DRIVEN FROM HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17032, 4 May 1923, Page 7

DRIVEN FROM HOME.

A FAMILY’S PLIGHT.

I>n,en. from home by house wreckers and the prospect being that the next day his wife and four children would be dependent upon public char. Ity for their next night’s sleep I<\ \Y. iUmelungton took possession of a house in Harman Street on jfiaster •Sunday. To-day at the Magistrate’s 4°\r be! ore Mr Wyvern Wilson, te.AI... Frederick William Devere&ux proceeded against him lor being n wi] fill trespasser on -No 8. Harman Street. , , Oun.ngham, who appeared on behalf of the informant said that the house was in « very d : la« i dated condition, and the defendant and his wife and family had taken possession of it. They had been asked to go away, but kept putting the mat ter off. Mr Devereaux wished to get possession of the house because there uas some repair work to be done, and the contractor was waiting. J ) Ir , W ’ R - Laseelles represented the defendant. Walter Edward .Simes, land agent, said that the defendant had spoken to nm \ telephone on Easter Sunday and asked him whether lie was the agent for the house. He replied that te was not and knew nothing about house in Harman Street. The defendant then explained that house- wreckers were coming in next day and lie had nowhere to go. He said that his children would be taken to an orphanage unless he could get a home futitem. the witness then told him that , ' v ® re *" the sami position he would take charge of the first empty house he saw. Of course he made it clear that if defendant took the place m Harman Street, he did so at hit own risk. hater the witness rang up bather O'Connor, who said that Mmclungton was a man of good char actor. The defendant said that he had re cetved notice from the Health Depart ment telling him to leave his old home as it had to be wrecked. The day before he had to leave he had gone from lai Tapu to Heathcote and from Heathcote to Belfast looking for a house, but the one in Harman Street was the only one lie could find. He asked who the agent was, and was told that it was .Mr Simes. J-fe ran" up Mr Simes and during the conversation Mr Simes told him that if he were in the same position he would take possession of the house. He honestly thought that he had been given authority to do so. Mr Cuningham: Did you say you would take an axe to the person who tried to eject you?—No. A\ hat did you say?—l said that if they put the bailiffs in and tried to put my delicate wife out, the best man would be the one to leave the house. The Magistrate said he believed the man had acted with a perfectly honest intent and the case was therefore beyond his jurisdiction. The information was dismissed with £1 Is costß to the defendant.