LOVE IN A SAFE

NZ Truth, Issue 877, 16 September 1922, Page 5

LOVE IN A SAFE

t A Strange Fixed Deposit The Housing Problem -Solved. The divorce machine was busy m the Wellington Supreme Court again this week, Mr Justice Reed' being at the control lever seeing that everything- ran straight. Everything was m order and the decrees nisi were turned out at about the usual rate, so many per hour, so many minutes for each. Emily Gertrude Hatfield was one of the aggrieved ones, and Lawyer Johnson helped her to tell her story to the Court about the erring ways of Herbert Arthur Hatlield, who used to have a clerking job m the Government Printing Office, but is now something on the waterfront when a likely job offers. Emily Gertrude did not throw much light on. the business beyond that she had married Herbert bright and early m 1914 — on New Year's Day, m fact — and that married life had suited fairly well till the night of May 17 last year, when hubby put on his hat and boots and gave out. that vaudeville appealed to him that evening. He did not turn up again that night— explanations no doubt demanded — and a couple of days later told her that he had had to resign his good job because he had been . FOUND WITH A WOMAN m the Government Printing Office. A few details were added, but that is how her story boiled down. The frills and intimate details were left to ' the telling of Nighwtatchman Charles Francis Parker. He was walking round and about the buildings early on the morning of May 18, about 4.30 a.m., when something or other led him to the strongroom door. It opened and the deadringer of the photo handed him by Lawyer Johnson stood , before him. Witness asked "why and what," and was told that there had been a little shivoo that evening and the erring one had wandered inside and fallen asleep. He Avas told to come out, andvdid so, bringing A BASIN OF DISINFECTANT with him. At that time witness thought that he was alone, but all', the same he went inside and took a lookThe light was anyhow and he saw what he thought was another man lying on the floor covered up with a coat or two. He put his hand down to lift him by the collar, and, behold, 'twas a real live woman. She was asked "what the devil," but she said she had no' idea. She did not know how she got there nor who had been m there with her nor anything else, and by and by the pblice came along according- to a 'phoned invitation and took her away to sleep by herself. Lawyer Johnson wanted to ask quite a few more questions, as to how the coats had been made up on the floor, as to indications that Hatfield had been lying down as well, and so on, but his Honor said he had heard enough to grant an order. And so it was. The other woman m the case was not cited as a co-re./ though her name figured quite a few on the papers of the case. The' night, or morning, she was gathered m a. charge of having been found by night, etc., was laid against her,, but the charge was never proceeded with as Hatfield, an officer of the works, had taken her there- ' , -