VICTIM OF THE WAR

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17952, 2 December 1932, Page 9

VICTIM OF THE WAR

PATHETIC COURT STORY MAN’S' LIFE RUINED (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. “110 was all right when he went into battle, but he came out of it deaf and dumb. It’s the war that is. responsible for all his trouble.” This plea was made hv a woman, almost 00 years of ago in the Police Court to-day in telling one of the saddest stories ever hoard there. It brought tears to the eyes of solicitors and policemen. The woman had made an application for the committal of her soil to an inebriates home, but on appearing she said: “Don’t do anything to him please,” Tho son is partly paralysed, prematurely grey, and deaf and dumb, a victim of the Battle of Messines. Tho mother said his war pension had been cancelled beeanso of his excessive drinking, She found it very hard to keep herself and hirn on the old ago pension. Ho had sold everything in the house to buy drink. After a discussion with the magistrate, the woman went to the dock and conversed with her son in lip language. She then annouced that lie was willing to go to the inebriates’ island. _ Before he left the dock she embraced him.