In
the 1920s Theodore was having a run of bad luck with business deals and was
constantly having income issues. The
household bills were feeling this, and his 2nd wife, Mary May Brice,
constantly had to deal with how to meet the unpaid bills.
The
Adelaide Electric Supply Company had a number of unpaid bills with the
Vetter home in Semaphore, and decided to act in May 1927. Wilfred Aldersey, the Electricity company’s
accountant arranged for one of their collectors to go out to Semaphore
and get the unpaid bill finalized and if this didn’t happen to turn the
electricity off at the home’s meterbox.
On
May 5th Francis Pascoe dually turned up at the Vetter home and
knocked on the front door. Mrs. Vetter
answered the door, and Mr. Pascoe informed Mrs. Vetter why he was there. Mrs. Vetter left Mr. Pascoe at the front
door, leaving him with the impression that she was going to get money to clear
the unpaid bill. He started to fill out
the receipt when Theodore appeared at the front door and asked Pascoe what he
was doing there.
Mr.
Pascoe repeated what he had already explained to Mrs. Vetter and that he was
waiting for her to return with the money so he could complete the receipt.
Theodore then advised Mr. Pascoe that he was going in to Adelaide the next day
to do business and would pay the bill at the company’s office then. Mr. Pascoe
informed Theodore that unless he was given the money then he was obliged to
disconnect the electricity at the meterbox.
Theodore
advised him that he had a deposit with the company as a guarantee that the
electricity would not be cut off. But
Mr. Pascoe stated that he did not know of any such arrangement and needed to
enter the house so that he could access the meterbox to disconnect the service.
As
Mr. Pascoe went to step in the front door Theodore struck him with a blow to
the side of the head, sending Mr. Pascoe back against the verandah wall.
About
a month later on June 11th Mr. Pascoe again came face to face with
Theodore.
This time
in Port Adelaide Police Court, where Theodore was up in front of Mr. G.W.
Halcombe, Stipendiary Magistrate, for assault.
Based
on the information of both Mr. Pascoe and Mr. Aldersey, for the electricity
company, Theodore was charged for having violently assaulted Francis J. Pascoe
at Semaphore on May 5th.
Theodore pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Theodore
was representing himself, and when cross-examining Mr. Pascoe, he proceeded to
comment after every reply.
Starting with “Lie One” and eventually getting to “Lie Seven”, when the
Magistrate’s warnings to Theodore sank in and he stopped with the acrimonious
comments. He then requested to cross-examine
the Electricity Company’s counsel, Mr. A.M. Moulden, but at this the Magistrate
was firm. He could not!!
Both
Mr. Pascoe and Mr. Aldersey gave evidence, and it was clear that Theodore
had indeed hit Mr. Pascoe, and that he had hit him so hard that Mr. Pascoe was
initially deaf afterwards, and had ringing in his ear for the next 2
days. Theodore also used abusive
language towards Mr. Pascoe, telling him to “Get to ------ out of this” as Mr.
Pascoe staggered on the verandah.
Theodore
called his wife as a witness, and she stated that it was a lie for Mr. Pascoe
to say a blow was struck. Theodore then
claimed that in fact Mr. Pascoe had pushed him as he tried to enter the house, and
that Theodore had simply put him out on the verandah.
The
Magistrate said that judging by the demeanor of Theodore in the Court room it
was obvious he was a quick-tempered, violent man, with little control over
himself, and that he did not believe the either Theodore or his wife.
He
dually fined Theodore with assault and ordered him to pay a fine of £3 with an
additional £3 2/ costs.
The
Register – June 11, 1927 – COLLECTOR ASSAULTED
The Advertiser
– June 11, 1927 – A COLLECTOR ASSAULTED
