A CURIOUS CASE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12584, 20 August 1901, Page 3

A CURIOUS CASE.

A somewhat unusual case came up before Air H. W. Bishop, 6.A1., yesterday morning. Emma Duvailet, a lady of French extraction, sued William Christie for £2O. She had been trying, through Lanauze and Co., house agents, to obtain a suitable house. Several houses were submitted to her, but all were unsuitable. Finally-she' was shown a house in Alontreal Street, belonging to Mr Christie, which she thought would do. The agents and Christie knew what she required the house for, and told her that the neighbours -were old people, who would not be likely to complain.. After she had paid £2O deposit, and signed an agreement, however, she discovered that a member of the police force lived next door. She considered that she was being “got into a trap,” and went back to Air Hoban, who bod received the deposit, to get her money back. He offered her £lO, bub she refused this and sued for the whole amount. Alascot Gautier, a young French woman, who bad been living with the plaintiff, gave corroborative evidence. Both had some difficulty in making themselves clear in English, bub the only inter-' preter available was a young man living with the plaintiff, and Mr Hoban objected to him. The two women gave a quantity of evidence as to their previous residences in Christchurch.

Francis John Quinn, late of the. firm of Lanauze and Co., stated that plaintiff'had agreed to take the house and had then tried to back out ;of the agreement. .., The defendant also gave evidence. The' two women bad stated that Quinn and Christie had been aware of their “profession,” but the men denied this. Air Hoban, who appeared for the defendant, quoted law to shew that, as the plaintiff had failed to carry out the contract, the deposit was forfeit. Air Bishop reserved judgment.