LATE DOMINION NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 16 May 1912, Page 3

LATE DOMINION NEWS.

"WAITING AT THE CHURCH." PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION AUCKLAND, May 15. Keith Russell Jones, a well-dressed young fellow of 23 years of age, who had come only recently from Sydney, admitted to Mr Cutten, S.M., at the Police Court this morning, that he had stolen £7 10s from a room in one hotel, and a checque-book and purse containing £1 from bedrooms in another hotel. The history given of the man by Chief Detective Marsack was an unusual one. He had arrived at Auckland about three months ago and had been for a time employed in canvassing for a photographer, and later as steward on small coastal boats. He had arranged to be married to a young lady on May 1, but the bride waited for him at the church and he failed to turn up. He stayed at an hotel for a time and wh'ile there, on the fateful day when he was due to be otherwise engaged, he entered another boarder's room and stole £7 10s. He moved to an hotel at Newmarket, and while there took his room-mate's chequebook and also stole from a servantgirl's room a purse containing £l. At one period of his gay Auckland experience he took a fancy for motoring, and ran up a bill of £5 10s with a taxiowner. He paid the bill with Mr William Woodend's money captured at the Waverley Hotel. Accused, who appeared to have little sense of responsibilities, explained that he committed the thefts because he was stranded and the taxi-man was pressing in his demands. He added incidentally that he had private reasons for not meeting his expected bride at the church, and said he had given her notice in time to have prevented her going there. He said he was a traveller, but he had been studying accountancy and had been drawn to New Zealand by the desire to see a young lady in the South Island. His Worship said ho could not heir. a young man who committed theft after theft in the way accused had done. He would be sentenced to three months' hard labor. "PREPARE FOR A SHOCK," WELLINGTON, May 15. An echo of the sudden disapparance from Wellington of ex-Superintendent William Stephen O'Brien, of tit? W" 1 - lington Fire Brigade, was hea'"l in t.!i:-s Magistrate's Court to-day, wh?p. hi--, wife, Jane. Harding O'Brior-., applic 1 for separation, mainteiKir.ee am!; guardianship orders. Mr E. J. Fitzibbon said that the substance- of the information, which was laid under the Destitute Persons Act, was that the defendant had ivilfulI ly failed to provide for the maintenance of his wife and child. His WorI ship had power to make a separation order when it was soen that the failure to maintain was wilful. Mrs O'Brien had been doing her best to find her husband. The plaintiff and her daughter had been left absolutely destitute. Defendant had left at the Fire Brigade Station certain furniture of the value of £ls or £2O, and Mrs O'Brien desired to get that in order to furnish rooms and then to seek work. i The plaintiff stated that her husband, as superintendent of the Brigade, received a salary of £365 a year. Until recently be contributed towards the support of herself and daughter the sum of £l2los per month, and the last payment due was about a fortnight or so in arrears. She last heard ot her husband about the 4th of the present month, when he wrote her a note saying: "Prepare for a shock." She had been told that he was seen on the Aorangi prior to the vessel sailing for San Francisco. The invalid daughter would be 11 years old next December. Defendant and she had been married 13 years, and they had been living together until about nine or ten months ago, when a deed of separation was agreed to. The defendant had made no provision for. the maintenance of either herself or their child. Mr Fitzgibbon said that he had heard that defendant had left with some other lady. When the deed of separation was being made it was understood, or rather O'Brien had not denied, that there was another women 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. The magistrate (Mr W. G. Biddell S.M.) ordered that O'Brien should pa> £2 10s per week towards the support of his wife and child. Defendant would also be ordered to pay £5 in respect ol past maintenance and solicitor's fee £5 2s. The first payment under the ordoi would be payablo on May 20. Mone,\ due would become due under the present order, and would be cltargec

against defendant's personal property. THE DEFENCE ACT. WELLINGTON, May 15. Mr Justice Cooper to-day heard the i .appeal of the Crown against the dismissal by Mr Riddell. S.M., in the recent cases under the Defence Ac 1 . The * .magistrate held that the nroeeedings against the offenders should be taken under the refutations, not under rec+ion ■sl of tbe Defence Act: further, ihat a.I .personal service varies in character and ' is spread over an annual period, de- !| fendants should at least have had an I opportunity afforded them during each " training; vear of rendering the required service within that venr. . The judge remarked that if the magistrate were right the whole scheme «> of +he Ae+. ivas destroyed. l\ .The Solicitor-General concurred and E added that the effect of the decision was also absolutely subversive of all >!■• militaTV discipline. 5. , Tn +he coiirse of argument the judge 3 said the position if the judgment were % .upheld would be like a, comic opera. : The case is proceeding. \ STILL THEY COME! i WELLINGTON, Mnv 15. | Fifty-seven immigrants arrived iby the ?k A-fi'vn from London to-day, including |j; 23 domestics. % , The vessel brought from Holbart 'M 16,000 cases of apples for_ transhipment H +-o the Corinthic, which is leaving for K London to-morrow.