THE LODGER AGAIN!

NZ Truth, Issue 151, 9 May 1908, Page 5

THE LODGER AGAIN !

DID HAMILTON KISS MRS. NEWBERRY ?

Did All the Parties Booze?

THE SORROWS OF A SYDENHAM COUPLE.

Th« eternal lodger, has recently played (m eminently responsible part m the estrangemeat of Ruth Newberry and her husband Charles, who is a baker and grocer at Sydenham. Matters reached a climax when Ruth left her husband, and the lodger also took his departure, and Jtfevvberry. was' charged m the Magisv trate's Court with desertion and persistent cruelty, and an order was sought under the Summary Separation Act. Solicitor Flesher demanded his pouud ol meat on the woman's behalf, and Lawyer Connelly repelled the accusations with firmness and witnesses. Incidentally, it is a tale of beer and whisky, and a woman m the lodger's room with her nightgown oh, and exploding firearms by night and .domestic misery of a poignant Character.- , , Mrs Newberrv informed the Court that she had been "married to Newberry for a period of live years, and. she had two step-daughters,' but no children, other 'own. Hubby's conduct towards herself had been excellent until six months back, when she saw Dr. Ackland about -her tide and .eternal injuries caused by strain krising from heavy-weight lifting m the shoo. It was at this period that Newberry regarded her with the baleful eve of disfavor and cursed and swore at - her m a most objectionable manner. He .had got the singular idea into his noodle that she had been misconducting herself with James Hamilton, the lodger, who rented two rooms, which he had furnished him- - self and lived m with his three children. Newberry had threatened to shoot her. and mentioned casually that he would cut lier throat: On February 13 he brandished a razor, and the woman remarked, "No you don't !". It is probable Mrs. N's. corpse would have disfigured the premises had not the lodger come in.and ' took her husband out for a walk. "Come here and look at this blanky fiend," Newberry shouted to Hamilton, m a frenzy of agitation and -beer.; Whereupon Hamilton took the excited baker out and walked him about till three o'clock m the morning. Meantime, the unhappy woman went and slept with her stepdaughters. : Newberry- was m a constant state of beer, and used to ventilate his jealous suspicion when under the influence. ' Once he said he could bring witnesses to. prove that Ruth was only Hamilton's blanky mistress. He alleged that she had misconducted herself with Hamilton' more than once, and had been on Hamilton's bed and his knee. The poor woman asked the brutal person to be quiet on account of the children. He replied that he didn't 1 care ; everybody would know presently as. he was • going to ;tako ... ; ♦ PROCEEDINGS TO OBTAIN 'A' DIVORCE. One day he came home, from his -round, then went and got drunk, and when, asked to have something to eat said he wouldn't - eat anything m the house so long as she remained there, and would havo his -blanky- meals outside. All of Newberry's remarks were punctuated with blanky. He also apcused the missus of being drunk, a grievious libel, for she aad never been squiffy m her life. In March she felt very bad, and saw the doctor. ' Somewhere about this time her husband remaTked that he had a shot m his locker for herself and Hamilton, and he handed the lodger a letter, m which Newberry declared that he wasn't . going -to 'be "disgraced by Mrs Newberry's improper relations" with the lodger. The husband and wife had been happy together until Hamilton came into the house. 'If the woman left the house, as she had threatened to do, Newberry 'wrote that hef would institute proceedings for divorce. / However, if she remained, and fulfilled * her marriage pledges, he ' was willing to do nothing further. The missus and the lodger were indignant over this unwarrantable epistle, and ■ when Newberry . asked the woman what her intentions, were on the same nirdit. she said she would go. She didn't like to stay after being slandered before the children.; Accordingly. Newberry called the family together and asked them not .to repeat what •they had ever heard him say about his wife and Hamilton, to whom he apologised. Next .day. however, he came home raving, and shouted, "You've got drink m this room; I'll . turn everything upside down till I find It." To this she replied, "The v only drink m the house is the whisky m your room."- -The man then remarked that he had made up his mind to give her a blanky six- months of it, and make her life a hell upon earth. On the nieht before she left the house, a fortnight previously, he advised ncr to go and see a doctor, and he would be guided by the necessity or otherwise of an operation m his intention to sue for a divorce- A woman like her, he paid, had no right to get married at all. He was drunk at the time, and on the same night HE FIRED A GUN thrpugh- the qeiling of his room. It occurred to her that" it was time to leave ; at this stage. . . In reply to Mr Donnelly, she acknowledged that her husband had never' laid a nand on her, although he had threatened .to do so. She would never go back to ' : him and live with him again. She hadn't slept with him for three months prior to leaving the premises : and abstained from doing so on the doctor's orders. Do you not drink yourself. Mrs Newberry ?— I used to take a glass oi beer or a shandy with him m the bakehouse, once m the morning and once at night but I was never under the influence of liquorIs it not a fact that it is the drink and Mr Hamilton that have come betweea you and your husband ?— No, sir ; he often asked me, m the presence of Mr , Hamilton to take a drink, 'but I refused, and he was angry because I took milk instead. 1 When the gun was discharged by Newberry the wife said fhe was m the bedroom of the girls', and she remarked to v Nellv, "Your father has shot himself." She made no- attempt to go and find out herself, but Nellie went into her father's room, and found him apparently , asleep. You were repeatedly m Mr Hamilton's room .?— No, he was only m my room m the presence of the children. (The «uestion was evidently misunderstood.) Mv • husband allowed him to come m when I was bad m bed. Have you not been m his room with . nothing on • but your night-dress ?—■ No ; I have not. James Hamilton, the much-discussed lodger, is- a sign-writer at Svdenham . and a widower, apparently between 38 and 40 years of age. He stated that Newberry was a right-enough sort of individual when he was sober, but had an ungovernable temper when the beer was m. He gave evidence as to hearing the threats and blanky language. The lodger went out shooting with Newberry , on Easter Monday, 'and saw that all the cartridges were extracted .from! the guns ] when he returned. The gun was discharged m his room by Newberry at 11 o'clock at nisht. but it didn't occur to | Hamilton that he ought to go and see what was the matter. Newberry with- j drew the slanderous remarks he had made | about the missus and the lodger, when • the lodger threatened to leave. Mr Donnelly : Is it not a fact that you ; have been m that woman's room with the door shut ?— No, I have not..

Has she ever been m your room m her night dress ? — Not tkat I am aware of. Has she ever been m your room with nothing on BUT HER BLOOMERS? —Not m my presence. Hamiltou acknowledged that Mrs Newberry might .have 'been m her husband's room when the gun went of, for all he knew, yet he didn't consider "it his duty to go and investigate. He had been m the ' house some time, and knew Newberry's disposition. He was on the verge of the d.t.'s, and Hamilton wasn't going to trust himself m the room with the man and a gun. He was studying his own interests. You Were afraid ?— I was not afraid. I , am afraid of no man. To Mr Flesher : He had never seen I signs of drink on Mrs Newberry. Magistrate Bishop held that there was insufficient evidence to prove persistent cruelty, and dismissed that portion of the information. He heard further testimony to show cause why a maintenance order . should not be granted. Mrs Barber, wife -of Mrs Newberry's brother, stated that she had seen Mrs N. drunk on two occasions. Nellie Newberry, a girl of eighteen, who attended to the grocery shop, said her step-mother was seldom free from whisky. Her father had always been kind and good to his intemperate spouse, whose love of hops dated back six months only. Prior to that time she was a model woman. One night, when Mrs Newberry bad been looking on the. whisky when it was . unwatered; she told the girls m a hoarse I whisper that she was is. the family way Hamilton, and was fearful lest Newberry should find out. One afternoon she recollected her step-mother being m Hamilton's room with two doors locked between them • and the rest of the house. One evening Mrs Newberry was ill from the effects of drink, when Hamilton visited her, and the wonian went into Hamilton's room later m her night dress. Her father used to have a three-gallon keg of beer m the house, and it lasted a fortnight, usually. Her step-mother, however J got bottles unknown to the other parent. Elsie Newberry, 'j sixteen, recollected seeing Hamilton enter' heir step-mother's room wh^n ; jshe',"s&s ill m bed. and the girl opened ' the "door suddenly . and saw him' - . J^f'f '\' ■-•■■ KISS • : THE PATIENT. When caught, 'the lodger mumbled something about, medioine,- and fell down m his agitation- as /j he : f was leaving, while ma-in-iaw simulated sleep. She also saw the step-mother ivgo into the lodger's room, and she afterwards found the doors locked. - * ' ' The evidence of Newberry himself was a general corroboration of the above facts and a denial of allegations against him Ho was desirous of takinp- his wife back to his bosom again, if she would give un the whisky. He made a sporting offer to drink no. more if she would alsoi espouse Tommy Taylor's arid cause. His Worship considered there was ample ground for the wife's objection . to live with her husband, and he made an order for the payment to her of 15s a week by Newberry.