CONFUSED IDENTITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 192, 15 August 1925, Page 10

CONFUSED IDENTITY.

MOTHER'S DEATH WRONGLY BELIEVED. A FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE. An incident such as one Teads of in novels, but rarely hears of in real life, occurred this week to residents on the Waihi Road, near Hawera (says the Hawera "Star" of Wednesday). It emphasises the statement often made' that "truth is stranger than fiction."

The facts are these: Mr. and Mrs. Stenning left last week on a visit to Christchurch to see their relatives, and incidentally to have a look at the Grand National. At home in Hawera were the two eons, and a niece also lives here. On Monday a telegram reached them addressed to "Stenning, Hawera," and signed "Ivy," the name of a relative, stating "Mother ill." This was followed by others, stating, first, "Mother died last night." Then, "Funeral arranged for Thursday."

The boys, naturally, were terribly upset. They made arrangements to go down, and a telegram was sent to say that they would cross on Wednesday. Then came the extraordinary part of the affair. Telegrams came to the boys, to the niece, and to Mr. Pine, a near neighbour, all couched in the same strain, to the effect that' Mrs. Stenning was quite well, and asking what was the matter. Still another telegram came from the same source as the first, hoping that the recipients would come to the funeral; and messages of sympathy began to arrive from many narts of the Dominion Now, it is quite clear that Mrs. Stenning, of Hawera, is quite well, and that the occurrence has arisen through the death of a relative, whom, apparently, she and Mr. Stenning had not seen in Christchurch.

It is an experience which those concerned are, not likely to forget, and the unusualness of the incident is accentuated by the fact that all the telegrams received from Christchurch were quite genuine.