A LAZY LOUT.

NZ Truth, Issue 106, 29 June 1907, Page 6

A LAZY LOUT.

Thomson's Trouble,

A Queer Kind of a Cuss.

'& very curious sort pi customer has just been unearthed at . Christchurch. He is suspected of being a bit ratty, and is at •■present under official control. The chap's name is John Joseph Thomson,, a man of a- | about 4Q years of age, about 6ft high, and weighing- about seventeen stone or thereabouts. Thomson was [at one time m the Bank of' New Zealand, and rose to the position of . manager. He ■ occupied that ; position somewhere m. the South Canterbury, district, and was afterwards shifted to the North Island, but. something went wrong up there, and he left the service. During the past few years he has been living with (and on) his old ]m other and his sister who Keeps a small shop at Linwood. Nary a tap vof work has the big brute done m the way of earning his own living. He merely mooched around m a mechanical sort of way, and whenever he could get liquor it. was as acceptable as flowers m May. Prior to this Thomson had married a lady, of the bar, :but she threw him over when she found that he refused to toil, and went: to Wellington whero she now is, being m the employ of a local doctor. A ! while back she got a maintenance order against ' her lazy husband, but he navel* paid a silver cent, and she never enforced the order. When /Thomson's, father died, few years ago, he got his ' share of the estate, and appears to have got through it="in the good old way. Then he sponged on' his mother, who is over seventy years of age. He wanted another big wad of notes to. clear away from Cliristchureh, but this was naturally not forthcoming, so instead of getting graft he mooned, round until it was suspected that he was gradually getting SOFTENING OF THE BRAIN. More than one who were acquainted with the facts, however, think that he has been gammoning m Order to achieve an end, especially when he went into his bedroom; and locked the door, staying there for three solid weeks. He first of all smashed all the crockery m the roomy In vain did his poor old. mother implore him from, behind the locked door to get up and have something to eat. He used to tell her to go to hell. Fearing that he was ill she proposed to bring a doctor, but he threatened to blow, the brains out of any medico that happened along. Nevertheless, the alarmed lady sent for Dr. Thacker, but; the obstinate fellow refused him admission to 1 , his room, and used 'opprobious epistles, so the doc. went away. At the end of a few weeks Dr. Shone happened to be m the house with a lawyer after a funeral, and transacted some business. On being informed of the strange freak of son. Dr. Shone said a person who would act as he did, and laid m his bed LIKE A HOGfor so long must be .mad. The door, was burst m, and Constable Copeland, who is m charge of the LinwoOd police station, was seiifc for. He procured the services of ati-. other officer from the city m case the. big fellow might prove obstreperous, and they took him aw.ay. He went -like a lamb, however, giving riot the slightest trouble. On being searched at the police station bits ,qf biscuit were found m nearly every pocket, so Thomson evidently got up after . the household had retired for the night, and helped himself from the cupboard. He took his captivily kindly. He was given plenty of blankets, and placed m a padded cell. On being asked if he was comfortable, he replied: "Yes, it's a damned sipiht tetter than the place I left." In 1 lie morning he :ojked .ill right, and' it was decided to take him along to the Magistrate's Court for examination. Just as he got into the Black Maria he ijuite collapsed, and had- to be taken into the station 'again. .Dr. Nedwell was sent for, and he -ordered Thomsons removal to the hospital, where he now' is. The man had an unreasoning hatred of his sister for some reason or other, .and had threatened (o settle her. That was ciuite enough for Constable Cope-land to act upon arart from his alleged lun-, ficy. Ho may. not be so bad as lie makes .out.' „ • ~- ' * ■ -■ -^ • ...