SAID TO BE IDLE AND DISORDERLY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19238, 27 November 1930, Page 6

SAID TO BE IDLE AND DISORDERLY

ELDERLY MAN PROVIDES 1 AMUSEMENT IN COURT. A labourer, Arthur George Charles, aged fifty-nine years, kept the Court 1 amused this morning during the hear- c ing of a case in which he was charged { with being an idle and disorderly per- * son. He also appeared for sentence on a charge of assaulting Selwyn John i Price: on this charge he was convicted t last July and ordered to come up for * sentence if called upon. Senior-Sergeant O’Grady said that t Charles had a home in Durham Street, < but did not stop there. He made a nuisance of himself among the neigh- t bours. He went round the houses ? cadging cigarettes and food, and rum- j maged round in the garbage tins. “I . don’t think he is normal,” said the J senior-sergeant. “He does not stop at * home, but sleeps out.” j Ada Ellison said that accused had t called at her house on several occasions, c saying that his wife was ill, and that c he wanted food and cigarettes. On one 1 occasion he tipped over her garbage tin at the front gate, and only put f half of it back. He left the remainder lying on the footpath, “making her t place disreputable”. t “I was never there, lad}',” expostulated accused. C “Confounded Nuisance.” Albert Weston, a storekeeper, said that accused had been in the habit of c visiting his store. He was a “con- * founded nuisance” visiting the shop ‘ and wanting to buy goods when he ' had no money. “Do you want to ask the witness any c questions, Charles?” asked the Magis- 5 trate.—“Yes, I will ask as many as you 1 like.” he replied. Constable S. Molloy said that he had j arrested the accused, who claimed to be in business in a big way. He ad- j mitted having been at home only one night in the week. He said that he had to see people at three o’clock in the morning, when they stopped work, ' to collect money from them. c “Have you any questions to ask?” * said the Magistrate. }, “No, he is the only honest gentleman in the Court.” ‘Tm glad to hear that,” said Mr Mosley. v “I’ve been in business for twenty-five I years on my own,” said defendant, * “and I pay my '2os in the £. I go to * the shop to buy goods and they won’t j sell them to me. I ask them what the 1 devil they keep their shop for. I s worked hard enough for my bit. I’ve « got money, but, no one knows how i much. Even my wife doesn’t know what I am worth.” said Charles. 1 “Sit down, you,” said accused when e

someone from the back of the Court interjected. The accused was remanded in custd\r until December 4, to be medicajly examined.