NEW YEAR'S EVE LARRIKINISM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8388, 11 January 1889, Page 3

NEW YEAR'S EVE LARRIKINISM.

A CHARGE OF WOUNDING.

The horse-play which is usually indulged in on New Year's Eve resulted at Tapanui in the wounding in the leg of a young man named Alexander Mason. From an extra issued by the Tapanui Courier we learn that Locke Darling, of tae National Bank, was brought before Mr Revell on Wednesday charged with unlawfully and feloniously wounding Alex. Mason with a pistol. Mason stated that on the morning of January 1, between 2 and 3 o'clock, while ho was running alongside an express, ho heard a shot fired and felt a pain in his log. Ha heard someone say Darling had fired a shot, and on looking saw him standing at the door of his house. Witness was taken to the chemist's shop, and attended to by DrDe Lautour. It was found that he had been shot in the leg, and the doctor extracted the bullet. George Kundle gave evidence to the effect that on New Year's Day morning the usual fun was going on. He heard a shot fired and saw the flash, and afterwards saw Darling. He afterwards came down to where witness was standing and said, "If those fellows come back anuoying me you might tell them I have a revolver that will kill at 40yds," and that he should, or intended to, use it. Thomas Anthony stated that he saw Darling at the side door of the bank. He saw him fire a shot and afterwards enter the front gate of the bank. He came out again aud said to witness, " You tell those fellows when they come back not to ring the bell, for every time the bell gets broken it costs me 30s. If they come back and annoy me any more I have got a revolver that will kill at 40 yards, aud I intend to use it." Thomas King, constable, said he was informed a man had been shot, and ou going to the chemist's shop found it was Alexander Mason, jun. On asking the cause of the injury, Mason said Darling had shot him.' On seeing Darling in the morning he (Darling) complained of larrikins riugiug at his bell and otherwise anuoying him. He stated that they rang the bell twice, and the second time he came out and fired a shot in the air to frighten them. On being asked if he was aware he had shot someone ho said he had not as he had fired in the air. Witness then told him he had shot young Mason, to which he replied, No, he had fired in the air. He further aaid they had no business to annoy him, and that he had to protect the bank property. Two days after he said he fired in the air, and the first cartridge missed fire, and in letting it down the second went off. In reply to Mr Sinclair, who appeared to defend, witness said, that judging from the appearance of the bullet, it had struck some hard substance and had not gone straight into the leg. Dr De Lautour gave evidence as to the position of the bullet and of its extraction. He thought it must have struck the ground or some hard substance from an acute angle before entering the leg. That would give it a tendency to go upwards, The wound was simply a flesh cue. Mason was progressing very favourably. Other witnesses gave evidence of a less important nature. The accused stated the affair was purely an accident. He intended to fire in the air, but in dropping the revolver it went off by some means, He was astonished when he heard someone had been hit. On finding that he had wounded the boy he expressed regret, and had made every atonement. He had paid compensation, doctor's fees, and had made the youth an allowance until he was able to go to work again.—The Bench said that the evidence was weak and did not show that accused had fired at the crowd. Taking the evidence altogether there was not sufficient proof to send the case to a jury. There v/aq no evidence to Bhow that accused had fired direct at Mason, and the bullet seemed to have struck the ground first. The information would be dismissed.