MACS GRIEVANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1200, 29 November 1928, Page 4

MACS GRIEVANCE

Old Man Obsessed With Idea That Court Officer and Lawyer Broke Up His Home SEQUEL TO MAINTENANCE CASE (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative). Some men, when they have entered the Sargasso Sea of comparative peace and quietness bestowed upon them by the Maintenance Court, m separating them from their lawful spouses, are content to let matters rest, and accept the good things which the beneficent bench permits to be theirs. Not so John James Peter McDougall, an aged man, who has on more than one occasion made his appearance before the Auckland Agony Court since he and his wife parted.

pATHER has McDougall let his Jtv grievance become an obsession, and under the impression that he is an aggrieved man he has gone so far as to write to such doughty men of law [as Sir James Parr, and Sir Robert Stout, not to mention petitioning 1 Parliament, but, it would seem, without success. : Not that their attitude of complacency has deterred him from persisting m his belief that he is an injured party. Rather the contrary. It has inspired him with further obstinacy, until, as a result of a slight display of heat, and some vociferous remarks following upon his last appearance at the court a few weeks ago, he laid an information against an officer of the court, 'William James Campbell, charging him with assault. Leaning over the rail of the witness-box, McDougall told the bench that when he left the courtroom on the occasion of the assault he came upon CampfeTell m the passage and said to him: "You know you're the man who's responsible for breaking up my home." This remark, he alleged, was followed by the court's officer replying to him: "Go away or I'll punch the face off you!" • • McDougall said that, having paid some money into court, he returned again to the passage and saw two of his sisters-in-law there, and having collected them under his wing he re-

name as Clara Beatrice Brown. She said that she had heard the complainant say that Campbell was the cause of McDougall's home being broken up, and the latter had asked Campbell to repeat his alleged threat m front of herself and sister. • "To me," said the witness, "things were extremely rough. I went ,to Campbell and laid my hand on his arm and said: 'Leave him alone, you know you are handling a sick man.' Campbell again caught McDougall by the arm and went to put him out. McDougall went to look for a policeman 1 , and later he said: 'It's all right, I respect the court." Another sister-in-law who was called gave her name as Jessie, but her surname was not audible. This lady said that she knew McDougall worried a lot about the case though he had never spoken about it at home. "I don't blame anybody. McDougall couldn't have gone quietly because he was pushed along." The bench made short work of the allegation and considered that complainant's altitude m the court was quite enough indication as to. the triviality of the charge. McDougall was suffering . from a strong grievance, and Campbell's conduct m putting the man out of the court precincts was justified. "There is no charge to answer," concluded the bench. Having obtained permission to address the court m response to the al-