A CAGED BIRD.

NZ Truth, Issue 141, 29 February 1908, Page 4

A CAGED BIRD.

THE SORROWS OF TOM SHORE. And the Miseries of his Missus. The Tragic Tale or a Gold- Dredger. . One suffers m this world when one departs from the ss ao! rectitude, simply because the righteous regard the fallen with the stony glare of disapproval, and make it warm for the transgressor. On the other hand, t'he pleasing variety of sinning has an attraction for the sinner, and counteracts, to a large extent, the social ostracism to which the bad parson is subjected by a lady named Grundy. The fact that Elizabeth Victoria Shore married her Thomas at Dunedin when she was between sixteen and seventeen may account for her preference for other men at a later period, for a girl doesn >r t know what sort of a prize she has drawn at that age. The fact that a girl-child was born of the union might" have kept the youthful wife straight, but her husband, a dredgemaster, went to Peru r and, being a full-blp'Ofled woman, with the passions of ' her sex, Elizabeth Victoria succumbed to the love-glance and the uniform of stoker Lucas, of H.M.S. Pioneer, when that individual forced the running. Later, there was marked evidence of her indiscretion, aird to avoid the dour reproofs of her Scotchbvterian relations find the sneers of the neighbors, she came to Wellington . and gave birth to Lucas's child. Here she made the unparallpkd bloomer of representing herself as Mrs Lucas to the Registrar, and of registering the white man's burden m t-he name OF HIS MAJESTY'S STOKEJI. 'Meantime, ; Tbomas Major Shore, her husband had accepted an engaremsnA 1 with the Inca Gold Development Corporation of Peru, and was earning £4rlss a Week, found, and travelling exes., m the South' American place of many revolutions. Shore left £25 10s' with the missus when he de-parted-in 1906, and m October of the same year he sent her ' £38 - Bs. In the following January he despatched another £26 to his unfaithful spouse, whom he imagined still cherished his memory. Hubby returned to Dunedin on July 19 and found the bird had , flown. He subsequently found hex* living at 11 Hansen-street, Newtown. with a person named Edward Hamilton Bird, employed m the tramway sheds, and he proceeded to the house and gave vent to his indignation. Lupas seemed to be out of it at this period. Shore had an. interview with the wife, who prevailed upon him to take her back, to his bosom (Elizabeth Victoria is a nice-looMTig woman), and be moved her into lodgings kept by Mrs Aitcheson, 50 McDonald Cresoent. She arrived on Saturday, December. 7, and remained three days. Shore ha ; d a boxful of valuable belongings, 'including a couple' of costumes, coins, curios, diamond , specimens, jewellery, etc., some of which things he exhibited before the' eager gaze qf the- woman who had been partially rehabilitated m his •affections. She was particularly struck with the dresses, and on. Sunday morning asked Shore for the garments. That travelled person,, who. is gingerheaded, refused to let her have them then. He said. "No : I'm not going to gi ye y° u anything m that box till you have proved yourself a better woman." Whereat she exhibited animosity and remarked (according to Shore), "I'll get a h axe and break the box open," She also pick- | ed up a bottle and shrieked, "I'll break your b head with this ! I'll smash every cup and saucer m the house." If Shore is to be believed. Mrs S. has a hell of a temper. It occurred to the man at this time that the woman wouldn't stay lons', amd. he regretted giving her £3 10s to buy necessaries with. She didn't look /as 'if she were going to be permanent, and refused to tidy up the place. She was out most of the day. Monday, and when Shore returned, from his job at the. Wellington doc\ ai; 6 p.m. he found the woman m her nightdress nursing the baby. One of Mrs Aitcheson' s children said she saw Bilrd drying himself m the bathroom on that day. When Shore departed for toil on Tuesday he Mi i?he key of the box. containing his .valuables m the pocket of an old pair of pants hanging up m, one. of the. two rooms rented by him. When he returned that night HIS WIPE. WAS GONE, and upon breaking open, the box; with an axe he fpund it empty, except for a. few foreign butterflies impaled on squares of paper > Bird was seen at the house onthst day, and one} of the GhiHren, assisting Mrs Shore to carry her parcels, and it is surmised that the pair took away Shore's goods and valuables wrapped up m some missing American cloth, tied with, gome missing rope. When. Bird was at McDonald Cresoent on Mpndav he was heard by young Gordon Aitcheson to say to the woman. "Remember, do what I tell you, Tf you don't you'll fall m." It was suggested latefr that this remark had something, to do with the -subsequent disappearance of the things. The Wo m^ n cleared out to Dunedin and was afterwards brought back to Wellington to answer a charge of making a false declaration about Lucas's kid. to the Registrar, She was met on the wharf by Bird, and Shore was also present. The gold dredger remarked, "Wasn't that a mean trick you did *>" She replied, "I wouldn't have done it only for Mr Bird," The stolen belongings were amongst Lizzie's luggage, which Shore tried to commandeer, but the Customs people wouldn't give it up. Shore went to speak to his little girl, but m alarm Rlizabet-h Victoria called upon her Bird and he pushed the; discarded husband away. The missus went up to Biird's place and sojourned there, to the discomfiture of Shore. Bird^is a widower with an anxious frown and three children. ' Shore look out a warrant to search ■the premises of Bird for his. missing ; property, but was baffled a°ain. He , recovered. a grey costume and some coins only, He then, consulted Mr Jackson, who knows a lot about the law, and that astute person had Bird cauffht and covert, and he was subremuently charged m Ihe Magistrate's Court wilh the theft of goods valued at £67 ss. The charge is an indictable one, and the above 1 facto were submitted m evidence be-

fore Magistrate Riddell, while solicitor Von Haast watched the proceedings on /Bird's behalf. The fair creature, who is the cause of all tMs trouble, and who was ordered by the Supreme Court to come up for sen-" tence when called upon on the false declaration tharge, appeared m Court m one OF THE BORROWED COSTUMES, and put m her spare time repulsing the attacks of Shore, who endeavored 1 to kidnap his litfrle daughter, Vie., m the precincts of the Court. The case was unfinished on • Wednrsdav, and Bird was remanded till this (Saturday) morning. The heaving was concluded on Wednesday, when Magistrate Riddell held that a prima faoie case had been made out. Bird was committed for trial and was allowed bail, himsell m £50 and one surety of £50.