THE STRENGTHY STRAIN.

NZ Truth, Issue 78, 15 December 1906, Page 5

THE STRENGTHY STRAIN.

A MAN OF MANY ALIASES. A Crimean Veteran's Finish. Stoed a Cliauce of Being Declared an Habitual Criminal. John Strain, otherwise Slavin, Strachan and Kelly, is, according to the sad story of his chequered career, told to a crowded house at the S.M.s Oou-rt last Monday morning, an extremely unfortunate individual. He is a Crimean veteran and - more than once has stood m imminent peril of his life for' his country's cause, right or wrong. Since then he has stood m deadly peril of his liberty on many occasions, and notwithstanding the fact that he was, a soldier like his father before him, his grateful country has deprived him of his / liberty over and over" again. Never 'before, aven when scaling Inkermann's heights or marching to Khandahar, when cannon-balls weve, metaphorically, bouncing ' on his breast-bone, and bullets rained right and left and things seemed uncomfortable and hot, had John Strain, down to Kelly, such. a close shave as he did at the -Magistrate's Court. That day, after hearing what John with his 60 odd uhhonored years had to tell of what he did for his country, hisr country sent him to gaol for three moons and proposed to do for him properly •by sending him along to a Supreme Court Judge to be declared an habitual criminal. f&& present unreadiness 1 for the recepti'gft.^an'd accomodatdon of "declareds i^S.* saved John, but there is nothing !sfis e certain than that unless the GriirT^aper runs his scythe through the ei-warrior, his end will be that of an lia^al criming. "He's sure to be batk._h ere said Police Inspector Ellison, \&en Dr. McArthur had all but determineor to send the battered old wreck up to the Supreme Court. For over 33. years m New Zealand the old man has led a life of crime. With drunkenness as a basis, he developed into a bummer and almsseeker, an incorrigible rogue and a thief. Now he's doing time Because the law looked on him as bein^ an idle and disorderly person without means of support. Last Friday morning week Constable McKelvie, of Clyde Quay, saw. the old man lying dirty and filthydrunk, worse than old Noah is related to have been, m Cambridge Terrace. He had not been out of gaol many days, and 'McKelvie did not want to be hard on him and just advised him /to pull up a bit. Later on m the afternoon the old warhorse was bumming everybody m Courtenay-place, and though McKelvie's patience was sorely' taxed he gave him just another chance ; but when on Saturday the old man was making himself particularly obnoxious to pedestrians, and as McKelvie had received complaints, he had to do his duty and locked him up "under the vag." "How oan you prove I. am a rogue and vagabond?" asked accused. Dr. McArthur : It's for you to disprove that You are. .A very •lengihy criminal record was put lh';a£ains}; tße" "prisjcmer xcpd '" 'AMe'\ qiuestion tarose whether it was not up to Strain to be dealt with as an habitual criminal. The threat seemed to have had 'its terrors for the old man, who admitted that since he came out to New Zealand m 1&77 be <had led a wild and i/hglorious life; but. whether he means what "he said or not, he gave it 1 out that it was 31 years since he did anything resembling honest toil. The police, he went on to say, had a great down on him, and if m 31 years there, were a large number of convictions against. him he had suffered the penalties of the Law and it was not right th&t he should suffer again. The police never gave him a ohanoe, and they would hang him if they could. Then he told of his soldier's career and wound up with the statement that he fought for his country and that he was the son of a soldier. "I want a rest," lie cried, Tyut was cut short with the curt remark' from the Bench that his rest this time would be three months.