TAR AND FEATHERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 84, 26 January 1907, Page 5

TAR AND FEATHERS.

The Farmer and the Blacksmith's Wife. Brutal "White-cap" Methods at , Kaikoura.

An illicit love story has been causing a good deal of discussion in' . Kaikoura, m- the Marlborough district, and .it will have a divorce court , ending m a few weeks time, when the next sessions eventuate at Christohurch. The aggrieved party is -a iq^iiet-gomg, inoffensive blacksmith whose marriage has turned out far from happy; A farmer has been making love to his' wife with great success, so it is alleged. He was a constant visitor to the place, and things got so strong that the son of Vulcan .ordered him never to come there again. But he was the personification of persistency, and continued Ms attentions to the missus, who appears to have encouraged him. The lady isn't the meek and mild female which the majority of her. sex pretend so be ; she likes to have her own way, and one day she BASHED HER INTERFERINGHUSBAND with some implement or other, and he took out a. summons against, her, and succeeded m getting ' her , bound over to keep the peace for a period. But the amorous farmer still trotted along to pay? has devoirs, and presently the whole township knew a- - bout -the scandal. They sympathised with the husband, who appears to have been a pretty good specimen of a nincompoop and not worthy of much honest sympathy m that he • was too weak-spirited to fight his own battles and avenge his own \ honor. " But some of the residents of the place thought they would take a hand' m the game. The blacksmith is .a member of the mounted rifles, and the corps thought it was up to them to defend their comrade's 'arth and 'ome a-nl honor. Armed with other than the munitions of war they marched to a spot where they knew the despoiler would be found, corralled him m the river • bed, stripped him even of his socks and tarred and feathered the naked man, who, to do him justice, put up a sireat battle at the outset, but was overpowered by numbers. Then the brave corps marched back again chucking out their chests and feel ing that they were heroes indeed , to be able to overpower anh brutally maltreat a solitary man, on a mere suspicion. When the riflemen left him, the farmer got into his togs a?;am and reached home by a path that secured him from observation. Rut. he vowed eternal vengeance : he was acquainted with the identity of his assailants and straightway prosecuted them. But he was m the unfortunate position of having everybody against him, and the court ; proved to \k so also, the cases be- j ing dismissed. j