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Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2669, 14 January 1916, Page 6

A railway official named "William Pye ■was the victim of a wholly unprovoked assault at the Pokeno railway station (says the Auckland "Star"). About half an hour after midnight Pjio left his office with a lantern, and walked along the platform to set the tablet 'changer in readiness for the arrival of a gowis train. Without -warning a man sprang out of the darkness and knocked him violently to the ground. In falling Pye grabbed his assailant, and the two rolled over and over on the ground until another railway omployeo arrived - and overpowered the intruder, who was put' under guaixl and taken to the Mercer police station by the first available train. When questioned by the police, the man declared that he had walked all the way from Wellington, and had been followed by a professor of hypnotism, whom he named, and who would not let him sleep. As he was hiding in the Pokeno railway station lie saw the professor approaching him, and thought it was a good chance to "settle" him. He was not acquainted with the professor, he said, but yet had held long and mysterious conversations with him. The man, who was very unkempt, with a tawny beard, also stated that he had come to New Zealand three years ago, and before that had been a sailor. He had lately worked as a farm hand in the Wellington district. He was taken, to Auckland for examination as to his sanity.