii&n df Gfesd case iohereirk a petiohdl friend 6/ his'- /, consequently, fallen foul of the law. Senior-Sergeant C. B. Roach h'earfl the plea m surprise, and sard he had been given to understand that it would be. one of guilty. Under circumstances, he h'4<s riot called his witnesses,- arid he put m for a week's ferriahd. To this, counsel objected, saying thait he did not see any reason for an adjournment, and did not understand why the police were not game to go on with the case. He then did a singular thing, for a counsel, m hah'ding a letter to Magistrate, W. Meldrurn; the contents of the epistle not being divulged, but which a very riled urger admitted halving written, during his kindly remarks to 1 "Truth's" representative after the court adjourned. The senior -sergeant told the story of tfi'e lively ftdiviga at. the bungalow, stating that accused Had called the owner of the house a cra'wlef; .arid wanted to do to him what Tom Heeney will ,try to do to Gene T.uhney_. The riiagistrate's heart was evidently

touched,; either by; the evidence tor .by the letter lie receiyed, and he^ gave the seriior-sergfe'ant a hint, that he would

riot , object to the charges , being . withdrawn. It seeiried" lie Said, to have teen d, row,6n private property, and not m el public place. The senior -sef^eMt,.pf course, had no .optiori., but to take' th'e; hint, arid withdraw the. .charge's, ,',' ' Them counsel put on the. acid for the STippressiori of tile man's name,, to which the magistrate at 6'rice agreed, stating that the affair had b'eeri a private squabble. r . Anyway', th'e suppression of th'e name did not gain much for the personal iriffueric'e'. clique, as th'e' affair \Vas a* gerfe'ral topic of conversation jn tn'6 town, and the name was freely merition'&l . t r .-..'", More than, that, it was su|-geste'a that John Barleycorn .might riot ti&ve been the sole' cau|se of Hie falling out, and that orie 6'r more niiemDers 61 tiiti fair sex were Involved. So' m future, seekers of silence and anofiy'mi'tjr, rememiD^r tfie g'66'a did Oogey say it t6'6k place oil privatie property. Write a letter to the magistrate, insult the press, try and coerce the police and bludgeon public cohscietice — &nd you might get away with