COLONEL AND GOVERNESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

COLONEL AND GOVERNESS.

'ALLEGED. ANONYMOUS LIBELS. (A BrarWCEWBiAN retired officer, Colonel Charles -Henry Gardiner, who lives at Hove; was arested and/remanded by Hove Bench recently. Ho was accused of the authorship of libellous anonymous letters received by Miss Kathleen O'Brieli, governess at a flat in the colonel's street. (The,first letter ran:— "Miss O'Brien is hereby informed that fine is well known to be a drunkard and thief. Her character is well known, and let her beware; her character is established and she has many enemies and will to ruined."

This occurred, at the end of April, and next night and in May these missives were pushed under the door of the flat: i "Miss O'Brien,— had better be warned in time. You will bo done away with, tormented, and obliged to leave each place. If you remain you will be spied upon. Notices of you char?«ter, drunkenness, thieving, and other violences have been made to your friends in Brighton and Hove, and also to Pool Woodward." " Pool" was the pet name which" Miss O'Brien's little charge gave to Mr. Wood ward, her father. The flat, Miss O'Brien's advocate explained, was sublet £■"„ by Colonel Gardiner to Mrs. Woodward, .„• *" who lived there with her little girl and p* the governess apart from her husband, »: .'" though on such friendly terms with him ■5 that he called every day and took the gj, child out for a walk. f|%. .•'• Seeing l( that the letters were pushed '• ' ' ' under the door at an hour when only ', . Colonel Gardiner .(whom 'Miss O'Brien .. only knew by sight) could have had uc■Tr cess to il,ja little trap was laid (related f£* Mr. Dpnne, her advocate). Miss O'Brien Hi ,wf«te,an unsigned letter to Colonel Gar--diner as follows;— <» •. " Colonel" Gardiner.: . Sir.-Surely Miss >.-', O'Brien fa riot .living in jour house. Should riot Mrs. Woodward be told she W,X Si fl ; demuin6ndainof , ': r ■ ??v : The colonel;: said Mr. Donne, fell into H- lh» : trap, an anonymous letter being- sent , 'Mrs. ; Woodward,, referring to. Miss •V-'.' O'Brien as ft demi-mondaine, and saying ; ■ Mrs.-' Woodward -had : better clear her out of the flat. ; Mrs. Woodward declared the handwriting was' similarto the colonel's.. ■ - Colonel Gardiner" emphatically denied &lW'be"wrote the letters. "For me t to :■- r >~' have'' transferred' my' l»' aiDß ' « rom w " tin f 'Vvfor London publishers to such awful [stuff M&S'tbiaispart-comprehension," he.said,