PATHETIC CASE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1357, 7 February 1912, Page 6

PATHETIC CASE.

CREDITOR STRIPS A HOME, FAMILY LYING ILL IX HOSPITAL. IBy Telecraph.—SoecLi: Corresoondenu Auckland, February l>. A very sad story vi Hie- ini.-iurtuno through iiliuii Hint lias overtaken a. family in Auckland is reported lroni Vincent ijtrcet. A iiusbami and wile kept a luardingnoiise in me locality named. Tliey nave six little children, whose ayts lanye iroin ten years down u> a year and seven months, 'me l/.iardeis iiumijered live, inciiimng a. widow nuiy and dolour months old child, ami four men. Some rune ago the husband bought the furniture from tiva previous occupier <>t the house, lie had lo barrow the money to do tliis, and gave a bill of sale over the furniture.

Everything went well for a while, but at last sickness overtook tiie luit'urlumitc family. About tho' beginning •.'! January the wife became ill with typhoid fever, then at intervals live other members of tho family, including tlio father, became infected. This left a littlo boy and a girl in the family, aged seven and five years respectively, who did not contract' the complaint. The others are being attended to in the Auckland Hospital. The widow lady, who was staying at the house, with great kindness of heart resolved to look after the children that were left and to run the boardinghouse in the parents' absence in order to save the home from being broken up. Aided by the Charitable Aid Hoard, .she managed to pay the rent, and all seemed to be going fairly well. But trouble was in store for the kind-hearted widow and her charge?. The creditor who held the bill of sale over the furniture became impatient for a settlement, and on Saturday about 12.30 p.m. the widow was getting the dinner ready, when she heard a knock at the front door. On going to tho door slip.saw a lorry in the street, and the bailiffs informed her that they had been instructed by the creditor to take the furniture from the house.

The lady refused admittance to the men, reo.uesting that she should be allowed to see the creditor first. The bailiffs were quite willing to accede to the request, but an auctioneer, the lady states, who was in attendance, told them they were to proceed with the business at once. Driven to desperation, the widow called in the landlady, and the latter told the men that they were not to toucli anything until the rent was paid. The auctioneer and the landlady then engaged in a heated altercation. The auctioneer was obdurate, and the men were eventually admitted to the house. Then, in the presence of the neighbours, the house was dismantled, almost every moveable article being taken, including nine beds and bedding.

During the operations the creditor arrived, ami the widow lady tearfully besceched him to stay the proceedings on account of the illness of the family, but it is stated that he brushed all "her. arguments aside. She states that when she requested him to go into the room where the illness first occurred, he held up his hands with horror and refused point blank to go in, and would allow none of the furniture to be taken from that particular room. Thus was the dismantling of the homo completed, the inside of the house presenting a sorry spectacle with the bare floors, the walls denuded of pictures, and small articles of children's attire strewn about. Almost heart-broken at what had been done, the kind-hearted woman, who had continued to look after the house for the sake of the little children, was taken in by sympathetic neighbours next door and the other boarders had to peek elsewhere for accommodation. In the meantime the unfortunate husband and wife and their four children are lying dangerously ill, happily in ignorance of the iiew calamity that has overtaken them. In marked contrast to the unsympathetic attitude of the holder of Hie bill of sale, it may be mentioned that the neighbours and tradespeople have behaved most generously. The baker, the grocer, the coal-dealer, and others, although they knew that payment would probably be deferred, said they could not cease to send in supplies to the unfortunate family, as all were liable to bo overtaken by illness. It is understood that the sick 'family are in poor circumstances, and that they will have practically nothing in the way of earthly goods when they come out of the hospital.