HOFT HARD HIT.

NZ Truth, Issue 116, 7 September 1907, Page 5

HOFT HARD HIT.

HIS WIFE'S PITIABLE STORY.

A Lazy, Drunken, Dissolute Husband.

Ordered to Pay £1 Per Week Maintenance.

A lazy, loafing, loutish larriken named William Hoft got a nice showing up at the Christchurch Police Court this Tuesday m a case brought by his wife. Hoft, who. is of German extraction, is a drunken, dissolute dastard- of hoggish propensities, who has neglected his missus for a long time, and the tale she told was amazing m the extreme. Charlotte Hoft alleged that the brute had been guilty of persistent cruelty to her, and she applied for a maintenance order, and a separation as well. She was represented by Mr Donnelly. Mr Knight Hunt appearing for the defendant. It appears that there are a couple of children by the marriage, and that there was a third, an older one by Hoft, the pair marrying after she brought proceedings against him for maintenance, when his old -grey-haired mother paid a big lump sum down to settle the matter. But Hoft turned out a most corrupt person, who made her life a perfect hell. It is very melancholy history. The blackguard was always exhaling odors of miscellaneous liquors, and would go home and give her thrashings. That was a very frequent occurrence : he took his hands and placed them round her throat, and pulled her hair, and on one occasion he treated her to a black eye. Further, he promised to cut her throat, with a razor, and to blow her lights out with a -gup. She always hid his raz.on when he was that way. He used ..to BORROW A GUN

now and again when he went out shooting. He had deserted her three weeks ago. Rarely did he cl 0 any woric, but when he did he would probably bring her home four bob, and spend the other four bob m 'booze. The fellow, she further told the court, had never bought any clothes for the child, and hadn't bought herself a pair of boots for three whole years. Nice evidence against a husband and a father. In reply to Mr tfunt, applicant resolutely dtitied that the whole of 'this trouble was' caused tay relatives. Her sister Polly had certainly not occasioned it ; the girl had helped to keep the house going by paying 4s a week for the room she occupied. B.'d-.'t he ask you to get rid of her because she came home all hours of the ni^ht ? — No. Didn't you and your brothers turn him out at the point of a revolver? —No. He was drunk and smashed the crockery, throwing the teapot acror.f: the street, and even burning his own hair brush m the stove. Didn't you ask your brothers to come along and kill him ?— Only when he tried to throw my sister' Polly out of the window. Weren't you always using bad language to him ?— No. Didn't you call him a low, German beast ?— Well, what did he call me ? Will you return to your husband now ?— Not at any price. Hasn't he offered to make it -up again this morning ?— Yes, but he would i ONLY GET DRUNK TO-NIGHT and very nearly kill me. Mrs Mary Jackson, mother of the last Witness has, it appears, been helping to maintain her daughter when her husband gave up the .iob. She gave evidence as to cruelty, having seen Hoft push his wife against the 1 wall and do other violence.

Sister Polly, who was alleged to have occasioned some pf the disturbance, told the court how mean Hoft was ; he hadn't even bought hisiwife a piece of ribbon since he married her. As for herself, Hoft had never requested her to leave the house until she ran to protect her sister When he was bashing her. Why did you leave your own home? asked Mr Hunt. Wasn't it because you kept out late at night, and stopped m bed all day ?— No. What was the trouble between you and him then ?— Because I sent for the police he threatened to murder me. The razor was hidden though; his wife hid it. He wanted to murder me once before. In fact, he said, "I will make no race of the lot of you." Mr Hunt said that there" had been no trouble m the family circle until relatives intervened ; then arose domestic infelicity. The man was now m good employ at P. and D. Duncan's, and was willing to take his wife back, but she refused. He had been chased out of his own home by her brother at the point of a revolver. The defendant Hoft denied persistent cruelty towards his wife. Everything was as good as gold until Polly Jackson went tp live with them. The girl had arrived at his house as late as ten o'clock one' night, and had stated that the reason that she desired shelter was I that her brother, who

ALWAYS KEPT A REVOLVER hanging by the side of his bed had threatened her with it, and she had to clear. He didn't want her to stay at his place, and he ordered her to get out that night, and she kicked up a row and sent for her brothers, and •he was obliged to clear out because one of them assaulted him from behind while the other presented a revolver at him. He managed to get away to a neighbor's. A few nights afterwards he went along tc his house to see if his wife wanted anything, and there was another row. That was becau.^e he wanted to chuck sister-in-law Polly out. His wife said to him that she was "getting a good pr?,ce" just then and didn't care- He had tried to make it up with her that mornine-. saying he might lose his job. and she replied : "I don't care a b whether you lose your job or not." She always used bad language towards him. The S.M. icrar.ted the order ; Hoft has to £1 ncr week towards his fam'i- and ihe wife is granted a separation order.