GIRDLER'S GRUEL.

NZ Truth, Issue 115, 31 August 1907, Page 6

GIRDLER'S GRUEL.

Not Grandpa m a Legal Sense. One of the most stupid men extant presented his face and his name to the garish light of publicity at the Christchurch S.M. Court t'other day. David Girdler is a plum fool. In October of last year a young lad was committed to the Burnham Industrial School by Mr Bishop,. S.M., the grandfather, Girdler aforesaid', being m Court, and he was ordered to pay six bob a week towards the kid's support under the Industrial School's Act. He didn't comply with the ord-' er latterly for the simple reason that he couldn't, and when a policeman with bis feet, and a commanding voice, happened along to his domicile and demanded his body lie had no resource but to comply. Then he was carted to Lyttelton gaol and did a month hard. On emerging from obscurity he called on Lawyer Leatham and said he was a very ill-used man ; he desired to know if he could get the Court order cancelled owing to inability to part up- Mr Leattogm then discovered that the man wasn't liable m law at all, inasmuch as he wasn't a grandfather m the legal sense. The child was the illegitimate boy of his deceased daughter ; the putative father hadn't been proceeded against for maintenance 'because the girl always refused to divulge his name, and CARRIED HER SECRET TO THE GRAVE. As the child wasn't born m lawful wedlock Girdler wasn't the grandfather de jure, and had he been represented by counsel at the hearing, or- even opened his mouth and stated the facts he wouldn't have been imprisoned. But that's his own funeral. "Why didn't you speak at the hearing ?" asked the S.M. of Girdler. "Well, just as I started talking orderly Scully ordered me to sit down." (Laughter.) This happens to be one of Scully's little ways with verbose court; customers. The S!M, said Crirdler may have spoken at: the wrong time; he was always ready to hear what anyone had to say.— However, Girdler had himself to blame for his position. The order would be cancelled.