THE PAUPER’S SURPRISE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2057, 20 November 1919, Page 1

THE PAUPER’S SURPRISE.

WHAT AX OLD GERMAN DISCLOSED. Sydney, October 20. Just after da\ break one morning recently the Melbourne police found an old and very ragged man fossicking among the rubbish-bins in a city street (says the Sydney correspondent of an exchange, writing under the above date). He had been seen at this sort of thing on other occasions; and his appeared to he such a (dear case of absolute poverty that he was arrested on a charge of vagrancy. When he was brought before the court he astonished everyone by declaring that be was not a vagrant, hut that he had at least £5.000.

The case was adjourned, and inquiries set' afoot. The man’s name was found to he Leonhard Winkler, and he was horn tit Sachsen, Germany, in 1851. He was of good family, and he inherited a large sum from his lather, hut lost most of it in speculation. Then he went to America, where, as a horticulturist, florist and landscape gardener, lie nourished. He saved money in and about New York for 20 years, and thou, in 190(i, he came to Melbourne with between £1(1,000 and £12,000. He speculated in mining shares, and was badly “slung,’’ so that he lost perhaps £3,000. However, other share deals were shrewd ami profitable, and when war broke out his investments in mines, tramways, rubber, sugar and pictures were sound, and returned him a large income. He was probably worth at least £.10,000.

But the old man had never been naturalised. When war commenced he came under surveillance, and had to give an account of his affairs. Mr Hughes’ vigorous policy of eliminating all Germans and German money from our commercial concerns resulted in all the old man's shares being summarily sold. They realised only £5,500. He kept £SOO in cash, and put the rest into an Australian war loan. He found even then that he was attracting too much attention, so he took to staying in his rooms all day and going out only at nights or in the early mornings dressed only in very old clothes. In this way he has passed the last two or three years unmolested. ‘Ao one takes any notice of a pauper,” he explained quaintly. The charge of vagrancy was, oL course, withdrawn.

Terrified by Hie conduct of a man riding in the same railway carriage, a little girl of 12 years opened the door of the compartment and got out on to the footboard, to which she clung Until rescued by the driver of the train. The story of her terrible ofdeal was told at Brynmawr Police Court, where James Keogh, a married collier, of Govilon, was summoned for interfering with the comfort of a passenger. There were a number of previous convictions against the prisoner, and ho was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. For Children’s Hacking Cough, Woods Great Peppermint Cure.