Extraordinary Case of Persecution.

Manawatu Herald, 19 February 1898, Page 2

Extraordinary Case of Persecution.

An extraordinary case has been \ engaging the attention of the police V and the people of an inland town in the Wellington province for the past few weeks. Daring a trip up the line to day I (Wellington correspond dent of the Press) was enabled to get at the facts of the cage, which have so far not been published. A girl, 22 years of age, who livas with her parents in the town referred to, some time ago became engaged to a bank clerk in Wellington. There is a rule in the bank, however, that clerk 3 are not allowed to marry till they are in receipt of a certain salary, and the income of the clerk in question wai not sufficient in the eyes of the bank to permit of the marriage of the young couple. Such was the position when shortly after the announcement of the engagement of the young man and his fiancee began to receive anonymous letters, making the most grave and startling assertions in regard to the latter. Several such letters were received, and one day last week there found its way into the columns of the Evening Post a notice of the marriage of the young couple. This notice was very circumstantial in its details, giving the names of the alleged contracting parties, the name of the minister and the date of the ceremony. The date mentioned, too, was a holiday when most of the townspeople were away, so that though no one saw the wedding it was not impossible that it had taken place. The notice, however, turned out to be a pure fabrication, and the Post, on receipt- of a letter from the father of the girl, had* to mplogise, and explain that the no^ was incorrect. A few days aftel; this a birth notice and a death notice of the alleged mother appeared in the Feilding Star. The death notice gave' the age of the young woman as 22. This notice the faihor again promptly denied. Then two more anonymoqt^^ letters were sent, intimating that thJjjN writer bad failed in these tactics, but that now personal violence would be resorted to. The day after the receipt of one of the 83 letters, the girl was sitting in an outhouse plucking a fowl, when suddenly the inmates heard a startling scream, and on rushing out found the girl lying on tbe floor covered with dirty soapy water froni a boiler, just behind where gh.B wag sitting and her hair, which she had not put up, but was wearing in a plait, was cub off. The girl's story wa* that eoineone must have come bebind her, and thrown ft dipper full of soapy water in her face, partially blinding her. She was then dragged about by the hair, which her assailant ultimately cut off. The severed plait of hair was found Tying on the floor. The poor girl has since been very ill. The oase is a most extraordinary one, and there are all sorts of rumours and theories regarding it flying about. A strange feature of the affair is the fact thafethe letters are in handwriting which strongly resemble 9 the handwriting of tho girl herself, and that a younger sister writes in a similar way. The matter is also causing the young banker much concern. Upon the marriage notice appearing in the Post he was asked about it and called upon to produce a certificate from the minister mentioned to the effect that he had not married the girl. This was of course readily procurable. Who is the perpetrator of these dastardly acts ? and with what object the prosecution has been in* Istituted? are questions that are * puzzling everyone knowing the faetf , and perhaps sooner or later they will be elucidated by the police, Who now hate the matter in band.