HAGGLING OF THE HARRIS'S.

NZ Truth, Issue 105, 22 June 1907, Page 6

HAGGLING OF THE HARRIS'S.

All Over a Bold Bad Grass-seeder.

Some unspecified- individual who is alleged to follow : the occupation of grass-seeder . when the season's m, has .sjust been the cause of the separation of a married couple at Akaroa,: and ithere have heen all sorts of law castes as a result. John Harris, otherwise i* Jinks," is the aggrieved husband. 'One night he brought home a "Setter for -has wife, and as the address was m a mam's handwriting he wanted to know the contents. So his Ccloved sat on his knee arid commenced reading, the interesting epistle to him. But she only, read portions, skipping itobose parts which' she didn't .«vant him to know about. He insisted On the wtfiole lot being read for his edification, -but she refused, and there Xvas a ■bright and lively. ■ flare up. The lady, whose front name is Mary, tore •'rfche^ letter m a few pieces and put some of them m her mouth. Harris collared the piece that was m her hand, and then grabbed • her by the throat and made her spit out the remainder. By that method h-e got the .<w«hole letter," fragmentary as it Was. .The lady -was very wild, but went to bed and commenced reading a novelette. Next day she cleared off and took the three children with- her. ,Then she summoned her "husband for assault, and the matter was investi-R-a-tdd before Magistrate Day. /The .woman admitted that the letter was from a man, tout said that therevwas nothing of

AN IMPROPER NATURE

m it. The Bench found that there •wasn't suifßcient evidence before him ito find for the complainant, v and tie dismissed the case. There was .another summons on the list— one for maintenance ; but as the woman shouldn't have left her husband, there being no need for her to do so, this was dismissed also. The S.M. advised her to return to her home- But this -mas not all. Another, case arose out of r ihe 'miserable business. There' was a danoe at Okain's Bay just , afterwards,, and all the Harrises in' the district seem to have attended it, including "Jinks" Harris above-men-tioned. It was a great dance, and iasted until four o'clock m the morning. Just as Harris was going outside he was called to a tnap (m which his wife and mother-in-law were sitting. On arriving there aaiother Harris, Thomas, suddenly -gipt 3iold of him by the neck and. started ohofeing him, and while he was acting the v role of thug,' the wife (his own lovely, darling wife) went ■ through -the victim's pockets. Naturally, 'John Harris. went for Thomas H. for assault, and, as a doctor swore that there were marks of injury on the throat, the Bench fined, the defendant a quid and much costs. The -excuse for going through the man's pockets was that the wife was searohi'BGj: for rings.) What she really 'desired,' ■no-doubt, was that incriminating letter^ Choking seems to be a papular pastaoie with the Harris family. Meanwhile, Mrs Harris refuses to return tome. And- the whole vicious trouble has 'arisen through an illiterate letter from; a grass-seeder.