MELODRAMATIC

NZ Truth, Issue 1153, 5 January 1928, Page 5

MELODRAMATIC

Marshalls Scared

By Morigan

KFrom "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christ-

church Rep.)

There are more ways than one of collecting a debt. The spectacular way was the one chosen by Stephen James Morigan, a nineteen-year-old youth, who resorted to highwayman tactics to force Mrs. Jane Marshall, of Leeston, Canterbury, to disgorge money which the lad claimed was owing to him. IWIASKING his face with a handker- *»* chief and arming himself with an unloaded revolver, the young highwayjnan knocked at the door of Mrs. Marshall's house one dark night and preeented the gun. \ Great was the surprise of the lady ' when she found herself looking down the ominous barrel. Two years' probation was the penalty for this youthful flight into melodrama in real life. Morigan found that such tactics don't pay. The facts of the case were thrashed out last week, when Morigan faced Magistrate H. A. Young at Christchurch, charged with having presented a revolver and having carried the s;ime. When Mrs. Marshall opened the door and heheld "Deadwood Dick" outside she wasted no time on argument! but rushed off to a neighbor's place, where Fhe made known, her troubles and rang' up the police. • Lawyer A. S. Lyons, who appeared for Morigan, had a few pithy comments to make apropos the Marshalls. "Morigan is a farm laborer and is a very well-behaved boy," said counsel o,t the outset. "He worked for the Marshalla fot over two months and they owed him (about £10. 1 "The lad knew nothing about legal procedure' and had been along to the jlarshalls' place several times to get the money. "The Marshalls are fabulously wealthy," boomed counsel, "but I am quite within my rights in saying that they get up to the meanest tricks to save a penny. "They have told Morigan not to go there and have threatened to thrash him if he went again. On one occasion Marshall said he would put a Charge of shot into him if he went