BARRY LUPINO ARRESTED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3160, 11 August 1917, Page 7

BARRY LUPINO ARRESTED

Violet Day in Wellington will always be vividly remembered by at least ono energetic worker for the good cause. While Mr. Barry Lupino, the brilliant comedian of tho "Very Good Eddio" Company, was auctioning the latest spring hats outside the Bristol Piano Co.'s premises in Brandon Street to a crowd which completely blocked'tho road a taxi, containing a single male passenger, coming. from the direction of the waterside, pushed its way through the dense throng, and its driver was given a rather lively time for not having tho good 6enee to select another routo to Lambton Quay. As he passed the lorry on which Mr. Lupino was operating (with the assistance of the members of the 'fait Musical Comedy Co.), a rug either fell out of or was pulled oft' theear, and someone threw it up to Mr. Lupino, who, on the spur'of the moment, put it up for auction, when it was "knocked down" to a lady for eight shillings. The sequel to the episode was interesting. About twenty minutes later tho driver of the taxi returned, accompanied by a police officer, and charged Mr. Lupino with misappropriating his vug. Tho constable said that Mr. Lupino would have to go along with him and explain the affair. So the chipper comedian, accompanied by the manager of the company, Mr. Harold Bowden, went along the Quay. The latter offered the man the value of the rug (and probably nioro than its value), but the man declined to take it. As they were arguing the 'point, the lady Who bought the rug came up and threw it at the taxi-driver with a force that had a hidden meaning in it. It appears that she was the owner of the car and the rug, and was the taxidriver's employer. That ended the "arrest" of Mr. Lupino. When" the taxi-drivers on a near-by stand heard of the incident, they offered a rug for Mr. Lupino to sell. He bought it himself, and then gave it back to the taxi-boys,' who auctioned it again, when one of their number secured it for 15s.