THE STRANGE CASE OF GROMICA

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2389, 19 February 1915, Page 6

THE STRANGE CASE OF GROMICA

A SOLUTION'AT LAST; : The strange case of Ludwit Gromica was finally settled at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. • During, his; whole sojourn at Lambton Quay, Gromica had only spoken to one person, a Russian, and aftor a few words with him, Gro-. 'mica lapsed incontinently into silence. Italians Portuguese, Greek, Spanish, French, and German visitors to the Lambton Station, who had heard of his case, tried to get into conversation with Gri'mica. but without result. Several Austrian and Russian dialects had also been tried, with' the. same disappointing results I .'- "I have reached this stago that I csn go no further," said Inspector Hendrey, in Court yesterday morning, "and the only course that remains is to go ahead with the charge against him of being idle and disorderly." Tho Inspector explained that tho letters written to Gromica from Victoria wore iu tho Russian language, and from their context Gromica had 'evidently writing for money. The Inspector added that he was satisfied from the reports received tha.t Gromica was.. sane, and, moreover, could speak English. ".What his object is in behaving like he has, I don't know," concluded the Inspector. All this time Gromica stood mute and immobile, save for just the shadow of a satirical smile hovering about his features. Then a Russian interpreter was caled. Gromica paid no heed to the jargon, and as if wear? of it all, gradually his head to subside on to his arms, and remained thus like a tired child for the ■miainder of the case. Then Inspector iifiuclrfiy gave evidence, which was translafced into Russian by the interpreter for the benefit of the apparently bored Gromica. The Inspector explained that Gromica had been sent on to Wellington bv the Grevmouth Charitable Aid iiO?rd -whv he did not know. The foreigner had been placed in. Ohiro Home, but boisterous behaviour brought him to 'the police station..« "Ho has no means of support, and I don t sec anything else for him but to send him ( to ctaol," concluded Inspector Hendrey. "Tell him," said ■ the Magistrate, to the interpreter, "thai in his own interest I am going to send him to gaol for three months." ■ Instinctively, Gromica. raised his head at this, and then, as. he heard, the words uttered in his own tongue, ho displayed just a shade of annoyance. He said nothing, however and when he was finally directed out of the box ho looked very serious, and iust walked slowly and deliberately to the door that leads to three months imprisonment. .