GERMAN GREBNER AGAIN !

NZ Truth, Issue 81, 5 January 1907, Page 8

GERMAN GREBNER

LIBERTY AND ALLEGED J LUNACY. . I High-handed Proceedings. Sane Woman Arrested on Warrant, j Capers of Camberwell Police. Inquiry Imperative. In our issue of December i 5, under Hie heading of "Grebner 's Grab" was published the history of a case m which there were cross- suits involved, between a German gardener named Fritz Grebner and the well-known nurserymen, Messrs Evans and Son, Taita. Grebner, to escape further damning. cross-examination, offered a compromise m the .middle of the case, which was accepted by Messrs Evans. That the charges brought against Grebner m that case were none too hot and strong for this forced-testi-monials crook will be admitted when the following story of the scoundrel's treatment of his wife and bee shocking illusage by two- damnably ignorant, ■\ BRAINLESS AND BRUTAL BOBBIES and a cranky,, cowardly lawyer fellow, has been' perused. It is taken from Melbourne "Truth" of December 15, published, strange to say on the vary same 'day . that New Zealand "Truth" was excoriating German gardener Grebner. We quote from our Melbourne issue :—

One ■of the most stupid blunders the police force of Victoria and an honorary magistrate ever made was perpetrated on Sunday, when, acting on the uncorroborated statement of a nervous man, «, respectable woman was arrested m her own house on the charge of being a lunatic. The victim of this outrage was Mrs Louisa Grebner, a resident of King-street, Upper Hawthorn, and the person who laid the information against her was Mr A. Glen Roberts, a, solicitor, residine m the district, and carrying on business m the Equitable Buildings, Collins-street. The> story he told the- police that led them to act m the 'foolish manner they did is an extraordinary one, and it says little for the accuser or the constables who allowed themselves to be made parties to the deplorable business.

The officer m charge <©f the Camberwell Police Station is Sergeant Sheehan,- who left the station on Sunday m charge of Constable Nanr kervis whilst he was absent on special dut^ In the afternoon Mr Roberts put m an appearance, ami informed the officer that h? feared Mrs Grebner was insane, and was about to COMMIT A CRIME —the crime being; to cany out a threat he alleges she had made to do him an injury. On these grounds lie laid the information under section 20 of the Lunacy Act, for the arrest. The constable was faced with the initial difficulty or not being able to supply the official form on which the information has to be sworn, but Mr Roberts being a solicitor, got over the difficulty by writing out a warrant on' an ordinary piece of foolscap papgr. Armed with this, they waited on Mr J. F. Walker, a newly-» appointed, and consequently inex-, perienced, J.P., who innocently at- J tached his sicnature to it, and by | doing so robbed the unfortunate woman of her liberty. What transpired '■< after that is best told m Mrs Grebner's own words. "Last Sunday," she informed a "Truth" man who waited on her, "I was sitting down after dinner, when a knock ca/me to the front door. On opening it I saw Constable Nankervis. m uniform. He said, '.Good mornine, and how are you getting on?' I replied that

I WAS BETTER, and he said, 'The sergeant wants you to callup at the police station at once. 1 I said, 'What does he want ?' and thinking that the police had some news of my husband, who has deserted me, and not wishing the neighbors to hear, I said, 'You had better come inside.' He came m, and I started to get my little boy Rex ready for Sunday school. The constable said, 'You had tetter come up. as I think he has something to tell you about you husband." I replied that if it was to hear, news about my husband I was not going-, as I would not walk that far to hear about him. If the^ had anything to tell me I said they could brine; the news to me, as I was tired and wanted to rest, as I had been working hard during the week. All this itime, I may mention," continued Mrs Grabner, "the constable was moving about the room following me wherever I went. In fact he re-, minded me for all the world of A BLACK CAT watching a baby mouse. Well, he went away at last, and I had a tin of hot water on the fire , to bath the boy, when I heard him call out, 'Oh, mother, mother.' This was about half an hour after the constable had. gone, and I thought the toy had palled out because the tin of hot water had upset. I', came out of the bedroom, and when I got to the diningroom I heard the back door open, and m walked Constable banker vis, still m uniform, and Constable Price, who was m plain clothes. I stood as if petrified for a moment, and then realised that it was their appearance at the back door that had frightened the boy and made him call out. Nankervis came up to me, and, catching hold of mv arm, said, 'Come on up to the police station' ; I have a warrant for you, and you must come whatever way I can get you.' He then called out to Constable Price, 'Collar hold of that nipper, BANG OUT THE FIRE, lock up the- windows, and come/ "Now," resumed Mrs Grebner, "I. know enoucrh to know that the police must read a . warrant before they' can arrest you, and I 'told Nankervis to do so. I thought that mv husband •had done something wrong, and had implicated me. What.it was, however, I could. not imagine. Nankervis still had hold of my arm, and, from something he let drop, it sud-. denly dawned on me why i hey wanted to' arrest me. I knew that I must keep calm, so I said, 'If you want me to go will) you, you must allow me tn dress mv.self ; so therefore. Mr NantoeiviK, vnu sit HinT. ivnd you, Mr Price, sit (here, noiniin'" tn two chairs. They did so, looking

very surprised, and I went into the kitchen, took the warm water oS the fire, and was about to wash the boy, when Constable Nankervis jumped up crying to Price, 'Look put she don't scald him.' The man was ridiculous, and I said, 'What nonsense ; am I likely to scald mv boy. The billet you should have taken is that of' a nurse-gM.' After that Price kept close to me, and when I went into the yard to get the boy's sox off the line, he called out,

'SHE'S OFF : POP ROUND the other side and catch her. 1 On this Nankervis rushed madly out the front door and round the side of the house. Worried and upset as I was," continued Mrs Grebncr, with a hearty laugh at the recollection of the scene, "I could not help smiling at the absurd capers of the men, and said, 'You two idiots. Surely I may go into the yard for the' boy's sox?' I then said, 'Now, I don't want any more nonsense, if I am to go -with you, I must -get dressed, vand you, Constable Price,' as you ' evidently want to graduate as a nurse-girl, you may put the boy's boots and sox on,' and he did," continued Mrs Grebner.

"What I have particular^ to complain about,' however," continued the narrator, "is the conduct of the- two constables after this. Constable Nankervis said to my little boy. who is not' yet eight years old, 'Come with me to my place, away from a woman like that.' Now, had he any right to speak to my little boy like that?' asked the poor woman, with tears m her eyes. 'He is all

I HAVE TO LOVE, and it was very cruel of them. I then begged them to go for Mrs Burns, a friend of mine, or Miss Ducker, of the Ladies' Benevolent Society to look after the boy whilst I was away. but Constable Nankervis refused, saying, 'We are not here to arrest Miss Ducker ; it is you, so hurry up. 1 I went into the bedroom to change my dress, and Nankervis called out, 'Lock the windows,' and Price came into the bedroom and did so. He then went out, and I closed the door, but Price immediately op-ened it a^ain, and stood there with it wide open whilst

I CHANGED MY DRESS. I asked him for the sake of decency to close the door, but he ■-infused, and I than, said he was a disgrace to mankind. I got dressed at last, and Price then called out to Nankervis, 'Put out the fire. I think she's about done, and she's dressed un to the .knocker*' They then locked up, the house, and I walked out, holding my boy's hand. In the street. Price caught hold of my arm and said' 'Conic along ; I have walked up the street with a better looking girl than you,' but I shook him off, and they allowed me to walk a few yards ahead of them to the police station." "What time did you leave your house ?" inquired the reporter.

"About half-past 2," was the re"And what occurred at. the police station?"-- "I sat under the back verandah with my boy on my knee for fully two hours, when the doctors arrived. Dr. Wilkinson called me into aroom first, and asked me a nuiriber of questions about mv past life, and I told him my troubles, and- then Dr. Loosli did the same. The doctors weijt away, and at 7 o'clock I said to one of the policemen, "It is a disgrace keeping this child so long without his tea. If I am to be 1 kept here any longer you had better get him something to eat." He than got Rex and myself A OUP OF TEA." And how long! were you detained ?— I left home at half-past 2 m the afternoon, and did not get home until nearly. 11 o'clock at ni'.eht. I kept up at /the time, but on Monday the reaction came, and I have been ill since. This is the plain unvarnished story of her extraordinary adventures as told by Mrs Grebner to a "Truth" reporter, and it is one that must attract universal attention. Apart from the conduct . of the policemen, who behaved m such a rough manner when on duty that, even if Mrs Grebner had been insane the greatest tact and delicary was required, the whole circumstances require explanation. The part the police have taken will be investigated by the department, but what about MR WALKER, J.P. - who signed the warrant '! His explanation of what occurred is that qU Sunday Mr Roberts came to him m

company with a constable, and lodged the complaint against Mrs Grebner. Mr Roberts, it seems, had acted for Mrs Grebner's husband m some legal proceedings m which she sued for maintenance. Grebner -was m the employ of the Canxfoenvell Council as curator of the gardens, his salary being £150 per annum. The couple did not get on well together, and Mr Roberts,, on behalf of the husband, wrote to the wife, saying that he did not (intend to live with .her aeain, and demanding* her child. Tlu:ee months after the despatch of this letter Mrs Grebner sued her husband for maintenance, and the local court o,llowed her 20s per week. Against this an appeal was lodged at the April Sessions, ,-bxit as Mrs Grebner was ill the. hearing waj4 adjourned. ' In the meantime the couple came together again, and the matter was dropped, and m July Grelmsr disappeared altogether, leaving the wife and child WITHOUT MEANS OF SUPPORT. According to the story told the magistrate by Mr Roberts, Mrs Grebner called at his office and made use of threatening language, and the following Saturday called at his private house,, but did not see him. Her conduct was such that, thinking she was. insane, he feared injury, and therefore swore the information.

"But did you know you were signing a warrant for the woman's arrest ?" injured the reporter. "I am sure I did not," replied Mr Walker. "I have only been appointed a justice a short time,, and as the information, or 'order,' as they called it, was on ordinary writing paper, I did not k-now exactly what it was. Had I known it was a warrant for the unfortunate woman's arrest I should- have certainly sent them to a police magistrate." ,

The medical gentlemen who examined the woman certified that

SHE WAS PERFECTLY SANE, and the extraordinary position which now presents itself is, "Who was to pay their fees ?" They were certainly sent for by a constable, .but he had no authority to dp so, and Mr Roberts, who swore the information, declines to carry that little financial baby. The Government -should certainly not be called upon to pay for his blunder, for blunder it was, to have Mrs Grebner arrested. The life story of Mrs Grebner prior to foer desertion by her husband is a" sad one. The man appears to have been one who ill-treated his- wife, took her money, and boasted that he had another woman. She left him on several occasions, and earned her own living, the last occasion being a couple of years ago, when she went to a station m New South Wales with her boy. ; The man, who was. at that throe curator of the Flemirig'ton Gar- ! dens, advertised week after: week- 2''Lulu, Lulu, for God's sake come back." Arid eventually she did, only to be ill-treated again. This case is valuable as an illustration of the danger an innocent and PERFECTLY SANE PERSON is liable to at the hands of an.officious and ignorant policeman. The Legislature has surrounded the Lunacy Act with all sorts of safeguards to prevent a sane person being arrested, and yet on a quie.t Sunday afternoon anl inoffensive and defences less " woman is dragged out of heir house and detained within the preoincts of a police station for hours. The only -bright and redeeming feature m the whole miserable business was the action of the sergeant (Shee j nan). ' who, so soon as he received the doctor's reports, that the woman was sane, sent for the magistrate who sifrned the warrant for her arrest, and Mr H.. P. Derich, another justice, who sat /as a court at the watchhouse, heard the doctor's evidence, and : formally discharged her from custody. .