EXTRAORDINARY FREAK OF MEMORY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1121, 26 October 1883, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY FREAK OF MEMORY.

(Lyttelton Times) ■■ • ■ A very singular instance of loss of memory—of the memory of s-.toothing which x must persons are pn tty kten about—to ' wit, money—came to ligbt in Gbiistpbuich recently A Norwegian latiourer called at Mr Wickes’ Minin? Exchange, and asked for infm tuition as to the banks and other ■nslituiiona and persons existing iii Greymouth in 1866. The reason for these in* quiries came out when the informationseeker told his story, which was to the tol lowing effect : He was in Qreymnnth in 1866, “making his pile,” as many others were d ing in 'those glorious coldfield days, and, having amassed a considerable sum, resolved to go to Chris'chun hj, He called at one of the banks where his money was deposited and obtained a draft for L7s' on the Christchurch branch, On reaching Christchurch he went to the bank for his money, was told to call again, and inf irmed t.tat the money couM'not be paid till the end of 10 davs -it must be remembered that coniine idea'ion between Greymouth and here was not th-m so frequent as it is now. At the end of 10 days the man called again, ami the money was about to ha paid, over to him in note s wh n he expresae i a wi-h to have it in gold,' as he was going homo- ” The bank official told him that if, that was the case he had better take a drafton the hank’s beak office in London. To this the man agreed, and.aonep ed two drafts, amounting in the aggregate to L 750, pyahle in London. He put the draft in his pocket, and went to Dunedin, but here he altered his mind as to going Home and remained. Some persons will recollect'that in 1867 there was a great fire in the Octagon A woman was in the bunding building, and who was to save her ?' The Norwegian, who is the subject of this story, was there on that occasion. He rushed into the building, found the woman, and though almost stifled with smoke an 1 alarmed at finding his reive it cut off from the entrance, with great difficulty he got the woman on his back am! effected his escape from a window, in this tire the two drafts were lost, an I—here follows the extraordinary failing of memory. After the tire the man Install recollection of those drafts as if he had never bad their, H-was a hard woiker, and was always pushing forward, consequently he did not feel any great inconyvnieuo • from the Want of money. But recently, after 16 years had elapse I, an evmt oocune 1 that recalled the whole of the facts to his mind. He had again formed the idea of going Home, hut this was frustrated by a loss which he sustained while working in Oamarn of no less a sum than 1.1150. While mourning over this, he suddenly remembered that he had inten ed logo Homewards before, and the recolleet'on of his having the two drafts before the fire flashed into his mind. Here, however, he found a difficulty, for, though memory served him as far as the statements here recorded, .he, name of the bank from wh eh be obtained the drafts was cone from him. Hence hia le.-ison for inquiring as-to what banks were in Greymouth in 1866, and his desire to collect any evidence bearing on hi« doings at Greymouth- in that year. MrWiokes remembers • leirly that i 1866 the Banks of New Zealand, New South Wale j , and the Union Bank of Australia all had agencies ’here, and as the [ man is confident that he wm told the d aft was on the “ head office in London.” and the 6 ink of New Z aland h-s bad no head I office in London, t ! e probability is strong, supposing the man’s story to be correct, that one of the other two banks issued the drafts I referred to. )