THE GUST CASE.

NZ Truth, Issue 92, 23 March 1907, Page 5

THE GUST CASE.

LECHEROUS LAY-READER TAKES HIS LEAVE

Accompanied by Another Mail's Guilty Wife.

Dastardly Dan Hassell— His Doings

and His Downing!

A fortnight ago this paper gave full particulars of a terrible scandal which had set the whole of Canterbury talking. Probably-, had the prinpipal actor m the smellfui affair been an ordinary, everyday kind of person little would have been heard of it. But m the Oust case the villa/in of the domestic drama was quite an entity, not only m Oust itself, but throughout * Canterbury. Everybody knew Dan Hassell, for he courted publicity, having stood for Parliament, taken an active part m Municipal life, and been a prosperous business man for years m the Province. As for religion i he was a shining light, a pillar of the church), to whom the parson, could point With unctious satisfaction as the true type of the upright and G-od-f earing Christian. Dan Hassell, the pietist and purist, was indeed a good man— "By, their works ye shall- judge, theto"^ abid this Hfcssell went to church" re-' gularly, contributed handsomely to the platen mouthed the scriptures as becometh 1 a dutiful lay-reader, and inculcated ■* the elementary knowledge of the S&viour into the minds of the youth of.^ust. Had there been a halo sent* from Heaven as an anticipatory, reward for the most pious,, it's tolerably certain that HaSsell's head would have been the head selected for decoration; - folr of all, the podlv of Oust, he was the most godly. He looked, also, after the affairs of this world, aiming once, unsuccessfully, for a seat m Parliament, as already recounted. He dispensed justices from the Bench, and THE BLATANT BOOZER or other criminal was almost reconciled to being fined and sentenced by, such a godly man. In business also,, as is the due of a just and upright man, Haesell. was a notable example of success, and gathered unto himself considerable of this world's goods. Butt even so, he was always willing to aid, by the loan of money or oi&er assistance, those mord unfortunate than himself. And if, whilst performing- such truly Christian work, Hassell invariably: demanded his pound of flesh m the shape of ample security and equally ample interest , lame dogs w<ho needed helping over financial stiles hastened to Hassell happy m the thought that here was indeed a' financier .with whom they 'could do business with the certainty of honest dealing. For was not Hassell a man of God, a lay reader, a; Sunday-school teacher; and, r withal, a prominent' Magistrate and public .?' Yea ■ verily. So Hassell prospered and waxed fat— in Oust; Amongst those who had financial dealings with Daniel Hassell was a local tradesman. Bow this man came to get into Hassell 's clutches does not transpire, but the amount' of his indebtedness is said lobe £200 . Anyhow, he Was undoubtedly heholden ; to H^^ell fof the C Ways" and; means of continuing business \ and the godly man of Oust held sound security ' and received cood interest for his money. It so fell out that, by reason of his Bible-banging bumkura, or his position as POOH-BAH OP OUST, or his financial hold on the man, prohafoly the latter reason was the real reason, Hassell became a friend of the tradesman— a great friend. Just why Hassell the good and great —of Oust— desired this friendship so desperately has t 0 be told. Hassell, the pietist, the leading light and guide of Gust, the sweet-sould snufflebusting Hassell, coveted the wife of his underling. This bright hope of the parsonical push, horriible, heretical Hassell, looked with longing eyes upon the wife of the 'man whom he had under his thum,"b, and straightaway forgetting the pure platitudes which he had so often mouthed as a bright particular star of the church, made up his mind to satisfy his lustful longings. What Dan Hassell did was no ordinary act of sudden passion, but an act of calmly and cunningly contrived concupiscence. . No common case of seduction, but that worst of all forms of adultery; the ravaging: of the wife of the man he called his friend. Of course Hassell succeeded m his foul design ; such religious ranting wretches generally succeed m their lustful liaisons and Dan Hassell was ' far too much an accomplished libertine to fail m his designs against the fair 1 name of the woman he had set himself tfr en- • snare. Ho-fr long; the miiltv. interncourse was carried on undiscovered is unknown, but the awakening for the poor dupe came as unexpectedly as such awakenings do' come. He found Hassell and his wife m such circumstances as admitted of no doubt as to their relations-hip. Of course there Was a bother, but what could he, m Hassell 's power financially, do to reyenge himself. He had, perforce, to accept the inevitable, but the' slimy scandal which this connivance would have covered uri gradually became common talk. The end came a few days ago, when Hassell departed by train to the Bluff. Afoout the same time the lady went by boat to the southern port, and the guilty p,air have left the colony to bury themselves and their sad. sordid story m Australia. -Meanwhile there is a desolate home or two m Oust, and the puritanical push thereabouts are looking round for another "bright" example of piety for the several religious positions laft vacant by that ex-Bible-banger, snufflebusting seducer, levanting lav-reader, Dan Has- ! sell.