The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-11-10
SATURDAY NIGHT
BRAML ENDS
IN A DISASTER
TWO DOMAINS SPEND SUNDAY
IN JAIL, PLEAD GUILTY
AND PAY FINES

4 A Saturday night drunken brawl
cost John Whitelock, of Ipnia a nd
Arthur Lynch, his companion, also
of the same place, their liberty until
Monday morning and fines of $50
and $40 respectively to boot for the
way they acted just after they had
reached the city and got out of their
car after parking it in front of the
Dehn Bros. store all because they
Itwere so full of booze that they did
not know how to behave and thought
every girl whom they CHANGED to
meet was tough" and easy for q
couple of beau brummels like them
selves.
The disaster overlook them short
ly after they had set sail and had
accosted their first girls Of the even
ing-two young ladies to whom the
Washers were obnoxious and who at
tempted to step aside and get away
| from the attentions of the booze be-
fuddled men. Nightwatchman Frank
Antcliff. who was making the rounds
of the city noticed the men when
they got out of their car and follow
ed them and when they stopp ID the
two young ladies', nc warned them
| tnat WIS enough ard tina; they could
net carry on thu. LAY
The officer had scarcely got thru
talking when Whitelock, who is a
powerful fellow struck him a mighty
blow just below the left eye and be-
fore the officer realized whas was
doing, the ruffian landed him another
blow, this time infiicting bad cut
in back of the officers left ear.
Nightwatchman Antcliff is just re-
covering from a broken leg and was
unable to handle the fellow as good
as he should have but he was game
too and sailed in to handcuff him and
land him in Jail In this he was as
sisted by Merit Eaves, Art Corey and
Fred Hadley, who saw to it that
'Whitelock and Lynch were safely
handcuffed and placed in Jail where
they spent the time which interven-
ed between then and Monday morn
ing at nine o'clock when their case
came up before Judge Lapham.
Whitelock's parents from Ionia,
were in court and when asked how
he would plead, the elder Whitelock
thought it best for his son TO plead
guilty and get out of the scrape as
best he could. Lynch also plead gull
ty. Whitelock's father paid the fine
and the men were released, from GUS
|tody and feturffei to Ionia! White
lock was married. on Friday and
he was fearful that his wife would
get wind of what had happened and
not like the incident little bit.
Considerable comment and criti-
cism was voiced over the apparently
too light sentence which the justice
imposed on the prisoner, the general
consensus of opinion being that
straight Jail sentence would have
given the man to understand that in
resisting and assaulting an officer in
the way he had, he had committed a
very serious offense and that the pun
ishment which Mr.. Antclif took
in the carrying out of his duty was
sufficient to draw a straight jail SEN
ence of very near the maximum pen
atty.
People who witnessed the Incident
when Whitelock struck Mr.. AntcIiff
state that the assailant had some
thing in his hand to strike with. The
cuts would seem to bear out this
contention, bat careful search fail
ed to reveal anything in the nature
of "knuckles" or other fighting ap-
purtenances and it may be that when
he was being handcuffed. Whitelock
dropped them rather than have them
found in his possession. -