EXCITING CHASE AFTER A FOXTON DEBTOR.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 91, 15 October 1881, Page 4

EXCITING CHASE AFTER A FOXTON DEBTOR.

A rather amusing story of a chase after an absconding debtor is told by the Manawatu Herald. It appears that an individual, whose Christian name is Patrick, got into debt with Mr. Honore, aFoxton storekeeper, to tho extent of £20. On Thursday morning Mr. Honore heard that Patrick had leit for Palmeraton, it being further rumoured that he intended to join a lady whom he proposed to marry. The storekeeper followed by the morning train to the township named to learn that Patrick and bis companion had left by that morning's coach for .Napier. A horse was ordered, a start made at three o'clock, and about eleven o'clock the fame night tho storekeeper lode into Makotoko, the present terminus of the Napier-Wood-villo railway, having covered fifty miles upon a stalwart steed. Night was spent there, and at half -past six next morning the train sped with tho remorseless creditor towards Napier, which was reached about half-pa6t ton. Walking leisurely down one of tho streets, the debtor and creditor met face to face, and the former looked as if an apparition had confronted him. He offered to give an order on his Jb'oxton debtors, and if that was not euffioient would remit the balance from Sydney ! "And," t aid he," when a man is going away to got married you wouldn't blame him for taking a few pounds in his pocket, would you?', "Well," said the storekeeper, " I should pay my debts first !" Mr. Htnoro then consulted a lawyer, and learned to hia dismay that without tho bill of particulars he could do nothing, and as ho had only the total amount due he was somewhat nonplussed. Nevertheless, he returned to the unsuspecting debtor and engaged him in an interesting conversation regarding those aforesaid Jb'oxton bookdebts. Seeing a gleam of light, with Sydney and the matrimonial "haltor" in the distance, he gladly accepted the suggestion, of giving an J.O.U. to the wily creditor, and thus feigned tho wairant of hia own arrest, for, armed with this document, the myrmidons of the law were soon on his track, and he was arrested tor debt on a chirgo of intending to leave tho colony. W)>en brought before tho R> M , he refused to disgorge, and was accordingly lodged in gaol until tho next sitting of the Court. Having thus ensnared his bird, Mr. Honoro on tho same afternoon returned por train to Makotoko, and came on to Palmerston on Saturday, returning to Foxton by the night train. On Monday he received a telegram to this effect: — "-7- yields. Cheque for amount will be sent ia due course." it may be added that the levanter had in hiß possession a draft for nearly which would have gone a long way towards paying all his debts. Mr. Honore is to bo congratulated upon his smartness. He left Foxton only on Thursday morning, and by Saturday night had travelled nearly 300 miles, and secured over £20 which would otherwise have been irretrievably lost.