WRONG MAN AS CORESPONDENT

Hokitika Guardian, 11 September 1920, Page 4

WRONG MAN AS CORESPONDENT

FEDERAL MEMBER’S UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE. .

SYDNEY, August 31. A case of mistaken identity which occurred in Melbourne during the past week caused much amusement in Federal Parliamentary circles—although it seems to have been regarded with anything, but amusement by the gentleman most concerned. It appears that a tailor named Hall, who lives in a Melbourne suburb, had reason to suspect the fidelity of his wife, who keeps a boaiaing-hfnise, at St. Hilda. So he employed’ a private dotectve to watch his wife. As a result of what the dotectiveo told him, Hall and the detective paid an unexpected visit to the boarding-house about mid-night on August 18th. They got into the place, crept upstairs, and burst into Mrs Hall’s room. There they found a man. The irate husband grappled with the man, and there was an excited soft of scene. The man said his name was Poster, but would give no other particulars. They ascertained, however, that his name was really Foster, and that he was a member of the / Federal Parliament. I

A few days later, it was announced in most of the daily papers of Australia that Hall was suing for a divorce from his wife on the ground of her misconduct with Riclihi'd Whitty Foster, who is a South Australian, member of the House of Representatives. Everyono who knows the Federal House simply gasped. If oiic had searched the whole Parliament for someone who looked like a co-respondent, Mr Foster would have been the first rejected. He is a man of serious mien and obvious respectability. One could imagine him the superintendent of a Sunday school, but never a man of Lothario habits. He is popular in the House /and generally repeated. So members whistled over the announcement, and then shrugged their shoulders. ?.‘One never knows,” and “Still water runs deep,” were some of the unoriginal comments.

If the Parliamentary circles were astonished, Mr Richard Whitty Forster was simply paralysed. The paragraph came like a bomb-shell —it was the first he had heard of it. (It turned out afterwards tliat tlio papefs had hot yet been served on the alleged co-respon-dent). He came frantically into the city and seemed inclined to tear down the newspaper offices with his bare hands. After some trouble the legal gentlemen interested in the case were located, and explanations followed rapidly. It appeared that the private detective had erred tragically. There arc two Fosters in the Federal Parliament, • and the Foster lie was after was Sen- -i a tor George Foster, a recently elected Tasmanian, who took his seat only a month ago. Within twenty-four hours every paper in the Commonwealth, more or less, was humbly apologising to Richard Whitty Foster; while applica-

lion was made to the • Victorian Court to amend the divorce petition by substituting tlio name of the right Foster. The judge threw out the whole petition, 'and curtly told the lawyers to file another one if they wanted to go on with the matter. Meanwhile a very worthy member of the House, of regular habits and serious outlook, is having life made rather a burden, to him,