HIS LATE CALLERS

NZ Truth, Issue 1220, 18 April 1929, Page 3

HIS LATE CALLERS

Repelled by Gun Shots From Frightened 4 Chinese . v CHUNG TURNS TABLES ! ■ .-■■■ " i

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch Kepresentative). If there is one thing 1 the average Celestial respects it is the uniform of the law, but Chung Pat, a young Chinese gardener, of Marshlands, a suburban district of Christchurch, is unlike the majority of his race when it comes to repulsing interference.

SEATED over a bowl of chop suey; the hands of the clock creeping round to the mystic hour of midnight, and his thoughts reflecting on the country of his birth, Chung was rudely brought back to earth bj' the intrusion of three men who told the Chinaman they were policemen who had come to serve a summons on him for. hot paying rent, y V■■.- . Chung, however, has sufficient knowledge of judicial procedure to know that policemen who serve the blue papers are more often to be fourid m their bed at such an hour, and that they do not indulge m horse-play at the expense of the people ,on whom they serve the summons. The intruders were James Han- . nan, aged 28, Frederick Gearschawski, aged 20, and Louis Arps, aged 18, and" they seized the Chinaman and tolH him they were going to handcuff him. x Chung realised that his callers had been drinking, and wrenched himself free and fled to a bedroom where he barricaded himself m and endecivored to frighten' his assailants away by firing' a pea rifle five times into the floor; ■■ i; The report of tlie firearm probably " 4 ■' ■ •■■.'"' : V

instilled a fear into the minds of the intruders that the Celestial might adopt drastic measures to remove them from the property, so they left hurriedly, but m departing fired a fusilade of stones on the roof of the lonely Chinaman's cottage., The three men were, charged in' the Christchurch Police Court with assaulting Chung Pat and with throwing stones to the danger 'of .. the public. They all pleaded not guilty to assault, but. Hannan admitted the charge of throwing stones. , Mr. M. J. Burns appeared for Arps, and Mr. L. J. Hehsley for Gearschawski. • Hannan was not re_n-esented. Chung Pat told his story through an interpreter, but little information could be obtained m cross-examination iis Chung was an adept at "no savee," 1 though he made no error m informing the court that he had been very much frightened by the larrikinism of the three intruders. For throwing stones, ea,ch accused was convicted and fined £ 3;' while they were convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon m twelve months for assault. ' '■'