The Secret of Sylvia's Silk Stockings

NZ Truth, Issue 1079, 5 August 1926, Page 8

The Secret of Sylvia's Silk Stockings

Strange Story Of Wealthy Pitt Island Farmer ' And His Pretty American Friend Did Hunt Tell Her To Order Clothes In His Wife's Name? * (From "Truth's" Special Christchurch Eepresentative.) THE life of a farmer must be prosperous m the Chatham Islands. Herbert Alexander Hunt, from Pitt Island, is having- a holiday m Christchurch at present, and from all accounts the money is flowing, freely— and champagne equally so. \ . '■

TJUNT apparently left his wife behind to mind the island farm. Q ~ < f~~ '' l ? ■ She did not make the trip with hubby, but a Mrs. Hunt from the "Weil," said Hunt Hunt worked Chatham Islands is alleged to have turned up smiling at the big ? asuall 7\, ,"* J™* u .p , ,q uite a ' r-. „ , t tf.< -ii „ r>i/\/. ,i j> t i ■i i have shouted tier a shocked expresBallantyne store and 'ticked up" worth of goods and all drink occasionally, sion. "No, I deny kinds of finery. but«not often." it absolutely." Q •'..'•' Counsel leaned Loud and tiro-

DUT this Mrs. Hunt, it appears, was' " not the lawful spouse of Herbert, but one Sylvia Webb, a young married woman and an American citizen, who — when the law charged her with false pretences — was on the eve of her departure to join her loving husband m Honolulu. He will have to wait a little longer, for Sylvia is to face a jury at Christchurch this month.' g^j^^gj^gSf-g YLVIA declares that i§^ <<SBsf^wi Hunt > whom she wr^Sßfex me * £ * nc ' 1 * became 3 V^T^stt) friendly with at the §L S^Sm^A "White Hart Hotel, §§|s$ & Christchurch, told W^Jk /) 7& her to £° to BalHWV=^S^^^ lantyne's and get , ~wh^^ra§S£| what she wanted „BB»Vvr^ggS and to explain that i r. she was Mrs. Hunt, _^=r===— - 1 O f the Chatham Islands. She did so — she admitted m her statement to the police— to her sorrow. Hunt denies that he ever gave her permission to pledge his credit. He received short shrift from Mrs. Webb's counsel, Mr. Atack, who described the Pitt Island holiday-maker as "a man from the island over here for a spree who is treating everybody to champagne." Either Sylvia is a clever adventuress who believes m making hay while the sun shines, or Hunt is an unprincipled individual, who, for reasons best known to himself, has basely repudiated a verbal undertaking to the woman and set the wheels of the law m motion to encompass her ruin. There is an element of mystery about the whole business, but that is not the question with which the jury will be concerned. • Chocolates for Sylvia That Hunt had been friendly with the woman there is no doubt on his own admissions m Court. " He admitted that he had been staying'at the same hotel — the White Hart — as Sylvia, that he had been out to parties at which she was present and that he had once bought her a box of chocolates for which he paid seven or eight "shillings. Not \only that,' but he admitted that their friendship was sufficiently intimate to allow the woman to fetch medicine for hi oi when he was laid up at the hotel with influenza. "A most unsatisfactory witness - whose evidence was given falteringly and which contained many discrepancies," was Mr. Atack's scathing sum- • ming-up of Hunt's whole attitude m the box. . Throughout the long hearing stood m the dock with her face buried m a handkerchief. Great sobs shook her body, and only once during the proceedings did she reveal her face. Then it was that an extremely pretty woman peeped out through the mist of in«nnniniiii(iniiiimiinimMi!iiiiiniim«iiiiin imiiniiiiiiimmiimiiimriiii mi mini HMBiimiDiM/wiiiniiiluiiiuimllimmiiiniiiciiiiuiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiraniiiniiiiiMiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiir

iO ■■ — ; — — — •< j tears. She was elegantly dressed, her . dark hair being concealed by a mauvo- , colored cloche hat. \ An expensive fur coat, muffled tight- , ly about her neck, gave her an air of distinction which was quite out of r keeping > with the atmosphere of the Court. t When Life Dragged } ; , J While Hunt was telling his. story, i Sylvia contradicted some of his state- , ment's by repeated scandalized "Oh's!" 1 which exclamations were followed by ■ loud sobbing. : It was a remarkable story that : was told. , About the first week m June, Herbert i Alexander Hunt apparently decided 1 that life ,on Pitt Island was dragging a j bit, so he took ship for. the gayer shores of New Zealand. But he left Mrs. Hunt m her is--land home. . Hubby was off the chain, and from . what he told the Court he evidently r believes m enjoying himself m. a quiet j way. ■■-.'... r Just how poor Sylvia's destiny became linked with his is merely a simple incident of everyday life. They met at the White Hart Hotel, someone introducing them. It was quite a casual acquaintance, "said Hunt, and never at any time was he "very friendly", with her. . A Champagne Evening t No, he had not taken Sylvia to par--5 ties, although~as chance bad it they j met — seemingly by accident — at one or two little private affairs. There was the social evening at the Smith's at St. Albans, and another little outing to • Schneideman's establish - 1 ment. ' Both Hunt and the woman were present at both, but he declared he I had not taken her himsalf. ) At the latter gay assembly the flow--1 irig bowl was m evidence, as Hunt E modestly admitted that he. had supplied :' some of the champagne himself. * "I put it to iyou, Hunt, that you have been having 1 a very gay time since you arrived m 'Christchurch shouting ' wtlll drinks for everybody?" suggeste/J <«»> counsel, but Hunt would have none of the suggestion. It was quite untrue to say 3 that, he answered. r Hunt was getting on to very - delicate ground, but Mr. Atack was - embarrassingly persistent. 1 He v would not let the champagne alone, so to speak, and ± , Hunt had to make one or two i 1 uncomfortable admissions. M Sylvia evidently likes a "spot" J|| herself, and some, awkward ques-J|| tions were asked of the Pitt Islander ||| about the part -he had played m §|| r entertaining her to liquid refresh- I|§ C ment. ■ |||

O : ©across the table , •■;... and launched his next broadside. . , "Well, then, tell us if it is fair to say that you have taken champagne to Mrs. Webb's. room?" , : Hunt's denial that he ha,l 'ever been ! across the threshold was too much for Sylvia, who groaned aloud m protest. And as for buying- champagne m the hotel and treating her to some of the fizz, the farmer -islander was too hazy , to 'say definitely just what the position | had been m regard to that detail. I He might have done, but he could not remember. That, was all counsel could get from him on the point, notwithstanding his scornful pointer and memory- jogger: : "What, you . can't remember /with '. champagne something like 14/-?" 1 But Hunt y/as not to be deflected ' from his lapse of memory. It was not only champagne that was said to have cemented the bonds of friendship-f-or rather' loosened the tongue of mutual confidence — between ' them. ' ' • Those Silk Stockings T;iere was ths little item of sundry expensive boxes of chocolates. Hunt admitted that he had bought a 1 box of the toothsome delicacies, but he 1 suffered another lapse of memory when ; asked who the recipient was. He was not quite sure whether | he bought them for Mrs. Webb or for somebody else. But his memory had improved wonderfully the next minute. "Oh, yes, I r remember now I did buy her one' box." • And a fancy price he was said to have paid for it, too. « s Counsel went so far as to suggest that it had been something of a habit of the island tourist to pay as much as 25/- for boxes of chocolates, but Herbert smilingly waved- the suggestion aside. But there was more to come. The details were becoming more intimate with every question. "Now, what about those silk stockings?" counsel wanted to know. "Have ■ you ever, bought Mrs. Webb any stockings?" ... iniiiiiHintHmuiffinnnnmiitiifliumiiimuwfiiiiffmiiiiirarfniinmiininnnnTnnnninnimiiniinnin

longed "Oh's" from Sylvia. The pleasure of his holiday m Christchurch was marred somewhat. by a sudden attack of 'flu, which laid him low for four days. Hunt candidly admitted that Sylvia had gone out to get medicine for him, and had brought it to him -m his room.. Shortly after this the plot "seemed to thicken, and it was about this time that Mrs. Webb began paying a series of visits to the firm of Eallantyne's, where Hunt had a credit account. Sylvia made no secret of the fact m. her statement that she had spent several most enjoyable shopping afternoons m that . establishment. 1 She got loose among the gowns, Lumpers and dresses, and during the month "ticked up" the hefty little total of £106. " But Sylvia was not troubling about the financial side of the purchases. "J»lea'se enter this up. to Mrs.. Hunt, of the Chatham Islands," was her alleged way of introducing herself, to the assistants. ■ And Hunt swore that he had never at any time given) Sylvia, authority to pledge his credit or that of his wife m the Chatham Islands. * On that point Sylvia had "something to say m her statement to the police. An Expensive Wardrobe She said she had met Hunt at the White Hart Hotel and they had become friendly; so much so, m fact, that the Pitt Island capitalist had, she alleged told her to. go to Ballantyne's and get what she wanted and to explain m the shop that she was . Mrs. Hunt. Prior to visiting the firm, Sylvia said, she had spoken to Hunt, about some stockings she was wearing and he had said to her m reply: "Don't worry about stockings. I will get you all you want.'' So, she added m her statement, acting on what Hunt had told her to do, she went to Ballantyne's, bought the goods and told the assistant to enter them up to Mrs. Hunt. And just what happened after that was not made clear during. the hearing: of the case. - • If Hunt; spoke truthfully, then Sylvia is a schemer who made a big bid for a cheap wardrobe of the best quality. But if Sylvia's tale be true, then Hunt has repudiated a verbal contract which has proved disastrous for the. woman. Hunt emphatically, declared that he said no such-thing to Mrs. Webb about going to Ballantyne's and getting what she wanted, while she is equally emphatic that *he practically gave her carte blanche. ...■■"■ , .' ■ &■■ Hubby is Waiting Mr. Atack was desperately anxious to have the case dismissed, so that the weeping Sylvia could catch the Aorangi for Honolulu on August 3. He based his application for a dismissal on the "unsatisfactory and halting story told by Hunt, on which the Crown relied. Her husband would be waiting for her m the isle of palms and ukuleles, and her passage had been arranged by the American Consul. He submitted there was no case for a jury. "I say that Hunt is merely over here from the Chatham Islands on a spree. He is treating everybody to champagne and is on friendly terms with everybody. ' "He has certainly been on very friendly terms with this unfortunate, woman." ■ . .'■ , But the magistrate decided that a prima facie case had been made out. So Sylvia will not see her palm beach for some time to come. Oh, .what will her hubby say? But perhaps more important still is: What' will Mrs. Hunt m the far-off Chathams have to say about hubby's goings-on? ■