SOME OF HIS CURIOUS CASES

Clutha Leader, Volume XLI, Issue 1, 10 July 1914, Page 2

SOME OF HIS CURIOUS CASES

By Charles E. Hands, in 'The Daik, Mail'). y The following will be found oi' in>. r . est when reaU in connection wul] ,' cable published elsewhere:— * The Poor Man's Lawyer sits at w tles.'v, and outside hi the corridor doen or so of hisi clients await Uivr turn to consult him. there are other enthusiastic voi m „ University men like himself wmj Ku 6 up an evening or more a week ;« n" cause of social service and th, >.]„.;! of the great public school by wh0.,,--,,':, boyv' the Mission :s ' N qung doctors are busy in a;!,,;.,. room with the medical work of ih,.',' stitunon. In another, young j sional men are receiving tlofoAit.s ;,,.],"" Mission's Penny Bank, wlmh , ■■\ Vl ' l[ f ages tlmft by paying o per cum.';,;.' cut on savings up to £'M. Of all gratuitous gifts there 1., r,,* that poor people are more eager i„ ,!'' ceive than Law for Nothing]" at i! Poor man's Lawyer never lack* e!:,. n .",° He does not take up cases and ii-l u .'" tions for them. But he can im.V:;.■■',." their complaints of hardslnp "%*, wrong, advise them as to their l,'.!'i rights or liabilities, and tell then, ;*',' to set about the adventure oi o]>-.:ui.'i'u'„ redress or relief. If litigation in i,,^,! 5 s ary he can see that they put i],,'.* selves in the hands of a 'reliable yer, but his lirst concern is to av,.,,; ji,',' g:itiou as far as possible. The Case of the Little Boy.

The first of to-night's proce.^;. m clients is a working man who has < v ,' to thank the Poor Mams J,auv,r v good offices already rendered. " A kJ ca;e this. The client's little .- n ,/* playing in.' the, street with soam „il!'! children. Koad repa:is Jiad be. n 'J,', progress, and the contractor's in. n negligently left a heap of un.da. U; lime lying there. Ono of the had picked tip a handful of the nmi, cent-looking white powder and i!, 1(;n| . it. and some of tho iime ha<l e, m ,. ;iltlj the, little boy's eye. The little i",-!!,,,, would-be blind ol an eye for In. . 'j/, contractor liad denied "respoii.silej.;. ~| this ea.se at first, so a Jinn of .sniici'»„ ri being given the conduct of the ,;,..,']„! had compromised the matter and i T i compensation. "J put the rnoi','^ straight into the bank for him, w■'• .says the lather. Case of Flat-footed Young Man. The next client is a mother, uiti, a claim against the ({overnnient. H. r son was employed a.s a |. v the Post Office, but growing too old f,,', that work applied to be taken en ; , M)rass'stant postman. The, ri*uh <>: ih* medical examination was that lie \i, ; j P'jononneed 11-U-looted and iLnvl.;;, uiisuifed for the postman's <l:i; .-. S, hj." w.'s rejected and di-ehaite d, k; shortly afterwards developed nnotlier physical disability for which lie hi been treated in hospital. He urn i ri j discharged, cured, and certified hv :k hospital doctors, as being fit inr' (,„ r . eminent employment. Armed with tu certificate, the mother proposed row 10 light the (fovernment'.s allegation :: llat-i'ootedness. "He's set on a Covornmoni inh, fir" she explains, "either in the P.V.; (lit. oi' m the Navy." And if appeals tU is a contention that the gland nomi for which In- had Ix'cn in li<i.-pii:il !- d ; arisen during the course of his pin>';i J'ost Office employment and th n t!i.:« fore- tho (.ovornmont is in mi".- »,,r responsible. The case is furl h.r ci. plicated by o.tustiou.s of iiu-uran-•>■. M tr •> Poor Man's Lawyer, havinj; nur;a careful note of all the circuinM.'iiKv, promises to write n note to. the 11..-!I 1 ..-! Office and we what can be dole . The Case of the Irish Stoker. Then comes in .l/big, shock !;,;. v:, good-humored-looking Irishman with an insurance case which unfolds an cxtiaordinary story. Hiis grievance c'.i.ciru the insurance money due to him oa the recent death oi "tho poor creature '.hat was my housekeeper." Sin uu.-. *.:.- sured for €2O -lb in oik; of the (fluting companies much affected l,v ;!,t locality. But when he pre-., at.-J ;k papem they made a lot ol butiiei. :.i.i all they could pay out of the i-'J ■» was .€lO, they said. Jlu; neta.'.::standing this, he had lound m.-it tuy had paid out €ll 10s to the un./.;taker for the funeral. So iley i:«'- : and he could liot understand uiey, •: they could pay €l-1 10s, ihe\ .-huuM m: |;ay the whole amount. "Jl I < .iiKi £'> four pound ol it, sir," h. : .,ii.|, 1 would be thanklul to give a | ..in..; '■■>' tile getting of it. For eveiy »asixes and sevens up there, sir, .-aim: uu* died, the poor woman, and :';. (<>''.'■" Council will be .after mo aga.\ l.;i ■■•■• other one pound eleven for In i '■■'<;• '■'' the Industrial Home, and 1 •'..,':t ''-': to do another fortnight in li.:M/i--j perhaps lo.se my job throu..a .t. fl don't, £ir. "You see, sir, it was th .;,' ,M said, in explaining the n,:,:t;;,u '» tween him and his hou-jti.... ;...i, " :; was seven years ago bit.": J '/" m ashore, and one night on my '.>;•' '."£' I met the poor woman in '.;<. starving on a doorstep, wi'i. ; ; ili ' J ' cold in her anna. So 1 to" 1 -; :!i'-i" lt with ma ito my place, an' t-vj' ! ) l ' r ? there ever since. 1 kepi ':■• '' ''"' after my place for me- ju-'- '.,■',■' She had'her own room ior i. : ■''>•• '";• baby, and never knew \\\i.n ' '■•'"■■■'•' be well or out of pail; ::!! '.'.., Her hctuhand had gone a-.< .■;. ■•••'■; : •"•.' her, and died/ of enteric ,n ■- -"'■ -\' t rica. So where war; .slie ; ; ; ;;■■• "' -; ;i baby in her arms, the j. .... ■',.;!....-■

So she sta\td with inc, I all my w and sh 1 > and thi pla< l "Then the Ixj\ wen c ho I thought, and sin d h'j pJa\cd uuant liom would .send lnm aw aj to ship and make a si loi t father md mv dl V> Ik , and the\ taught lnm • i I "" Bridge, but li'ott.id < i a .ship the\ s( nt him i i country and charged m< ' week lot keeping lijjji u "They put mo down and ordtied me to pa\ ' week, and nit ne\ ei <. t his mothci till he was n l old, and then when 1 policemen came one du.\ m out of the stoke-hole w i and took me to Bn\to 0 Iu a ceJl I was for ' i r now the County Con it again loi anotlui oiu n ' , a dead man'* child, and x L " er's dead too, tho 1001 \ ~ nS Another ease toi t I' IJ , Lawyer to wnu mjih * J i\ A wildly nnpiobabh <n ' < } , improbable things h ipp' n ' " l i way, even wildly improbable act* generosity and chivalry.