A STRANGE STORY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1568, 7 March 1887, Page 2

A STRANGE STORY.

INTERVIEW WITH MR A. LEVY.

(Wellington Press.)

Mr. Alfred Levy, formerly secretary here of the New Zealand Temperance Alliance, and a Justice of the Peace, whose somewhat sudden and mysterious disappearance from Wellington about a year ago was the cause of so much talk, and no little alarm, at the time, returned to this city by tbe s.s. Wakatipu from Sydney. With the view of affording Mr. Levy an opportunity of making public any personal explanation he might desire as to the cause of his sadden departure on the occasion referred to, a representative of the Evening Press interviewed him at his residence, Roxburgh-street. Mr. Levy was looking rather aged, but well and hearty, and had no objection whatever, within certain bounds, to discuss the subject matter in hand. Tbat is to say, while giving an absolute denial to statements and accusations made in connection with his leaving Wellington suddenly, be freely alluded to that occurence, but declined to give a detailed explanation of what occurred until after consultation with Mr. F. H. Fraser, whose advice he considered necessary, as it was possible legal proceedings might arise out of the affair, and illadvised publication of certain particulars would perhaps militate against his case. " I do not recognise," said Mr. Levy, " that I am bound to make anj public explanation," and our representative agreed that there was nothing compulsory in such a course, but suggested that it was obviously a duty Mr. Levy owed to himself, and also to the public, to clear the affair up as far as possible. " Firstly, then," said Mr. Levy, " I deny emphatically tbat I went away with any girl, or anything of that kind. There is not a word of truth in that statement. The girl whose name was connected with mine in this unwarrantable way left for Ohristcharch for reasons of her own a month before. She was a friend of my wife's, and before getting her situation at the Central SoteU lived with ua a week or ten days. I had known her from childhood, and she and my children were brought up together at Waikouaiti. We heard from her after her arrival at Ohristcburch and that is the last I heard of her. No doubt she was advertised for in the Ohristchurch papers, but she might have been advertised for up to tbe present time without her being aware of it. She never read the papers, and, further, hardly anyone was likely to know her surname, because, being a Scandinavian, and iancying her nationality was a bar to employment, she always concealed it as much as possible, bbing generally called by her Christian name. Then again, what reason had I to ' bolt ?' I was not in debt, my accounts were all right, and I was as happy as a man could be in his home. All I have to say of my going away is that I knew nothing about it till I, as it were, came to myself in Sydney last Mouday week. Though ÜBked by my brother-in-law to wait for replies from New Zealand as to whether I had better come back here or not, I said I would go home at once ; I had nothing to be afraid of. How do I account for my going away ? Well, I was under some strong influence, of what kind I don't pretend to say, and I know the fact sounds incredible. But it was only what I had been threatened with previously after the closing of those hotels (this was alluding 'to the closing of the Army aud Navy and Prince of Waiaa Hotels). I had been warned on several occasions, hat had. laughed at kttd fchi'eafcs. I have aa recollection of writing to my wife and mother from Sydney. I am told I did so, and what I said in the letter, but I do not remember anything about it. What I am told I said, however, oddly enough concurs with a dream — a kind of nightmare — I had constantly after receiving the threats, and since my departure. I don't remember any detectives coming to me at Sydney. I was told they hai been looking for me. Where did I go when I got the other side, and what did Ido ? Well, you may think it strange, but I cannot tell you. I've no recollection beyond last Monday week. No, I did not call in anywhere for a temperance drink on the day I must have gone on board the steamer, so that I was not drugged in tbat way. The last thing I remember is being in Willis-street on my way home to tea; all the rest is a blank. I was on the wharf tbat day looking for Alf Johnson, about a case I was interested in, in which a brother was being made to find support for his sister. The idea of my re-labelling a girl's boxes and all that, seeing that I was as well known as the town clock, is absurd ; I must have known I should be traced at once. I don't know how I could have got on the steamer without baring been seea. Tbe whitle a&air la a myakery, exoepb kbafc I believe a certain threat was carried out against me, and I was moved by an influence which made me unaccountable for my actions. This is all I feel justified in saying at present. I know it sounds incredible and unsatisfactory, but it is the truth as I now stand before my God. If people believe I went off with a girl, — well, I have now left her, and if it is true, the girl will probably have something to say whicb, will be made public. There is no truth in any such statement." Such was Mr. Levy's explanation to our representative', and we publish it in order tbat Mr. Levy's explanation of tbe mysterious occurrence may be read by all those to whom the many rumors concerning it were familiar.