TROUBLE PAKATOA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 619, 23 September 1909, Page 4

TROUBLE PAKATOA.

#1 'i % . A;;;CH LUNACY; •: '.'• ] ■i'." ■ ]i ; (Bj■•i'aipttiiiti diirrqsunihlenl.i . -;> ■>'- v : I:..' J i'^'^: ; ';;;jjiicKlandi ? 22.-j. 1 ' at Pakatoa taking ÜbVwatbrs,fbr.::the''la6t,.niii9 months. j'Pakatoa is.'fatnW"''a'n'exch;siv'6;'r'est)Vt. 'There arb'bnly '43'.'ihc'n.'-dbwjii-ithriei -but;, the:Salvation.Army run 'a."very: 'comfortnblo rhostelry,- .aujL.if a ■mdgistratb'says'sbi'yburutdy te. kept; thore.for ;hbthing.. .'i'lwiwbrst of -.the! place is that the 'steatrier'sbi'<'iC6fis v 6bniething erratic, and; you cannot/ always:, get ■ away .just ;■ when you want to!' Evidently John Lees-got iired'bf.tho place, and.ho :has been.showing his dji;liko -ih'-.a lot .'of ways—in such a lot of. ways anddisagreeablo :,wflys,-*tob, ;; thati'tho'-Salvation Army 'officer, in charge-of the. hostelry.has idecided that he •Will, not keep hiraas iboarder nhv longer, so ho brought'him', up to,town;, and 1 this'moruing he: Was. charged .'before. Mr. : Kettle, '.S.M., with having grossly misbehaved and having used in-! suiting;: and. .provoking; language 'to ; Kobt. Barnbs,, inahager of. the .PdkatOa ~lnebriates'. 'Institute.' ■:■'",-.. »"-.■-': '-:":-;,'::-;:--,,: :■-..

...The manager-.'was not sure, whether the ..man vtas-'inad or:Malingeriilg, but:W ; as inclined :to think .the;'former;,'.-I'irst' of. all, 1 . Lees would not.ivovkijrHe:'had;been rather, sick, and had been treated* iu'.Auckland, but th« doctors'.told him .and-, told Mr.' Barnes that theonly .thing hb.reallyv.necded'..was' exercise. ' :Jlr.. Barnes remonstrated - with him . about doing .nothing, but Lees;would take no notice of.him, saying .that' hb:was not,a• Government ward9r. For that, little .outburst Lees's allbwanco! 6! ■ tobacco, Warstbppedi.'but ho went on outburstirig some more. On one occasion ■he cursed tho Salvation 1 Ariny and all connected with it;, cursed the-Pope-; cursed Mr. Kettle (ivho senti him to Pakatoa); .and onreed nearly "everything ho could think of. ■: He. wouldnot sleep l at nights, and 'Would not let anyone else in'his.room. He wanderedioibut'. the corridors, smbking-a great deal,: annoying tho -'other men, and. trying to ■ frighten,thom. ''Frequently,he was violent, biit his violence-.usually .consisted in shouting what he would; do in about a minute. Once, -howbver )t thero yias a little affair of hitting another man on'the head with ft chair. One night the manager. behind,a dodr of one of the" corridors' wearing - an. bid red jersey, his waistcoat) outside an, .his hat pulled over his eyes, ?and his; beard tied in a - knot. ; - Tho 'manager had,something to . say about, this, and lieea replied that ho did not care a■' '■ for :all the.:iaws.;in'.N«\V Zealand.-.Other little misdemeanours'of his were letting out. cattle and. .'d'riYing'thbhi.but:of their proper fields. Mr. 'B&rnbs;.thbilght the:mali had periodical-fits of insanity; ■ . .-.,.■■- •'■>;lnspector Hendry stated -.that the man's trouble was drink. Ho had been examined by : several .doctors, but, none of. thohi had certified him' insane. ■,:•.- '. . ;■--..;■. ;. Thb.dbfencb to.tho charges was that the man was. madi;{;: v ■■'S '■■■!■■ -• :■;■:;■,..

: ; . ; Mrß. Jjees, who hadbeen a nurse in a mental hospital in ' England when she wasyouhg, said that-her husband had always been subject-to periodical fits of. jhsanity. ... ■ • -.. Pinally; thb: proceedings:, concluded -by Mrs. Lees; laying ah. information against Jura for lunacy, and on. this charge acoused- was remanded,:' ■ ' ;.:' ,: ;:-,\' •"; . '.. '~■