An Interesting Bankruptcy Case.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 134, 6 December 1897, Page 3

An Interesting Bankruptcy Case.

Some curious facts respecting a bankruptcy were mentioned in tbe District Court, Invercargill, according to tbe Southland News. In 1894 a man named William Morton, a road contractor in the St. Andrews district, filed his schedule and returned bis assets "nil." On seeing tbis return none of the creditors took the trouble to " prove " tboir claims, « process which must be affected within two months. A few months ago the bankrupt, who did not apply for his discbarge, was committed to Snnnyside as a lunatic, and the district officer of tbe Public Trust Office went down from Cbristcharcb to take possession of tbe lunatic's property, if there was acy. Morton's friends, with a view to saving property for him, disclosed that a great deal of property — horses aod plant— which bad been held in other persons' names belonged to Morton. A few of Morton's old creditors beard of this, set tbe Assignee in motion, and tbe property was seized by the official for the creditors. Tbe bankrupt noon recovered his reason and was discharged from the asylum, to find that dnring bis absence the friendly conspiracy in his favor bad been broken down by tbe wideawake creditors. Even bis own solicitor for tbe filing process was deceived, and now comes in, at tbe eleventh hour, to press a claim that bad been written off.