ANYTHING BUT A JOKE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9513, 8 September 1891, Page 3

ANYTHING BUT A JOKE.

The Dunedin correspondent of . the Tuapeka Times says:—One of the beat known residents in one of the suburb* has . quite recently - been the Victim of an intolerable amount of annoy* ance and persecution at the hands idf an impish, hysterical Abbut week ago the family were Alarmed'Soma time during the silent watches of the night by an unusual noise in the house, followed by the smashing of glass, and other unmistakable evidences of unwelcome visitors. Paterfamilias, who is the head of a large commercial firm, and a maw of mettle to boot, after a harried con* saltation with the wife of his bosom, descended the stairs, revolver in hand, expecting at every step to be brought face to face with his desperate visitors But apparently the burglars had decamped, but not before they had played terribla havoc with the trappings and decorations in some of the downstair rooms, and that, too, in a seemingly purposeless and wanton manner. : The rooms were in an indescribable state of confusion.' Expensive picture* were torn off the walls and flung on the floor, tables were overturned, and costly ornaments and articles of vertu littered.in every direction. A window at the back of the house stood open, and through thil clearly an entrance had been effected. The police made a careful examination of the premises and. surroundings, and interrogated everyone likely to throw any light on the mystery, but without effect. ■ Two nights later the house was again entered, and almost the same demoniacal dance performed through the rooms, to the terror of the family. In this last instance the proceedings were varied by the scream* of one of the servants, who stated that the burglar entered her apartment and threatened to. murder her. The girl wa* able to give a minute description of tho imaginary Bill Sykes, as he carried a light in his hand. Police were specially told off to watch the house after tibia, but no one put in an appearance, though the girl stated she had seen the burglar several times on the street, and only a tew nights ago rushed in in an excited state and vowed he had accosted her outside and cutoff her hair.- Her hair certainly had been severed close to the back of her head, and she bore other marks of having: been violently handled. Bat the , detective* began to smell a rat, as the phrase goes, and charged the girl with being herself the author of all the devilry. A medical examination showed the girl to be suffering from a malignant form of hysteria, and it is not likely that any more will be heard of th* matter.