THE EBZERY CHARGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17066, 26 July 1917, Page 3

THE EBZERY CHARGES

"MORBID CURIOSITY." MAGISTRATE ORDERS COURT TO BE CLEARED. EBZERY IMPRISONED. " I presume you will mako a statement and give somo- of the details?" was the ro-ma-k addressed by Mr J-I. A. Young, S.M., to Chief Detective Bishop in the City Polico Oourt yesterday, when the charge against Ernest Sylvester Phillip Ebzery of assisting in the management of a house of ill-famo at North-East Harbour was read. Tho Chief Detective replied in the affirmative. His Worship said: " There seems to be a lot of people in the court this morning, who hav.6 doubtless come here out of morbid curiosity, and who should be otherwise employed during war time. I order tho oourt to bo cleared." Tho portion of tho court reserved for tho publio was densely packed, among thoso present being several women. All having filed out, tho doors were closed, and tho proceedings resumed. When accused! was asked to plead, Mr C. N. 'Scurr said ho had been instructed to enter a plea of guilty. Chief Detective Bishop said that accused was a native of New South Wales, 43 years of ago, married, a.nd living with his wife and two children in Dunedin, where his wife managed a boarding-house known ds the Occidental. Private Hotel. About two years ago ho was tho holder of a hotolkocpcr's license in Middleman*, but lost his license through broaches of tho Act. During the time ho hold this license he was fined £10 for exposing liquor for salo during prohibited hours, and at the same time convictions wore recorded against three mr>n who wore found on his premises durinsr prohibited hours. Shortly after this he removed to Dunedin, and took over the bonrding-house referred to, and wns tho i holder of a license from the Citv Council i to drive a taxi car. It was in his motor car ■ that a man allorr-d that ho was robbed of • about £40 by a drl named Tobin while both j were passengers in tho accused's car. The girl su-bseqwrntly pleaded guiltv in the Supreme Court to the theft of £5 of that amount. In consequence of the remarks by the presiding iueflge, inquiries wpt« made by tho police, which resulted in Ebzerv's license being cancelled. About six weeks ago he leased a small farm and residence at North-East Harbour, and almost immediately he became possessed of it he turned it into a brothel, even before he had time to get beds' into tho house. He was arrested by Detectives Kemp, Hammerly, and Hall on July 10 under the War Regulations for keeping, a house of ill-famo. The evidence revealed shocking facts, and proved that not only was tho accused a brothelkeeper of the worst type, but that he was a procurer of girls—one of them a girl- of 17 years, and another a soldier's wife, whose husband wuj now fighting in France. With the exception of tho two Fowler girls, all the rest whom they had evidence of being at tho house were girls in respectable situations. Ono of them, unfortunately for hex, happened to be in his employ in Manse street at one time; he obtained an evil influence over her, and she assisted him in procuring fresh girls firom amongst hei working companions. By these means ]t could bo easily seen how the evil spread. The girls Fowler (aged 30 and 17 years) were of respectable parentage. Then father was a white man and their mother a full-blooded Maori. They appeared to have been reared with good care and expense, I for both attended a Maori college in Canterbury for three years to finish their education ; and had they not succumbed to Eb- ' zery's evil influence they would l to-day have been respectable mennbera of society. It would appear, from statements which these ffirls had made, that, once they became entrammelled in his meshes, he kept them strictly under his control, for they said ho ordered them to get certain things and comply with certain conditions, and they had to do as he wished, and if they failed he would make it hot for thorn. It might also be mentioned that these Fowler girls ; had a brother fighting in tho trenches. j When Detectives Kemp and Hammerly I searched tho house they discovered fiftytwo empty beer and stout bottles, and three full ones, as well as an; empty whisky bottle. The finding of so many bottles, together with tho statements made by these girls, went to show that accused was slygrog selling, but that matter had not bi-en proceeded with. The girls, in these statements, said that they were always abundantly supplied with drink when they arrived at the place, and often went to bed . in such a state of intoxication that they hardly remembered what they were doing. The Clvef Detective enumerated other articles found, indicating the shocking nature of the place. He conoluded by stating thaii the accused not only procured these girls for strange men, and took them to his brothel, but also had intimate relations with both. These facts showed that the accused was a danger and a menace to the city. Mr Scurr said that the accused had lived in Dunedin for two years. His wife kept a , private hotel, and it was with a view to providing vegetables, milk, butter, and cream for the boarding-house that he leased this place at North-East Harbour. He took the lease of this_ place on June 9, and went into possession a fortnight later, so that only a short period elapsed between his assuming-possession of the North-East Harbour property and his being arrested for keeping a brothel. The property consisted of 22 acres, on which was erected a house of six rooms, and as an earnest of tho legitimacy of his original intentions he pointed out that accused had ploughed a I considerable portion of tho land, and had got it ready for sowing. He had spent £200 in the purchase of live stock and implements, so that it would be seen that Ebzery was likely to sustain a heavy finan-. cial loss. The chief detective in his statement suggested that the man Was suspected regarding the theft of £40, but suspicion might rest on anyone in connection with that theft, and the fact remained that he was not the person charged with the offence; on the other hand, another person was charged and pleaded guilty to a portion of the theft. He wished to point out also that accused had a motor car, from the hire of which he made profit. He made no profit from keeping the house, the only profit he made being from the conveyance of parties to and from the place. He had a.wife and two little children. The former was a very respectable woman, and in view of this fact, and the further fact that he was a capable and expert shearer, and who, if at liberty, could serve his country better than being in gaol, counsel, suggested that he should be given the opportunity of paying a fine, and thus leave him free to render some good service. His Worship said the only question he had to consider was the punishment to bo infj,icted. The statement given by the chief detective showed that, apart from this case, accused had previously been a law-breaker, and was a_ person of bad repute. He had been associating with and assisting thieves and prostitutes. It appeared to him that there were a number of undisciplined young women who had an excessive fondness for dress, amusement, and excitement, which caused them to become an easy prey for Ides'gning scoundrels; and accused, in cold blood, and in order to enrich himself, had assisted some of these young women in their downfall. It was abundantly clear that a source of danger in the community. Under the- War Regulations he was liable *o be sentenced to 12 months' imp-isonment or to a fine not exceeding £100. Mr Scurr had suggested that in the present state of things a fine | would meet the case, but it seemed to him ! (the magistrate) that tho imposition- of a fine was altogether out of the quest'on. Under tho Military Service Act a person ceased to be a reservist who was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. The particulnrs on the charge sheet, and tho details furnished by the chief detective* showed that the accused was a reserv'fit belonging to the Second D'V : sjon, and it seemed to him that it w>s desirable that the military authorities should say whether at any time during next year accused should be required for military service. Und°r these circumstances he thought it advisable that the sentence to be imposed should be under 12 | months. That was the only quest'on he 1 had to consider. Accused would be sentenced to 11 months' imprisonment, with hard labour. THE GTRT,? FOWLER. Mary and Olive Fowler (sisters' were charged, on remand, with being idle and disorderly persons, and with having'insuliiceint lawful means of support. 8 Mr B. S. Irwin said he had boon inH structcd to pic id guilty. I Chief Detective Bishop said that arrange--1 ments had been made to send tho girls to 1 a home. 1 Mr irwin said he was acting under the in--3 structions of tho parents, who wished the I oourt to rrnke such an order as would proa t<-ct the girls, at all ovnts. for time, 1 The chaplain had suggested to him that ii ■ might bo advisable that the younger gir! bo sent home to her parents before the ~ Mdor one. The parents wore absotutelj *j respectable people. j; The Rev. V. G. B. King said that if the it! court placed the girls under his care for i* tia months he tho-ight it advisable that one should be returned home before tho other.

In reply to his Worship, Mr King said, pro- | vided tho medical condition of tho older girl was satisfactory ho was prepared to have the both of them placed in a suitable homo at onoo. The Chief Detective handed tho magistrate a medical certificate relating to tho older girl. Mr F. G. Gumming, in response to a roquest from tho bench, said ho thoroughly approved of the arrangements suggested. Mr Irwin pointed out that it was not through any neglect on the part of the parents that tho girls came into tho hands of tho police. They loft their homo to stay with some relatives at Henley, and were provided with plenty of money. Quite unknown to their relatives the girls stayed about tho city. His Worship, addressing tho girls, said they must understand that they were liable to a considerable term of imprisonment, but. as tho parents and relatives had taken considerable interest in them, he did not purpose sending them to gaol. If they broko out again, however, or loosened their habits, they rondcred themselves liable to bo imprisoned. They would now bo given a chance to lead respectable lives. Mr King would send' them to a homo in soino distant part of tho dominion where, they would bo well looked after. They would bo convicted and ordered, to come up for sentence if called upon at any time within 12 months, tho condition being that they remained in the homo for 12 months and were of good behaviour. If they misbehaved they would brought back for sentence and would have to go to gaol.