“PREPARE FOR A SHOCK”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8122, 16 May 1912, Page 1

“PREPARE FOR A SHOCK”

O’BRIEN'S LAST MESSAGE “A WOMAN’ IN THE CASE.” An echo of the sudden disappearance from Wellington of ex-Superin-tendent William Stephen O’Brien, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, was heard in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when his wife, Jane Harding O’Brien, applied for separation, maintenance,' and guardianship orders. Mr E. J. Fitzgibbon. said the substance of the information, which was laid under the. Destitute Persons Act,was that defendant had wilfully failed to provide for the maintenance of bis wife and child. His Worship had power to make a separation order when it was seen that failure to maintaib was wilful. Mrs O’Brien had been doing her best to find her husband. Plaintiff and her daughter had been left absolutely destitute. Defendant bad 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. Plaintiff stated that her husband; as superintendent of the brigade, received a salary of £365 a year. Until recently he contributed towards the support of herself and daughter the sum of £l2 10s per month. The last payment due was about a fortnight or so in arrear. She last heard of 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 _ Hie Aorangi prior to the-vessel’s sailing for San Francisco. The invalid daughter was eleven years old. By next December defendant and she would have been... married * thirteen years. They had been living together ■until about nine or ten months ago, when a deed of separation was agreed to. Defendant had made no provision for the maintenance of either herself or child. , , , Mr Fitzgibbon said 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 bad not de-nied—^“-that there was another woman in the case. In connection with the separation agreement tlie furniture ’in the fire station was left by Mrs O’Brien for her husband to furnish his own rooms with. His Worship (Mr W. ,G. Riddell, S.M.) ordered that O’Brien should pay £2 10s per w’eek towards the support of his wife and child. Defendant would also be ordered to pay £5 in respect of past maintenance, and solicitor’s fee £2,25. The first payment under the order would be payable on May 20th. Moneys due would become due under the present order and would be. charged against defendant’s personal property.