STRANGE TALE OF AN ADVENTURE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LX, Issue LX, 17 October 1910, Page 3

STRANGE TALE OF AN ADVENTURE.

"DRUGGED" IN LONDON AND RE-

COVERED ON A LINER.

An extraordinary story of being drugged and robbed in London, and finding when he recovered his senses that he was on a liner in mid-ocean, is told by Mr Adam Matthews, a credit draper, of Aberdeen House, Swansea, whose mysterious disappearance had given, his friends some anxiety. •' For some time Mr Matthews has owned several celebrated horses which he has successfully exhibited at various shows throughout the country, and he says he left Swansea on June 10 for London to visit the Olympia Horse Show, where his horse had won several prizes. Accompanied by his groom he went at night from Olympia to the Addison road station^ and had intended staying the night with some friends,, but upon reaching the station he suddenly remembered that he had made an appointment to meet some business acquaintances at a well-known cafe. After transacting business with these he came in contact with several other people whom he had not met previously, and what took place subsequent to that he declares he has not the faintest recollection, except that he was invited to have some wine. From his subsequent experience he says he presumes he must hare been drugged, for it was not until some days afterwards that he really came to himself, and he then discovered that he was on a liner making his way across the Atlantic to New York. He found that the vessel had sailed from Liverpool on the day following his visit to the exhibition in London.

He had arranged to purchase a valuable horse to match his Bluebell, and had cashed a cheque for £175 to pay as deposit to the vendor, his intention being to complete the transaction on his return to Swansea.

Of the whole of this and some loose cash which he had in his possession he declares he must have been relieved on the Friday night, for when on the liner he found he had not a penny left. .

On arrival at New York he secured employment, working on a farm for six weeks. In the meantime he communicated with his friends at home, and was surprised to receive a registered letter from the Official Receiver in London informing him that a meeting of his creditors would take place in London on August 3. Later, he says., he accidentally called at a store at Long Island, where the postmistress identified him and told him that a bafch of letters awaited him. Among these was one from his brother-inrlaw, who had sent him £10 and certain papers from the Official Receiver at Swansea. He immediately decided to return home, and states he tied a horse belonging to the farmer for whom he was working in America to a tree ten miles away from the farm, and left for New York, sailing thence to England on the first available boat.