A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 309, 29 December 1915, Page 9

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

MARTHA TADTUrS TALES. THRIVE BUSY DAYS OF LIBERTY. IBy /Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") "'" D i tTTßlSTCHtiifcrfj. &W" day. Martha Tainui is a half-caste lady, ■well kmown to the police. Her weakness -is. a Icjve oi display, but it has brought with it much trouble. Her first conviction dates back to ISSS, and at last she ■was declared an habitual criminal. For some I strange reason the Prison Board gavel Martha her liberty on Christmas Eve, /and she retained it for three days. This/time she seems to have enjoyed her Christmas very well, although she does not 'seem to have gathered in quite as much cash as usual. The people who helped her to taste the good things of life on Christmas Day draw a veil over the incidents, but there are whispers of enjoyment at tin expense, of certain people who spell Society with a very ki S."

On Sunday she descenled upon a fashionable hotel, .vgned "-Miss Burnett" in the visitors' book, and explained that she was the daughter of Mr. Burnett, former Mayor of Dunedin, and sister of Mrs. Dalgety. The hotelkeeper was rather dubious, but he noted that his visitor was fashionably attired. She stayed there for the night. By morning, however, the hotelkeeper's suspicions had been deepened, and Martha was persuaded that there would not be room for her for another night.

Martha evidently then drifted round the city, spinning various tales and meeting with varying fortunes. One taxi driver bewails the fact that she had quite a nice drive at 'his expense. She tried to buy a motor-car. and get a trial trip in the car to Dunedin, but the motor salesman decided that "Miss McDonald"' could go without that particular car. It also appears that she displayed a great deal of interest in the Christmas race meetings.

Yesterday morning Martha bad breakfast at the expense of a hotelkeeper, to whom 6he told a wondrous tale of rich relations and motor cars. A little later, however, a detective appeared on the scene, and after Martha had struggled a little and 'had taken some of the .skin off the detective's face she went back to the cells.