THE MEDICO'S SCRIPT

NZ Truth, Issue 1149, 8 December 1927, Page 11

THE MEDICO'S SCRIPT

How J. P. Hennessy, M.D., Warded Off Malaria THE GIRL HE KNEW AS NORA

r is not specifically known if Doctor Hennessy, when he saw the tram approaching stuck his foot on the accelerator or on the bottles of beer on the floor of the car. As the bottles were not broken,, however, and his vehicle dashed on at a fast speed towards the city corporation's property, there is ground for the assumption that he stuck his foot on the accelerator.

It is a long time since a Wellington medical practitioner was fined* for being drunk while ln charge of a motor-car. Judging by What the magistrate (Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M.) said on Monday last, the medico was lucky In getting off w.ith a fine of £50 because he had been previously convicted for being drunk at the wheel m Auckland on September 12, 1925/

On The Land

When Hennessy, M.D., well-known m New Zealand's Capital city, was seen outside the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Monday morning last with . a young lady, m conversation with Lawyer Humphrey O'Leary, people who knew the 'debonair little man thought there must, be something doing. They were right—there was! In order to talk the matter over with his client, however, Counsel O'Leary had the case adjourned . m 'the morning until the afternoon. Probably the doctor -had a lot of patients to see before lunch hour, and that' may have been the reason for the postponement. In any case, by bringing it on m the afternoon the usual morning 1 crowd of hangers-on were eliminated. It was not until 2.20 that the name of Hennessy, M.D., of 13 (unlucky number, so it seems) Cambridge Terrace, was called. • When the clerk of the court said: "Joseph Patrick Hennessy, you are charged with being intoxicated while m charge of a car m Dufferin Street on Saturday night last, the doctor, who was feeling tils pulse sitting by counsel, said: "Guilty." The clerk of the court, however, intimated that doctor or no doctor, Hennessy, M.D., would have to stand m the dock., so the little stout man with the small" distinguished moustache and the tight-fitting double-breasted overcoat left his adviser and did so. Of course, it wasn't really nice for a medical man to have to stand m the dock and be the oynosure of all prying eyes, but he did so manfully, and, folding his , arms, listened quite unconcerned to the story. Acting S^ub-Inspector Lander prose- . cuted.

About 9.25 on Saturday, he commenced, as a tramcar was coming around the Basin Reserve m Dufferin Street, the motorman saw a motor vehicle approaching from an opposite direction at a very fast speed right on the tram track, on the wrong side of the road. The acting sub-inspector then told the story— a story which makes lt look as if Hennessy, M.D., was a very fortunate man to be alive ana be able to stand m the dock where he had been told to stand.. By the manner m which the car was being erratically driven, the motor - man thought that something was wrong. He thought, however, that the car. would get on its right side, but instead of doing this it came towards the tram like a tin hare, and the motorman rang his warning bell, nay, not once or twice but thrice. By this time Hennessy, who could not have seen such a. small object as a_ tramcar had almost reached that vehicle, and iri order to save the doctor from reaulring the services of another doctor, the motorman applied the emergency As he did so there was a loud crash and a terrific splintering of glass. The car, a little closed- In Dodge, which certainly had not lived up to its name bo far as dodging was concerned, struck the right-hand side of the tram front. It careered on until it finally came to rest on the middle step of the tram.

The accused was found inside the car and he was assisted out. One look was sufficient to tell that the doctor had been drinking, not too wisely but too well. A peep m the car showed two large bottles of beer on the floor of the vehicle. Hennesay, said the sub-inspector, was found to be very much under the influence of drink. The police soon arrived on the scene and accused was taken to the Mt. Cook station and charged with the offence. The doctor's car was very badly damaged and had to be towed away. Earlier on the same day, went on Sub-Inspector Lander, Hennessy's car had collided with another car m Adelaide Road, "but so far I cannot say whether he was sober or not at the •time." . Of course, this did not affect the present charge and may or may not have iimiiiiiiiniilHirniniimuniiiinniiiniiiiiiiiinniiiiiniiitiiniiiiniiHiiiiiiiHiiiinnmiiiiiniiniiminimniiiiin iiiituuiininHiiiinni>Miiniiiiiiinii>iniiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiuiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiin|imiimiiiiiininiiiiiiiiiuii>iiiiii

A S a medical man, Wellington's own doctor, Joseph Patrick Hennessy, M,D„ could well do with an antidote for trouble. What he takes to ward off an impending attack* of malaria, should at least be potent enough to ward off vehicular and mental confusion. Perhaps you haven't heard of Hennessy 's three stars?

been a coincidence. He felt justified m mentioning it, nevertheless. "I would also like to say that on September 12, 1925, accused was convicted and fined £25 at Auckland," said the officer. "So you will see, sir, it is not his first offence. If there is any doubt about Hennessy's being drunk, I have a large number of witnesses here who can testify as to his state." There were two sergeants and several constables who- would get into the box and tell their own story, if necessary. ' Lawyer O'Lear'y: We admit the offence, so there is no need for their evidence— none at all. Acting-Sub Inspector Lander (looking over at a large number of men m blue, some of whom were smiling) : "Well, they are here if they 'are wanted to be called." At the outset of his address, counsel for the defence said he knew nothing of the Incident concerning the doctor having had an accident with another car m Adelaide Road on the same day. That being so, he \yould not comment on .it, for the doctor may have been drunk or he may have been sober as It was the first he had heard df it, The unfortunate part of the whole thing though, was that his client had been unfortunate enough to have been found out. There were many other people who were drunk while m charge of cars, but as the common saying was they "got away with it" arid were able to keep out of the clutches of the law. With poor Hennessy, though, it was a different story. He was a capable professional man, a society man, a man m a very, very responsible position who would have to pay a far greater penalty outside than any •which the court of law could inflict. , That Hennessy would have to suffer badly^ there was no doubt m the world.

The doctor, who had been to the East, had at one time contracted malaria. Malaria, as most people knew, was an awful thing because the effects often repeated themselves. On Saturday evening from 7 o'clock until 8.30 p.m. Hennessy had been. tending his patients. A few minutes after 3.30 he felt that an attack of malaria was returning and decided to try and ward this off. This, of course, led to his ultimate disaster. He mixed a dose of quinine which he usually took and swallowed it. Later, not feeling well, he took two or three stiff whiskies. He was not going out that night at all, but the 'phone- rang. Someone at Miramar wanted him to take out. his car and bring Someone into town. t They also asked for some liquor to be brought along and that was how the two large bottles of beer were found m the car. , The beer was not for Hennessy, but for someone else. ' The doctor got m his car and was feeling quite all right. Suddenly his senses began to reel and he did not remember much about the tram car. Had he done so the smash would never have occurred. It was only a few seconds before the crash that he began to feel dizzy. The rest of the story the court knew. He collided with thetramcar, smashed his own car, and was taken to the station. He now stood m the dock awaiting the penalty at the fame time knowing the penalty which would follow outside. It • was true he . had been convicted at Auckland before for the same offence and that made it worse. There was only pne thing- to do and that was to throw himself upon the mercy of the court and ask for leniency. , ,