KERWIN'S CLOSE CALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 79, 22 December 1906, Page 5

KERWIN'S CLOSE CALL.

He "Tumbled off the Water

Cart"

And Then off the Train.

"He had the drunk's usuai luck," said Sub-inspector O'Donovan, referring to a spruced-up, smart-looking individual, who stood m the dock at the- S.M.'s Court on Tuesday morning last. The said drunk was Michael .__ Kerwin, who is a bit of __ sport m his way. and who, apart from a penchant for beer aud oilier potions that giye a headache tlie next morning, is a decent, harmless sort of cuss. However, after his latest hust, Mick ought to get on to tlie water cart and remain there as Song as he lives. Drunks, like \cats, have nine lives, . but Mick's experience last Moi_c!ay, afternoon ought to make up for eight. It was< ?. peachetino of a drunk fot Mick, who, on .the way down from | Palmerston N._ got en the . jag and ! lost his block: -Wandering about aimlessly and not caring who knew, Mick no doubt imagined that lie owned the W. and M. line, as he lorded it on the cxnress last Monday afternoon. Everything *was O.K. till near Khahdaflah, when something happened, and. Mick. oh. Mick ' where was he? He had faJ'^n off the watercart earlier m the day Tins not- remarkable 'performance lie badly • leal, by falling off the inMloi'm nf "a movihg.^rain'. Tlie fate of an ordinary individual (and Mick .evidently is -not on&ffts that- he would have he?n mangled to little bits. Bnt th? fetes were kind to him. Behind i he <^tc where Michael had .roamed about 'so r-leeMlv was the fruard's vsn, nnd this massed over him without evrn harming a. hair of his boozy h?a:K O? course when it became Vnown Unit «t Passenger had toppled over rrom a car there waa a commotion ™. the t*v-- ; *\ i which wp.js brought to a stand- - still. Tlipn everybody rot hrorws : 'and- 'shovels and went back expect-inn: a gruesome job. But Michael was all right; he wjas. ..fqs-t %t m On the train m 'c.iarge of "prisoners was Constable Hal He, of Pahaerston N.. who thought the best. Ilr-uu: re could do for Mick for the rf-st of the iourney was to. keep him by hi** "-ide. He did— in fact he only carted ■ .withMichael when he got him !«.-> the | Lambton-quav lock-up and there hand- : ed him over to the tender mercic-4B^f-the officer m chryrge. v.iio promptly cast him into :*■ cell to await the next morning's Jevep m the Co'.ir'c. When Mick. made h'.*. .pi. try lie was sober and sorr** and' 'pleaded khlUv and after the Sub-ins'-ecHur h.'.d related Mick's narrow shave on Ihe previous day and told Dr. McArthur th-it there was notlvimr known against J lie man. the Ma* J, »"str£te fined him !.«« nr seven days. which serves Mick .right. He ought to have srot killed.