A SEAT FOR SIEVIER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1913, Page 5

A SEAT FOR SIEVIER.

EOXTON UNIONISTS' SUITOBT. ("Sydney San" Special Service.) LONDON, July 2S. The Unionist Committee at. Hoxton, London, have unanimously decided to support R. S. Siovier's candidature for the seat at the next election. Robert Sievier. who was known in Australia as "Bob Putton." a bookmaker, who laid the odds in thousands, is a clever and well-educated man, but his past history is not such as to particularly qualify him for a. place ill the Mother of Parliaments. He has been

"in the limelight ,, on many occasions, notably lasl week, when a verdict was given agaiset him in a libel suit brought by R, Wootton. Sievier is well known as an owner and breeder of racehorses, and, among other things, keeps a pack of hounds. He has beon presented at Court, and a of him in his Court costume was for a time hung in the Victoria Club. Mr. Sievier married in 1892 Lady Mabel Emily Louisa Ailes'bury, sister of the fourth ilarquie of Ailesbury.

Whue in Melbourne many years ago, Sievier came into prominence on account of an altercation with Lord Dpcrhurst, in a Bourke Street hotel. .Sievier had words with his lordship, and ended by pulling his aristocratic nose.

Recently Sievier was again before the public in England, whan a turf commission- agent, Frank Paget, brought an

action against him and the proprietors of "The Winning Post." Paget had sought to recover £28 from Lady Charles Conyrtgham on account, of bets she had made. Lady Conynghain forwarded the letter Ehe had received to "The Winning Post," and the editor wrote to plaintiffs solicitors informing them that her ladyship had been the dupe of many welshere, one of whom was Paget. An article was afterwards published in "The Winning Post," headed "Fraudulent Commission Agents." in which it was stated: —"Overwhelming evidence can be produced that Paget has seldom paid anybody." The case ended in Paget obtaining one farthing damages. In July. lOCS, a sensation was caused in England when Sievier was arrested at Randown Park racecourse, and taken to Bow Street police station, in consequence of information laid by Mr. J. Barnato Joel, a partner in the firm of Barnato Bros., the well-known South African financiers. Sievier was charged with having attempted to blackmail Joel. It was stated that he endeavoured to extort £5,000 from the financier by threatening to publish certain defamatory matter in "The. Winning Post." Great public interest was manifpstPil in the trial, and when the jury returned a verdict of acquittal, a demonstration was made in Sievier's favour by lajge crowds ontside the court and in the streets in the vicinity.