SCENE AT THE ALBION HOTEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8585, 5 June 1891, Page 5

SCENE AT THE ALBION HOTEL.

Yesterday Mr. Lawson, Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, put a bailiff in charge of the Albion Hotel, under the following somewhat eincular circumstances : —lt appears that Mr. Harry Meyer, formerly steward on the steamer Richmond, and who filed apetitlon of insolvency last September, recently purchased the stock of the Albion Hotel and took over the business. As he has not yet obtained his discharge from the Bankruptcy Court, the Assignee de cided to exercise his powers under* the Act and take charge of the property on behalf of the creditors, and accordingly placed a bailiff in the hotel. He is looking into the case with a view of ascertaining whether it is possible to settle the still existing claime of the creditors in Meyer's estate. It appears that on Wednesday night Mr'vP. Gleeson, the landlord, re-entered the premises. He states that he has done so by virtuo of the covenant in the lease, which gave him the right of re-entry after a given length of time under certain conditions, and also a bill of sale over the furniture. All went on quietly till last evening. Mr. Meyer had been about town attending to liis private business, but returned to the hotel in the evening. Two other men also dropped in, and applied for beds for the night, but Mr. Gleeson said he was unable to comply with the request. At ten o'clock Mr. Gleeson shut up tho hotel, and cleared out the customers. Mr. Meyer and the two men still remained in the corridor, and as Mr. Gleeson desired the three men to go, and they declined —Mr. Meyer on the ground that the Official Assignee was the only person who had authority to ask him to do so, and the other two men on the ground that ifc was a hotel and thoy desired accommodation—the presence of tho police was invoked in case of a. breach of tho peace; and ultimately Sergeant Emerson and a constable arrived in the vicinity of the hotel, but declined to interfere till •a breach of the peace occurred. After a great deal of moral suasion had beon tried ineffectually, the two men who wanted beds were put out, and an iron bar placed behind the Hobson-street door, as some persons wore kicking afc it.. Then a fresh appeal wns made to Mr. Mayor, bub he still stuck to hife old point. Ab last he \va3 seized, and an endeavour made to gar, him out aleo. In the scufllo he wrestled out of his coat, bounded upstairs, and locked himself up in the room he had occupied, where he "held the fort" as licensee, the bailiffs remaining on duty throughout the nighb. It is said that a number of tho creditors of Mr. Meyer have eignod a document, stating that, they do not desire the Official Assignee to proceed further, so that the case is likely to bo complicated by many legal points. During the episode which took place after closing time, Mr. Moss Davis (of Messrs. Hancock and Co.), and Mr. Hugh Campbell, solicitor, were in an adjoining apartment, presumably to see that certain interests were protectod.