JOE VISCOE IN NEW ROLE

NZ Truth, Issue 1227, 6 June 1929, Page 10

JOE VISCOE IN NEW ROLE

| Man Who Was Suspected of Murder I Terrorised Aged Mother I WAS WARNED TO KEEP AWAY I (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) ! ■ > \ The notoriety he acquired through being held by ; the Australian police on suspicion for the murder of a ; man who afterwards turned up alive, seems to have ; gone, to the head of Joseph Viscoe, the Auckland, ; timber-mill worker. ! ■ ■ 7

VISCOE, it will be remembered toy readers of "N.Z. Truth," received | - a large measure of ' sympathy on i his return -to this country, owing to i the vicissitudes he had been through j m Melbourne. ,\ . ' $ :, . The full story of how he was held on i suspicion for the alleged, murder of - Lies. Williams, has already been told m , a recent issue of "N.Z. Truth." It may very well be that the sti'esses and trials of an intense police inter-

rogation, coupled ■with the strain of having the severest penalty the law, kno w s, hanging over his head for a crime of which he "was innocent, have affected Viscoe's nervous equilibrium. . • But that is no excuse for the drunken terror-, isatioriof his aged mot her th c mother to "whom h e referred so touchingly 'and for whose sake he assured "Truth" he had come straight . home . without waiting to press his claim on the Victorian Government for compensation.

That he had so terrorised his mother ana sister v and the latter's: children, that they had left the house for the comparative quiet of the street, was stated by Constable Wilks, when Viscpe was charged at Onehunga Police Court with using- obscene language... He was also charged with being idle and ... disorderly, .but the Bench disuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'.iiiiiiiiiiiiii

missed this count, owing to lack of. evidence. The constable stated that he had been called round to the house by Viscoe's sister. He had found the rest of the family m the road and Viscoe himself raging about the house, mad with drink. It was then that lie had used the language indicated m the charge sheet. . \ With regard to the second charge.

Sergeant Cruiksharik alleged that, since - his return from Australia, Viscoe had done no work, but had cadged money and drinks m- the billiard saloons and hotels. It was said that the proprietors had had to order him to keep out. This charge Viscoe, while not going into the wit-, ness-box, denied most emphatically from the dock. He said that he could . not leave Auckland to get work m the country, as he had a solicitor . working for him m an en- . deavor to obtain

compensation for his wrongful arrest m Melbourne. ■ On the charge of obscene language, Viscoe was fined £5, m default seven clays' imprisonment, while he -was discharged oh the other count. He was further warned, not to go near his mother or sister, or he would be prosecuted for trepass. iniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiJiiniiiiiiinii