LAWLESSNESS CHARGED

Taranaki Daily News, 14 May 1932, Page 7

LAWLESSNESS CHARGED

WELLINGTON STREET RtQTS THIRTY-FOUR MFN BEFORE COURT defers men ®d® J®®W£B gy s?eJe?raph.—Press Assoefatfost ■VVeUißgtonj- Lost NightThirty -four men came before Mr. E. Page, S.M., to-day on charges arising out of the window smashing on. Tuesday evening and the Cuba Street affair of Wednesday, -which was dispersed after a baton charge by the police. The court - was crowded. ■ - ■ - Fred Gordon Thomas Brown, aged 20, elected to be tried by jury. He was charged with stealing two watches, the property of Mary pfiubney, and was re, maqded till ' Wednesday week-. Norman Heidenstrom, aged 30, drainlayer, was remanded for a week on a charge of committing mischief by w ii' fully damaging a "window valued at £25, the property of W. H. Lloyd. John Milap gmyth, aged 21, a laboarer, admitted the theft of cigarettes in Manners Street. It was stated-that he was captured by a detective, after a chase. Counsel said accused did not take'part in any window smashing. Sentence was deferred, Walter John Willis, aged 18, a factory hand," pleaded not guilty to being a rogue and vagabond in that he was found armed' with ran offensive weapon with felonious-, intent. It was stated that a police sergeant saw accused -r.walking- towards Manners Street swinging a stone in his hand. When caught by the sergeant he dropped the stone. When searched at. the police station' another. stone was found on him- v Counsel submitted that the charge was ; premature?'’'paying that merely making preparation for ‘an offence did not e<mstitutq;'intention to commit an offence. • , HE BECAME EXCITED. ’ ’Accused said he was. in employment. Ha W>pt home; at 5 o’clock and returned to town at 6.30 p.m., ■ walking down Cuba Street. There were many people about and he became excited and picked up two stones. He denied that he knew there had been any disturbance in-the city. 1 - Th© mother of Recused said her husband ’w®S an unemployed bricklayer. The boy was nt home when the father arrived hack from Parliament House. Counsel objected to the lino of. questioning, but the magistrate said the whole-case Tested on accused’s intent, and knowledge of the state of affairs in the city must come into it. The father said he went home after the deputation had announced the result‘of the visit. As he feared trouble he went up Lambton''Quay. He was ahead of the window-smashers - and knew nothing about the trouble, until he went down town late that night. , The magistrate said he would take time to consider the case. Oscar Martin Brown, aged 36,. a labourer, pleaded not. guilty to inciting lawlessness, disorderly conduct and beino - found armed with an '■-offensive weapon, a stone, with felonious intent. The police stated-that Brown threw < atone at a window but missed. He was "Seized by a constable. Part of the erqwd.tried; to. prevent the arrest. His conduct in waving his arms about and throwing the stone was incitement to lawlessness.

Brown denied carrying a stone or any other weapon and said he was . merely a spectator of the meeting at the gates of Parliament House. “Have you attended any Communist meetings?'”—“Sometimes.” “Are you. a Communist?” Counsel objected to the question as highly improper. Communism was every bit as legal in New Zealand as any other form of social organisation, said counsel. REGARDED- AS HARMFUL. The magistrate said the. question was a proper 'one. It was a ’fact that Brown attended Communist meetings, and the meetings were regarded as harmful and tending to bring about disturbances. ... Brown denied that-' ho w<£fi a Communist. Asked if he was annoyed at the “specials”. stopping him he said he was not annoyed 'at anything-ronly when he was, locked up. ■ Mr. Page-said he would take time to consider th© case. After the hearing of police evidence Archibald Chester, aged 26,. reversed his not guilty plea on a charge of assaulting a constable during a baton charge at Whitcombo and-Tombs. Another constable said he hit Chester-. with a batop. Chester was remanded for sentence. Leslie Georg® 80yd,., aged 38, a labourer, denied wilfully obstructing a constable. The constable said ■he asked three times to move on» Boyd Baid; “1 will go when. I am ready. Boyd said he took no part whatever in the window-breaking. . Mr. Page said he would take time to consider the matter. William George Lovatt, a seaman, was" remanded until May 20 on two charges of committing mischief by wilfully damaging two windows valued at £l5 and £lO respectively. Charles Henry Hart was charged with being, found armed with, an offensive weapon with felonious intent and with breaking a window. t Sub-Inspector Ward eaid that about 6 p.m. on Tuesday a man walking along Lambton Quay saw Hart break a window in Lindsay’s boot shop with the lid of a dustbin. The man notified the police ,and in the meantime the accused ran up Lambton Quay. About half an hour later Hart was* seen by the Commissioner of Police and Senior-Sergeant H. Scott walking along Cuba Street with his hand in his pocket as if concealing something. At first he ref used to disclose what he had and a constable was called. He found-an iron bolt'in Hart’s pocket. Hart refused to , give any reason for having the bolt. On the following morning he was picked out in an identification parade. Senior-Sergeant . Scott said Hart maintained he had the bolt at work. All kinds of missiles, including iron bolts, had been used in the disturbance. The value of the window was about £lO. Evidence of identification was given by an eye? witness of the window-break-ing, who said that Hart and others were running along well, ahead of the main crowd. - Counsel for the defence pointed out the possibility of a mistake in the identification. Hart was in partnership with another man as a contractor and the bolt was connected with his work. He was not within a mile of Lambton Quay when the disturbance occurred. There would be ample evidence to that effect. ... Hart declared the bolt was used in his work when felling trees at Karori. He called: a'number of -witnesses who «aid he was not anywhere near the