THE LAW AND THE RUFFIANS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1100, 14 June 1882, Page 2

THE LAW AND THE RUFFIANS.

— - — Christclmrch citizens, who are re- ' ported to be arming themselves for encounters with footpads and burglars, / will be interested, remarks the local |

Times, in the f >llow in* paragraphs from the London Daily News of March 9 : — " In London as in Ireland, there seems to be cases in which a man must let his hands keep his head and may even blamelessly defend himself with a revolver. In November last, one, Edward Halpin gave evidence against a man named Howard at the Middlesex Sessions. Halpin might al--most as safely have paid his rent in County Clare. Since his discharge of a public duty, the friends of Howard have stabbed him, knocked his teeth and kicked him on the head. About a month ago Haplin's enemies surounded him in the working man's clnb in St. Luke's. Like the Roman senators, as described in the translation of Memmsen's "History of Rome,' they charged • with fury in their eyes, and the legs of the tables which they had broken for the purpose i in their hands.' Haplin defended himself with a revolver, a policeman made a plucky rush at him, Halpin pulled the trigger and the hammer of the pistol lighted on the policeman's thumb. He was indicted atttW Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, before the Recorder, for attempting to shoot with intent to murder. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and Halpin is a free man. But if witnesses in courts are to be compelled to defend their lives with revolvers it may soon prove difficult to get any evidence in certain cases."