A TEMPORARY BOARDER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19349, 9 December 1924, Page 11

A TEMPORARY BOARDER.

WITH A TAKING WAY. GET-AWAY AND RE-ARREST. A sturdy young man of prepossessing appearance took up quarters at a city board-ing-house on Tuesday, intimating 'to the landlady that his “boxes” would arrive on Friday, when he would be squaring up his account. The new arrival was talkative and made himself at home. Ho said he was on night shift at a certain lime-works, his starting lime being the bewitching hour. Ho arrived home at 0.30 one morning, but at breakfast was given the benefit of the doubt, when he assured the house that it was 2.i0 a.m. Friday came, but it was discovered that the boarder had gone without “paying his respects” except to the extent of helping himself, it is alleged, to a navy 1 blue suit and other suitable array of clothing belonging to two of the boarders who had made him somewhat sociably welcome and were beginning to regret their generosity. They decided to keep a lookout, and when in the streets on Friday evening they espied their recent fellowlodger strolling along smartly clad in the garments that were not his rightful property they promptly closed with and hustled him down Dowling street, ignoring his plea of innocence. lie resisted vigorously, so it was decided that one of the companions should run ahead and notify the police. This gave the lad his opportunity, and striking his captor a heavy blow no caused him to relinquish his hold, and then boat a hurried retreat, where a friend was heard advising him to go while the going was good. Yesterday one of the young men concerned beheld the culprit seated in the front of a new motor oar. Ho was still garbed in the r.avy blue suit. The number of the car was carefully noted, end Detectives Lean and Sneddon arrested the man about 5 p.m. The incident has its humorous aspects. During one of the friendly chats at the boarding-house the “night worker” mentioned that there would be plenty of "crooks” in Dunedin next year during the Exhibition. It transpires that at that moment ho was actually wearing a pair of pants appropriated from the room of one of the permanent boarders. The man will appear before the court this morning.

A largo quantity of island fruit was. brought to Auckland on Wednesday last by the Tofua, which arrived in the morning from Fiji. Her cargo consisted of 24,000 oases of bananas and about 600 cases of pines, as well as about 200 oases of tomatoes and a number of cases of cucumbers,“ besides a quantity of copra. Tbo fruit, is reported to bo of very good quality, and reached Auckland in fine condition. It is said to be one of the best cargoes of fruit that has been landed at the northern port.