THE NEW ZEALAND DESERTER.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13658, 29 August 1916, Page 3

THE NEW ZEALAND DESERTER.

Several letters received'in' CartertoiS last week (says the Wairarapa Daily ■ Times) indicate that the soldier who'B .. deserted from the-New Zealand Mops ■ r to the Germans is an ex-resident, of 1 Carterton, His parents are Germans, ■ ' and rpside just outside Carterton, and, , are sajd to be very peace-loving people. The letters from the front state that 1 the young .soldier was seen making to- : wards; the/German trenches, waving n't' ' white handkerchief, As-soon' jis his • - comrades realised Vwhat: were they lired at him, but "lie' sueeeeded in reaching'the Germans, , ~ Speaking to a reporter, a prominent i Carterton citizen said that the soldier '. was in his employ for some time,-and ffecmeij a decent young fellow. After being in camp for some tinic he became , very.enthusiastic over the war, and Preniarke(l That, as a New.Zealander, Ji(- - was ready to■' 'settle 'any. damn German , lie fan up .against, at the war.! 1 / His.-ex-employer is of opinion that there may ' have been extenuating circumstances, and that the German parentage of the soldier • may have led 'to ; his being "ragged" and. humiliated by his fellows. With the. object of getting .qven, the soldier went over to. the Germans, ' and evidently, gave'away information ■ that was of great use to -the onfemy:- . In the latest (censored) letters from the front the identity of the dastard is freely given, and a Carterton boy 1 says: "I suppose you have heard by -I: now. .that-the', man who deserted-to the ■„ i enemy was of —K Our boys are .keenly distressed over the occur- ';. r?nce, and the Carterton lads are especially, savage.. If ever falls into ; " : their hands he will.be cut into little pieces. Already, through his infornia- \"> ti°n, of our mates have fallen '''. to eneniy snipers."