SUNNYSIDE SIDELIGHTS.

NZ Truth, Issue 128, 30 November 1907, Page 6

SUNNYSIDE SIDELIGHTS.

Winlass' Peculiar Experience.

A curious-looking individual named James Winlass is now farm manager at the Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, and he had an unpleasant experience the other evening. He was out on the highway with a patient looking fora cow, or something, when they had the bad luck to come across Constable McKeefry, of Addington. MeKeefry has a very keen eye, and on looking the pair over he felt pretty certain that they had escaped from the asylum. So he carted them along to the lock-up. Winlass was very much agitated, and protested again and again that he was the farm manager. "Oh, that's all right," said the constable, "I have heard that gag before; just you get into that cell." So there was no hope for it but to comply. McKeefry, however, sent to the asylum for a couple o£ attendants, and when they arrived at the station they wei - e amused to find that the farm manager and the looney were the pair they were asked to identify. The constable's explanation of his action was that the pair looked dangerous characters. This chap Winlass has only been m his present • job about three months, and 'goodness knows how he managed to drop into it. He has antiquated notions of running a farm ; the way he goes afoout things suggests previous experience amongst pies. It appears that the farm manager at that asylum has the power to report indoor attendants, ??nd to bring them before Dr. Gow, who runs the show. Men who have been m the institution for years, and who have never been carpeted before, have enjoyed that experience lately. There was a ploughman working on the asylum ground for a month, and then he got the sack owing ■ to a peculiar concatentation of circumstances. It "was alleged that on show day he was on the train swankied, and threw out his arms and sang songs, and

PLAYED THE' DEVIL GENERALLY. Now, the- chap indicated doesn't drink, nor was he on the tram on show day, nor did he make a silly ass of himself m the manner described. Mr Donaughy has good reason to complain of the treatment he received. He avers that he was mistaken for somebody else on the day m question, because he wasn't at five show. Further, he says that while he is innocent, there are" two officials at the Surinyside Asylum who have been before the Court for unseemly behaviour, and fined something considerable. Yet Dr. Gfow hasn't taken any notice of a little thing like that. There seems to be a clique m that asylum— it depends upon what countryman you are. However, we will let that pass. But it might be mentioned that they are up to some pretty smart tricks there— the officials, not the looneys. The ploughman who was sacked hail been paid.' He returned and asked j for a week's screw, m lieu of notice. "Now that you have mentioned it," said paymaster Russell/ "I will give the money to you, but had you neglected to ask for it, I was instructed not to give ifc." Now, there's a nice thing, trying to diddle a man out of his just dues. As a I matter of fact, he was entitled to a month's notice or screw, but that doesn't matte* now ; he found it out too late. It is about time that a competent official looked over places of this sort.