HIS REQUEST

NZ Truth, Issue 1203, 20 December 1928, Page 9

HIS REQUEST

" — — — — .* Wanted Free Trip Back Home (From "N.Z. Truth's" Christchurch Rep.) Magistrates are often confronted with unusual requests made by offenders who come before them, but it' would be difficult to discover a more impudent request- than that put forward by a man who was arraigned recently m a Christchurch court. His modest request was a passage to England, whence • he came. THIS was the offer of Donald Lloyd Town Send who agreed to remove himself from any further bother with the limbs of the law m New Zealand if Magistrate Mosley would carve a hefty lump off his stipend .and provide Townsend with a brief period of indolence on the ocean wave. On the evening pi-ior to his appearance m court, Townsend was not so willing to leave a party m the Returned Soldiers' Club as he was to leave the country. - 7 Each Thursday evening a social is held m the club, and at last week's function Townsend was a guest. His condition, however/ was far from sober, and those in* control of the social requested him to leave. When he refused to make himself scarce, he was forcibly ejected. Fired with the spirit of revenge, he left a memento of his visit by tearing down the signboard outside the clubrooms, bearing the inscription .-."Jellicoe Hall." He admitted that it was his second offence for drunkenness m the past six months, but denied that the police had found .him drunk. He reasoned that they did not find him,, because they had been sent for. He admitted reluctantly, a list of mischief charges, but he declared that there was nothing criminal m any of his offences.;' 'An effort by Townsend to. castigate the police for endeavoring to make a criminal of him was sharply checked by' the magistrate who commanded the accused to get out of it. "If you'll pay my passage Home I'll get out of it," Townsend impudently suggested. "Stand down and don't be cheeky," was the magistrate's rebuke, as he fined Townsend £1 for drunkenness, and £2 for mischief. Another £1 was added to the tally to repair the damage to the signboard.