THAMES LARRIKINS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXVI, Issue 7593, 29 July 1893, Page 3

THAMES LARRIKINS.

THE STREET "PUSH." SEVERAL OF THEARMY BEFORE THE COURT. • At tho Police Court yesterday, before .Mr,H. W. Northcroft, JLM,, JWilliam Mediator','Frederick Callaghan, Thomas Carroll. Andrew Northey, Michael Britt. Robert Pollock, Edward Phillips, and ,Saul sforppoy,' were charged with having on tho 24th July interrupted maneo by tho Australian Dramatic Company at tho Academy of Musio. 11 f All: tho accused pleaded not guilty-tot McAlister, who. with a very meek little

face pleaded guilty. , Constablo Davy was then called, and doposod that on tho 24th July ho was.on duty at tho Academy of Musio, when the Australian Dramatic Company wcrojporforming." The Corsican Brothers," from about-8 to 10.30 p,m. Tho boys were np a noise during-the perfor-jfinancG-sfcamping, whistling, shouting, ;;^L, r alnd those'present., At times tho "noise" was so great that the perfbrmers could iiot be heard.' The gas was beingcontinuallv turned off by lieAlister. The lads yelled|at a great rate, ■ ranjover over the forps and made a great ' row. Ho cautioned-the boys several ( timesi : addressing-Callighan in particular, as ho was -hammering on one of tho forms with fc tf piece of wood. .'He several . times' declined to desist, and'witness had 'flip put hiin Biit. Callaghan resisted and ' clasped tho pillar, so that witness had to! ,drag him, away. He threw his arms aronrid',ifcthon olasped tho pillar with his legs.The] 'other' lads all this time hooted and yelled, and put a stop KltktJiOi performance. The propriotor of ' the.cpmpany said he had nover in all his experience known boys to carry on in «BUci| a>ww. / The boy MoAlister was the worst of the lot, and, behaved in a most indecent manner,, also hooting and yell<i;;ing.7 ,(Witness • also spoke to him. Carroll was hammering on the forms, run—ning about on the forms, and whistling. Had to shift Northev and others nearer ; thefroilt. of their unseemly con'"duct.< .IPtiilHps .was the best of the lot. $e whole of the other# wore very bad

in their conduot, and ho must say that never in all his experience in the colony had he seen any conduct to equal it. Callighan: I paid Is for admission arid Davy had no right to put me out. His Worship: He had if you disturbed tne entertainment; moreover you havo yet to learn tha> you cannot go to places of amusement and conduot yourself as yon may ; may-think fit. Patrick Callan, Thos. Aitken, Androw Reitman, Mm. Martin, and Constables Clifford and Bern also gave evidence regarding the unseemly conduot of the accused, whilst John J. Thomas, an auotioneqr from Australia, stated that the conduct of the accused on the night in question was indescribable. In fact such conduct would not be tolerated iu Australia, and another thing was, tho Australian larrikin, ( bad and all as he is, is always quiet at a dramatic performance, but the Brown street 'puslr as termed by the Thames Advertiser, seemed to go to the entertaimcnt merely to amuse themselves. Ho could not identify the whole of the defendants, but McAlister's face ho would novor

forget, while healsorocognised Callaglmn and Pollock, and the boy Moronoy, who, whon Miss Helen Fergus was singing a ballad, aud could not quite reach a note she wanted, called out, " Chuck it off your choBt!" The boys on the whole kicked up a fearful noise, and simply defied the constablo. This closed the caso for the prosecution, and in answer to His Worship Mc~ Alister said ho was guilty of everything except putting out the gas. Phillips replied, " I'm guilty of nothing." Northey said, " I've nothing to say." " Some people here tell lies." Pollock: "Im not guilty of using the stick on the soat."

Moroney, "I'm not guilty of what that man said about chucking it out of her ohest. What I said was, " Put the darbies on him," when Davy was running out Callaghan. Callaghan: "I'm not guilty of anything. When I did use the stiok it was on my knee, so that it would not havo caused any uoisd. His Worship said that tho boy Callaghan had said that as he had paid Is for, admission the police had no right to put him out Well, what they had to consider was whether other people who also paid Is should have their pleasure spoilt Dyi the behaviour of boys like defendants. He regretted the want of respect shown by many lads towards their seniors, and said they ought to learn to respect old age. He had himself heard some of tho boys coming in along the railway line from football matches making use of somo filthy language. They certainly did not learn it from the miners, as if a party of miners' were going along and a woman chanced to pass they,would not only step on one side, but take tho pipes out of their mouths. Some of the lads seemed to think that black-guardism was manly, but it was degrading and unmanly. The defendants had no right whatever to go to that theatre or any other amusement whatever and annoy other persons. Callaghan here gave a bib of a grin, and the; R.M. addressing him said bo was really astonished that he should laugh Callaghan: " I'm not laughing, sir." His Worship: "I'm not dono with you yet" What was wanted to put down suoh larrikinism was that tho birch should be appliod to such boys, and that would havo to bo resorted to yet if such conduot was to be stamped out. He had frequently noticed, bovs loafintr about tho corner of

Mary street, spitting about the pavement, making what they thought to bo smart or pert sayings, and women and young girls had to run the gauntlet of them. It would servo such boys as these right if somo night one or two men came along and gave them a really good horsewhipping. Ho would order tho whole of tho defendants to bo imprisoned till 3.30 o'olock, when he would dcoide what should be dono with thorn. lUpon the Court resuming at 3.30 o'cloob His Worship said there was just a doubt against Phillips, Pollock, and Britt, and they would bo let off with a caution, The other lads would bo finod as follows: Northey, £110 a and costs 10s 7d; Carroll, £110s and costs 10a 7d; Moroney, £1 lOs 'und costs 10s 7d; Calligan, £115s and costs 10s 7d; and McAlister, £2 and i costs 10s 7d. He was determined to stamp out larrikinism at the Tliamos, and if ever any other cases came before tho Court they would be sevorely dealt with. Mr Northcroft also specially addressed Northoy, and said that he was perfectly astonished that ho (Northy) who it might be said was jasfc budding into manhood should be mixed up with young larrikin lads, like some of the accused. However, as ho had said before ho was not going to tolerate larrikinism on tho Thames, and the next case that came up before him would not bo at all leniently dealt with.