EX-SUPERINTENDENT O'BRIEN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 16 May 1912, Page 8

EX-SUPERINTENDENT O'BRIEN.

MORE ABOUT HIS DISAPPEARANCE.

BY TELEGRAPH—PBEBB ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, May 15. An echo of the sudden disappearance from Wellington of ex-Superintendent Will Stephen O'Brien, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, was heard in the Magistrate's Court to-day, when his wife, Jane Harding O'Brien, applied for separation, maintenance, and guardiansnip orders. Mr E. J. Fitzgibbon said the substance of the information which was laid under, the Destitute Persons Act, was that defendant had wilfully failed to provide for the maintenance of his wife and child. His Worship had power to make a separation order when it was seen that failure to maintain was wilful. Mrs O'Brien had been-doing her best to find her husband. Plaintiff and her daughter had been left absolutely destitute. Defendant had left at the fire brigade station certain furniture of the value of £15 or £20, and Mrs O'Brien desired to get that in order to furnish rooms, and then to seek work. Plaintiff stated that her husband, as superintendent of the brigade, received a salary of £365 a year. Until recently he contributed towards the support of herself and daughter the sum" of £12 10s per month. The last payment due was about a fortnight or so in arrear. She last heard of her husband about the fifth of the present month, when he .wrote a 'note saying, "Prepare for a shock." She had been told that he was seen on the Aorangi prior to the vessel's sailing for San Francisco. The invalid daughter was eleven years old. By next December, defendant and she would have been married thirteen years. They had been living together until about nine or ten months ago, when a deed of seoaration was agreed to. Defendant had made no provision for the maintenance of either herself or child. Mr Fitzgibbon said he had heard that defendant had left with some other lady. When the deed of separation was beino; made, it was understood—or rather O'Brien had not denied—that there was another woman in the case. In connection with the separation agreement, the furniture in the fire station was left by Mrs O'Brien for her husband to furnish his own rooms with. His Worship (Mr W T. G. Riddell, S.M.I ordered that O'Brien should pay £2 10s per week towards the support of-his wife and child. Defendant would also be ordered to pay £5 in resoeet of past maintenance and solicitor's fee, £2 2s. The first payment under the order would be payable on May 20th, and would be charged against* defendant's personal property.