PUTATIVE PATERNITY.

NZ Truth, Issue 141, 29 February 1908, Page 5

PUTATIVE PATERNITY.

WHY DIDN'T HE MARRY THE GIRL? Bill Hockley's Love Affair. His Mother Swears Not Wisely but Too Well.

Karori is always, getting a ques]tionable advertisement m the 'city. People, are buried' there, and it. is spoken of as the- destination of persons about \6 die. Then the neighbors' quarrel" much at Karori and come to Wellington to settle their differences ; and when anything is wrong. ; with the milk, thoughts fly to Karori. Thoughts always fly when they go anywhere, although no one has ever been able to define the size, color, or texture of, their wings. Karori was once guilty of a wild cat gold mine, but it has reformed m late years, and produces ore iwerely us a road metal. Many people regard -Karori* as a sinful suburb, and it was probably the borough's abandonment to the devil which was responsible; for tbe . fell -of • a simple, '-'•'dark-eyed maiden namedv Katie Malm. Her real name was- Catherine, but everyone called her Katie, particularly Bill Hockltr, who used to say the name) m such an irresistible way that he could do what he like with her. It wasn't io the warm, langourous days of summer that Billiam compassed Katie's ruin, but m the chill depths of; winter, when the- passionsmij*ht be expected to ))e m a moribund state like ■ t*ie animals that sleep all the winter. When Katie sued William for. the maintenance of his illegitimate' ohild "and'accouchment exes. * she didn't explain - exacW how her lover induced her to fall, but with Ms assistance she succeeded m acquiring a -"past" and an unholy infant which should ma^e the pious shudder. After all, E* 7 e wasn't married, but Adam, unlike •■■Bill. " • • ■■:: .--.. &-■ • RECOGNISED HIS RESPONSI- ■■ . t ■■■■ BrLITI.ES, Solicitor Dunn piloted the barque of affiliation through the troubled waters of the Magistrate's Court;- and lL.aw.yer Jackson attempted to prevent a disastrous collision with his client.' J The' girl stated, m evidence, that she first met Hockley, who is a native of: Karori. at ti:c beginning of winter, 1906. and used to go put with him four or fiye times a weel:. He probably said "Do!" on five different nights before she "Did," • and after- .that they traversed the broad road to perdition without a mi^iving. Theif last ..a against the proprieties was camiritrd on Christinas . night, and they "fell with oonsider- ■• able che.erl'-lness about a ' fortnipiht before Iho great Christian festival. • Somewhere about this time Kate found that she, was about to pay the customary penalty for her iridiscre-, •tion! Her brother's -. wife was the. •first to notice, it. The girl wasn't .well, . and Mrs Malm qWstiorM her,, with the result- that the two women and Mrs Brooker paid; ',' a . vfait to •c.-KockJey oo January •/& Mrs- Brooker/. is «a friend of, the family tb;-'? took extraordinary., interest m the affair. The girl's sister-iri.'law asked Hock!i ley if. the child was his; and he didn't sa^ "NoV' . 'The lady questioned him/ closely, and he replied, "She's ' been with someone else." The girl denied this m the man's presence. "Are vnit going to marry the girl V, queried the sister-in-law, and he said be would take; time' to consider it. Hockley cleared out a' week later. The child v^ born on August 15, 1907, i»nd the expenses of confinement m Wellington amounted to £6 6s. The H"1 swore that she had never had immoral relations with other men, but 'remained true to her unwilling WiNiam. ' Iti re^lv to Mr Jackson, tlje girl said the , indiscretions took place at liirrht. not f°r away from the house. She was slavey at Foster's, whose 1 back door opened on to Hockley's front door. Their IMPROPER iRELATIONS CEASED for two oi three weeks m October while Hockley . was away somewhere. Do you know Arthur Jones ?—yes ; I used to come up the road with him.^. . Did you keep company with htm ?— No ; lc'. Hoekley thought I was going ;with Arthur Jones. Did you not go to Df7's Bay with him ?— He came with us, but my nieces and nephews were with us. Do you know a man named John McCatoe ?— Yes, I was going with Jack for three 1 years before I met Bill. Did you ever have any improper relations with Jones ?— No. When did 'roil keep , company with McCatoe ?— About a year before I went with Bill. Did you tell Mrs Hockley (Hockley's mother) that Jack McCabe was the father of the ohild ?— Yes ; but I wanted to shield Bill from his mother... > .'. His Worship i You say he r was away for a month B* October • did you go out" with Jones durih** that month ?— No. ■ .'■'■'■ When did you go to Day's Bay with him ?— That was before October. Mrs Caroline Malm, wife of Mr Harry Malm, discovered the girl's condition with -adroit on*stioning. and went with her to see HocVlev. m company with the eager Mrs Brooker Mrs Mai' remarked, "You know what we've come about." He laughed, and said, "Yes; come inside " The lady spread out her skirt and sat down— Mrs Brooker doing likewise--and aske r l, pointedly, "Now, what are you going to do about it 7 " He replied, -'Nothing ; it doesn't belong to me." ''Do you mean to say that you , never had anything to do with the pirl ?" queried the sister-in-law, bridling with indignation, while Mrs Brooder sniffied contemptuously. "I nover said that." rejoined Bill ; "I certainly have had something 1 to do with her." "When was the last timo ?" pursuf-d the relentless Mrs M'lin. "On Christmas night," he admit+Pfl, with hesitation. He al^o ' saifl hn bad h^on gome with her riininrr tbo winter. "Are you GOT NO 'TO MARRY THE OTRL ?" .asked Mrs Malm, with erim rtfitermination while Mrs BrooVrr nooded her hcul an|jr"vinelv. "I will think it over, 1 ' rejoined Hockley. m a dazed

fashion, and the three ladies swept out of the room. Ladies always sweep out of an apartment after an interview s of this sort; they never .walk. Old Mrs Hockley was present at the interview, and appeared to be broken up by the knowledge of her son's predicament. "If it belongs to you you had better marry the girl," she said to her son, m a helpless fashion ; but the old lady later denied saying this. The next meeting was at the house/ of Mrs Broo&er, who took a very prominent part dn the little drama. Hockley came by invitation, and Harry Malm was present to overawe the unwilling swain. "Have you thought it over ?" he, asked, ominously. "Yes," replied Bill. "I'm not going to marry .hsr." Malm got fightable and said he would wait . for Hockley. Subsequently he changed his mind. Mrs Malm asked the girl, "Is he really the f Lher ?". Katie, who had liquid dark .eyes, replied, , tearfully, "He knows he is." Hock said nothing ; he merely wished he were 1000 miles away. It appears that the muehmenticmed Jones used to hoard with - Mrs Malm, and that lady scouted the idea that he had any thine to 'do witto Kitty. Thpre were fully a dozen people at the Day's Bay picnic, and they saw nothing improper there. Jones left before Christmas to go to a job at Pencarrow lighthouse—evidently a lonely person Jones. To Mr Jackson : Jones hadn't been heard of since. , Mrs /Caroline Brooker also gave evidence. Solicitor Jackson said his client denied paternity, but admitted sexnal intercourse with the girl on df>t<>s prior to the conception ol the child. If the youngster was born m August it. must have been conceived m November,, and. Hockley relinnu.ishod the girl to Jones" early m October. Counsel put- stress upon the admission to Mrs Hockley that. McOabe was FATHER .OF THE UNDESIRED INFANT. Bill Hockley, who is a laborer, said he commenced going with the girl m winter, ai*d went, out with her frequently. They sinned together often, sometimes twice a, >rt m the cold evenings, and life was very pleasant m the reservoir village for a while. Then Arthur Jones came along and took her to the Day's Bay picnic early m October, and WiPiam drop:poa gracefully out of the running. ' He didn't do anything improper witti her on Chrisurias night, nor a- for .night before thr.t time, as h*>d been stated by Catherine. ' He admitted telling the women he knew vh^t they er.m'o for when they interviewed him on Ihe subject of the potential but explained that they had called on the previous night when he was /c 'it, . and his mother told him their errand. The unfortunate mother' swore later that she diidn't know what they came for and didn't tell' her son ; so Billiam was branded a liar. He didn't ask f«r time to consider the subject of marriage. What he did say was, '-'I'm not the father of the child. You'd better get Jones." He was working for Hill and Lloyd at Karori, and didn't leave m February on account of the kid, but because he didn't care for navvyinn and went to graft on a .Masterton station. He didn't tell his mother where he was going and didn't write to her. The ooor old moth:r later, convinced that she was saying something good about her son, SWORE THAT HE HAD WRITTEN FREQUENTLY and for the' second 't'me, Bill found Mmself m the r • c boat with a deceased person named Ananias. Solicitor Dunn : Do you know r...e Smith ?— Yes ; he's a mate of mine. . . •, Did you tell him you werel going to clear out as your word would be no good against Miss Malm's ?— No. You bro Ir e it off because Jones kept company with her.?— She broke it oft. You call ,-it keeping company ?— Jon»s toH me himself m Karori i&at he misbehaved with her. The principal feature of old Mrs Hockley's evidence was the admission to her, by irdie that McCa'wO was responsible for the infant. Sum Tiring up, Magistrate Ri<We>l commented \upon the fact that Hockley's statements were contradicted, not only by witnesses for- complainant, but also by one of his own witnesses. William was adjudged putative father of the child, arid ordered t" pay 7s a week towards itr maintenance ; ajso £C 6s confinement exes, 7s court costs, solicitor £2 2s, witnesses 10s ; and he was also reauired to find bonds, himspT m £50, and ; two sureties o! £25 eacb, that be will keep up the payments. Morality, is the best policy,