A "DON" WAITER.

NZ Truth, Issue 464, 9 May 1914, Page 2

A "DON" WAITER.

One Who Didn't Wait. La Hogue to Hand Back the Hoot. (From "Truth's" Christchurch Rep.) A few weeks ago the chief promenades of Christchurch were graced With the presence of a seemingly affluent .young gentleman of apparent Yankee origin. His general get-up consisted of a suit of 'Murkan cut clobber, loud enough to make itself heard a mile off. His boots were like p. catalogue cut and his socks were ditto, whilst his beautifully brushed thatch generally reposed under a squash felt cady. Jewellery was tastefully sprinkled here and there . over the lovely anatomy. Suddenly the gentleman dropped out of the ken of Christchurch folk for a while, but on Friday last he bobbed into prominence once more — this time at . the Magistrate's Court, where he was charged before Mr. Alphabet Bailey, S.M., with the theft of £7, the property of John Percy Smith, mine host of the well-known "Don" hashery where the HUNGRY HOBOES HANG AROUND the front and thrive' orf" a perpetual whiff of culinary conglomeration. By some means the proceedings resolved themselves into a private prosecution, Lawyer Cassidy hurling' ac-

cusations on behalf of the allegedly "skinned" Smith, and. Mr. M. Donnelly throwing his whole weight into an effort to stem the tide of invective. . A bevy of 'tecs, sat around and assiduously "lent their ears." ' "Costs" Cassidy explained that Smith was the proprietor of the Don restaurant m Manchester-street, whilst, the accused, Cecil La Hogue, was a ;waiter at that jolly, joint. Last month [Smith went to Sydney and left La Hogue m charge of "the show, instructing him to collect* ail moneys due from boarders and pay them ihto the bank •after making -certain deductions for the payment of the butcher and*- tho chap that broqght the cabbages and spuds. Instead of fulfilling his obligations, La Hogue levanted to Invercargill, leaving , A SCARCITY OF CASH behind him at the restaurant. The deficiency that could bo proved -was £7, although' considerably more was m doubV • Percival John Smith, proprietor of the Don hash tower, said ho conducted his biz. on a strictly cash basis. The place contained 18 rooms and the dining room seated 56, all rooms and all tables being as a rule fully occupied. For about six months La Hogue was m witness's employ a^s a waiter. Smith went to Sydney on biz. on April 5, leaving La Hogue m charge. After he had been m Sydney for a while, witness received a cablegram summon- | ing him back to Christchurch. On his return he found that La Hogue had j cleared out. In La Hogue's room witness found memoranda m the accused's writing showing tho takings during witness's absence to have been £9S. Since the accused's departure witness had managed by much figurative juggling of accounts to satisfy himself that £91 had been acoounted. for. Cross-examined by lawyer Donnelly witnessed reckoned that ho left the accused to run tho show nt his own dlscretiOTL Witness's ordinary takings were £60 a week, and during his fortnight's custodianship the accused should have shown A PROFIT OF ABOUT £80, whereas he really ran into debt Jean Fletcher, the chief and only fomalc hash distributor at tho Don atcw foundry, from behind a huge pink und gold brooch of soup phi to design, guvo evidence which didn't benefit l^t Hojjue'B case. 1-l Hogue, she said, did "the heavy" m kerosene coaches whllo his boss was away m Sydney. Sho reckoned that on one occasion La Hogue spoke of huvlng collected £126 In dividends at a race meeting. Witness heard th«.t l*u. Hoguc contemplated executing that disappearing stunt known as "shooting the chute," und j she, with the Intercuts of the boss twanging on her feminine, heart strlngsN cabled to .Smith and let him know that tilings were not t>Haetly O.K. Cro«a-exam'lm»d by .Mr. Donnelly, tho witness naid ttho drew v salary of £1 a week from l~i Hague, oh. yen. who took caro she got that ! Witness wan an experienced hu.sh slingi?!* and ndmltUtd that her opinion of Jji Hoguo was up to mud. He wasn't a lit subject to hold the reins of a high-class "restuurong"; he wasn't even accomplished IN SWITCHING ON THI2 SOUP, lot alone m managerial work. Frederick Uuckiey wild he was v boarder at "Iji Don." The accused 1 , on tho morning of his departure, threw his keys to witness and tuild, "I'm off." Ho showed witness tho cu«h box nnd told him that everything was In apple pio order. Mr. Donnelly onterod Into a sot to voce, conversation with tin- S.M. Ho launched the proposal that if the accused paid over the amount involved the prosecution should withdraw ihv chnrffo ag;iLn»t him. All parllOH appe«re«l to rnvor the eourHC. The S.M. asked why H wa« thui Ui Hoguo cl«'ar«d out from Christchurch. Mr. Donnelly r"ph>d that lie did to under a ml«ipP r ''» <>n ''' oM - ■ J '" ihoutjht the poili-i- wert< aftt-r him over nnodter IHilo. affair which wim In r«:tllty „f „„ imporuuti-e. l^i HoKtie didn't taktiuny ru:»!i. That wit* evident !>>' the fnct that £33 out <>f Ihe £!M ncc«»unled fof )m«l been found In the acctirfv-d'n room iifter he «!ejkiirifd. Th«> wlu»l« iroubl«< blew out at ihM jumtur.-. U »»-lnK inutimUy ncrwd thai Iji HoKwe HO 4 <»vcr £7 out of lh u £$ , .wUteli J'w yicMtod whtn urrtiited,