SQUANDERED FORTUNE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 71, 25 March 1907, Page 3

SQUANDERED FORTUNE.

STRANGE STORY OF A MAN WHO

KNEW KRUGER

A remarkable story of a- fortur.o of \ .?.;a4,000 spent in drink, in four years : by a friend of the late President i ivruger way tolcl at an inquest at Stepney, London, recently. The inquiry was relative to the c.oaili of a uu.-.i who has passed away as "Joseph Gibson," aged sixty-two-,! buc the'widow, who gave an address; in Stamford Street, Waterloo, stated j that his real' name was Joseph Wes- j sesiuz, and he had told her that he was ! a descendant of a Polish prince. I Until recently, she added, they had-. ii?«rl in South Africa, and wh&n in i Johannesburg her husband was pro-' prietor of ''Gibsons Gresham Bar" and ! ''Joe's Corner." They were friends j ot the late Mr Kruger, and during the ] war witness had an interview with the | ex-President, and was instrumental in saving her husband from being shot after he was captured by the Boers. For years her husband had been a heavy drinker, and at times he was strange in his manner, and had threatened to murder her. On January 22 hs ieft home after attacking her and she heard no more till she.was in-

formed that ho was lying dead at the Oicy of London Infirmary at Bow. Her husband was in a splendid position when she married him four years ago, bu: he had squandered his money in drink. .

Other evidence showed that " Gibson" was found by the police in Aldersgate Street acting in, a peculiar manner. He was " shouting about Kruger," and, pointing to people, said, " They all know 'Joe's Corner.' " He was conveyed to the- infirmary, and after a violent outburst was found dead on the floor. Dr. Buncombe, medical superintendent, who attributed death to acute hlania following alcoholic poisoning, said the story he heard was that "Gibson" had run through £34,000. He had been in the habit of drinking five or six bottles of rum every night. David Hyman, theatrical agent, with whom Mr and Mrs " Gibson" had lodged, said the husband exhausted all the money he had in the bank at Christmas. Since tfien he had disposed of jewellery and diamonds worth over £1,000. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.