WAITING AT THE CHURCH

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19525, 26 June 1933, Page 10

WAITING AT THE CHURCH

BRIDEGROOM MISSING. LOSS OF MEMORY. By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, June 25. Seventy guests waited in vain for the bridegroom, at a wedding at St. John’s Church, Te Puke, on Wednesday morning. After an hour and a half they dispersed, and the wedding breakfast was cancelled. In the meantime the bridegroom suffering from loss of memory, was making his way to Auckland, where he is now staying with relatives prior to his return. His recollection cf events dd not return to him until this morning. In the meantime, search parties, fearing for his safety, scoured the Te Puke district. The bridegroom is Mr J. Bennett, a well-known former Te Puke footballer. When seen to-day at the home of brother-in-law, he said he was feeling fit and well, although his mind was blank as to his experiences and movements between Tuesday morning and this morning. Although he had since learned that he called on relatives at Waihi, and that he had had been in Auckland since Thursday, he could recall nothing of it Tuesday morning he boarded a train at Paengaroa, where he was employed as a farm hand, and where his bride’s home is, to go to Te Puke. After that he remembered nothing. He had since learned, he stated, that the postmaster at Te Puke saw him at 10 o’clock on Tuesday night at Te Puke. He had then told the postmaster he had been to Tauranga and back, displaying a pair of shoes that were cut with stones, worn and mudstained. He said he had evidently been tramping over rough country. He had no railway tickets, and had no idea of how he reached Auckland. “A remarkable thing,” said Bennett’s brother-in-law, “was that he has been with us since Thursday evening, and we did not know a wedding was to have been held last Wednesday, and so we had no cause to be surprised that he should be here. He has accompanied us to the pictures. Although he seemed rather quiet, we did not suspect anything was wrong.”