“SON OF A BARONET”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 219, 12 April 1933, Page 5

“SON OF A BARONET”

Tale Told to Girl “ROMANCER AND ADVENTURER” Engaged to Tw® at Once Press Association— Cepyright Dunedin, April 11. —The story of how an insurance agent who was described ky the magistrate, Mr. Bartholomew, as a “romancer and adventurer,” became engaged at the same time to two young 4 women, from one of whom he borrowed money, was unfolded in the Magistrate’s Court this morning ' when Valerie Beyne Murphy proceeded against Stewart Smith, In- * vercargill, claiming £39 12s for ‘ money lent. The original claim . l was for £SO, but the amount was “ altered on the application of counsel, who said definite proof " could be put forward only m re- * S pect of the smaller amount.

The parties met at Dunedin the end of 1031 and became engaged. Up to the time the engagement was broken off: Miss Murphy lent Smith sundry amounts which had not been repai . Shortly after her engagement Miss Murphy met a Mr. Gray from whom she learned that Smith was already engaged to hie sister-in-law. Gray then went to Invercargill with the two women and they saw Smith. The engagement was then broken. , Alter giving evidence in regard to trie money loaned to Smith, Miss Muiphy said: "He told me when,, he first canid to Dunedin that he was' the son of a baronet and that it would be necessary in May, 1932, foe him to go home to Scotland and assume the title of ‘Sir,’ and obtain a share of hie estate of his late father. He did not state who his father was at the time, but later when there was a camp of the Boys’ Brigade in 1932 he told m« that his farther was Sir William Smith, founder of the movement. He also informed me that his eldest brother was Sir Horace Lockwood Smith Dorrien. Smith himself would be 39 or 49 years of age. I looked up encyclopaedias and found that Sir WUliam Smith was born in 1854 and died in 1914. Sir Horace Lockwood Smith Dorrien was born in 1858, four years after his alleged father.” The magistrate said there was positive proof of Smith’s indebtedness to plaintiff. The evidence was such that Mr. Bartholomew had no hesitation in accepting Miss Murphy’s account. Judgment would be given for plainHiff for the amount claimed with costs (£8 8s fid).