A PROHIBITION POTHER.

NZ Truth, Issue 130, 14 December 1907, Page 5

A PROHIBITION POTHER.

HOW DID HADFIELD WASTE HIS ESTATE? He Has a Wife That Nags. Notice of Appeal Given. George Samuel Hadfield, who runsa big advertising and general agency business m New Zealand, is one of those unfortunate geniuses whose brain travels too swiftly for ordinary purposes, and a highly-strung temperament has to be tethered to this slow-going sphere with beer, or whisky, or whatever poison the victim affects. Hadfield is an aristocratic looking personage, with a keen face, who twelve months ago found the alcoholic oiling of his nerves to be a disastrous process, and he was. compelled to call a meeting of his creditors. His wife Mabel applied this week, through Mr Stout, for the issue or a prohibition order by the Wellington Court, and the application . was strenuously opposed by the advertising genius through his friend, solicitor McG-rath. The financial crisis of a year ago pulled Had-, field up with a round turn, but unfortunately his birthday occurred on May 12 of last year, and George Samjuel celebrated the circumstance with great enthusiasm. They had a nice little home at Miramar at that time, and the genius painted it a brilliant vermillion. In fact he gave it several unnecessary coats and then daubed his alcoholic brush around the neighborhood. The wife was confined somewhere about this time and furnished material for future celebration, until the neighbors began to remark pityingly and with secret satisfaction, "Poor Mrs Hadfield. What 'a r>i<"c h? drinks , such a clever man, too ; and she with the child." August ■found the smpxt business man still going strong, and at the beginning of the year he found that he had td sell out at Miramar and shift into town. Here Hadfield drank on and off for eleven weeks, w-hen his wife got sick of it and left him. She was making application for a separation order, but when Hadfleld made a few abject promises to dodge tbe wMsky when it is neat, and also with water m it, and also to eschew beer (which is a vastly different thing to "chewing" the brutal stuff), the. missus took him to her bosom again. After this the intemperate person kept straight for three or four months, and, the family took a trip to Christchurch and Dunedin The patient's conduct was most exemplary, nlUiouch the watchful Mabel noticed signs of drink occasionally and regretted the same. Everything m the garden wns absolutely lovely until Hadfield steamed to Auckland m connection -with his extensive biz, Prom all accounts he went ON A GIGANTIC BEND m the. Queen city, and drank himself into a private hospital. The missus received a telegram from Dr. Gillon, who is a friend of the family, and she rushed north m a distracted manner. According to Mrs H., hubby let Ms northern agents and samplerooms go to the devil and his life insurance policy was permitted to expire. She contended that Hadfield was damaging his health irretrievably with whisky, and was placing his constitution m a bad state of disrepair with occasional beers. She was present when Dr. Gillon put the stethoscope on her misguided other half and heard him remark that owing to the condition of his heart, any insurance policy would be loaded from 2£ to ' 5 per cent. The family returned to Wellington subsequently, and tPadfield sought strenuously to increase the percentage qf loading, and carried a liquid load every Saturday with persistent regularity. Towards the end he enveloped the white man's burden on other days m the week, and got m the habit of arising and going out at 4, 5 and 6 and 8 a.m., presumably for a hair of the dog that had torn him with its ivories on the previous night. Wherefore the missus applied for. the issue of a prohibition order, as already mentioned. Prom the mere man's point of view the case wasn't half so bad as depicted. In fact, the morbid sensibility of the woman was largely responsible for magnifying the mild occurrences. In reply to Mr McGrath, Mrs Hadfield acknowledged that her erring husband's business was m a better condition to-day than it was twelve months ago, and counsel laid stress on the fact m rebuttal of the charge that his maligned olient was mis-spending, wasting and lessening his estate. The .missus was also quite aware that her brilliant spouse was even now m possession of orders representing thousands of, pounds. She acknowledged that she "drank something herself sometimes, and her disrespected husband got it for her occasionally. It was true she didn't get on very well with her lord and master, but that was owing to the cursed drink. An elderly female named Mrs Shorney testified to Hadfield's general state of disrepair through whisky, when he was at Miramar. Solicitor McGrath called Hadfield to show that Ms personal estate had prospered exceedingly under the guiding spirit of whisky, which was not taken to a greater extent than most commercial men were m the habit of imbibing it. The ill-assorted pair certainly lived unhappily t together, but the wife had her remedy, and the procedure was different to the application for a prohibition order. He pointed out that there were only two serious lapses, one of whioh was at Auckland, and on that occasion Hadfield was laid low by the prevailing "flu." The Miramar experiences were some considerable time ago and should not affect the present proceedings. Hadfield stated that he was seized with influenza m the northern city, and unfortunately was persuaded by^ a friend TO TAKE A FEW WHISKIES and quinine for the malady. The doctor's remarks upon his conduct had been exaggerated. The medico said that the patient was an excitable person, but there was nothing much wrong with him, and he would prob- ! ably live to 75. He was not being examined for insurance purposes/ as alleged, and Dr. Gillon merely re- I marked that his present illness would loarl a r-ven Him to the extent of 2^ per cent. ; others couldn't take out a