MUSICIAN'S TRICKY TUNE

NZ Truth, Issue 1192, 4 October 1928, Page 9

MUSICIAN'S TRICKY TUNE

«» : — Harry Berry's Bluff Throws His Spouse, Off Scent (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Wellington Representative.) Wracked with the stress of gnawing grief and despair; utterly miserable at the thought that the Woman to whom he Was devoted had so lightly regarded his affection as to filch their child from its home and throw its innocent young life, with hers, into a spurious love-pact; George Luff will return to New Zealand from Australia after a strenuous endeavor to salvage the remaining love of his small family from the destructive influence of Harry Berry.

THOUSANDS of fireside folk had listened to the rippling cadenzas which tumbled from the bell of Berry's cornet, and, although only a small majority of his auditors may have seen him m the flesh, at least he was .intimate through the broadcasted waves from 2YA. Berry was a 40-year-old music salesman with an impressive bearing. The combination of a somewhat cheerful disposition, with a pronounced ability as.a cornettist, might have affected the moral judgment of young women less easily swayed than Leonora Luff, who is not yet 28. years of age. For some years these two had displayed a marked familiarity m their friendship. When Berry scaled the heights of Mount Victoria, _ [

upon .whose peak rests the radio broadcasting station, Mrs. Luff often accompanied him there and sat m

the waiting-room whilst her second, though pre-eminent, lover played his selections for the entertainment of his armchair audience. He literally played hiniself to the innermost reaches of her affection, and when tho "Ulimaroa" deck-hands had slipped the lines from the bollards, Berry, Mrs. Luff and her three-year-old son turned their backs upon the receding wharves of Auckland harbor towards the far-away lines of the Sydney coast. That was on Friday, September 7. Three days later, Magistrate Salmon listened to the plea of Mrs. Berry that a warrant should be \ issued for the arrest of her husband, on her declaration that he

had left his wife and five children m a state of comparative penury, with the result that when the runaways stood at trie gangway of the "Ulimaroa," eagerly awaiting the moment when they should step ashore, "Mr. Wood" received the shock of his life. Two Sydney detectives asked "Mr. Wood" whether "Berry" would be his more correct title. When he admitted that "Wood" was merely the maiden name of the lady \yho accompanied him, he was told that a warrant for his apprehension had been transmitted across the Tasman. In the meantime, Luff, who is employed on the clerical staff of the Colonial Carrying Company, managed to quieten his bewildered senses sufficiently to decide upon a trip to Australia,, m the effort to regain possession of his infant son and to persuade his wife that for

the sake : of their child she should return with him to this country. While, of course, he could not ab-

solutely forgive her, he realized the ache of a childish heart for its mother, so he submerged any outraged feeling he might be . suffering for the sake of the child. '. By Tuesday, September 18, he had secured leave of absence from his firm, booked his passage by the "Maheno," and, within a week of Berry's arrest, Luff was interviewing the officers of the New South Wales Criminal Investigation Branch, who had brought about Berry's apprehension. But he could find • no .trace of. his wife. < ' ■ , Despite careful arrangements for the shadowing of Mrs. Luff, she eluded those who had been engaged to watch her movements, ;and, although day after day. was spent- m unremitting search, she was not to be found. ; . .Meanwhile, Luff had made use or the letters of introduction prepared by Lawyer Alf. Mazengarb, of Wellington, to his agents m Sydney, and through them proceedings were taken whereby Luff sought to regain possession of his child. But their efforts proved fruitless and the irony of the whole clrcum-' stances was further heightened by the actions of Mrs. • Berry's own people m Sydney. By some curious process of reasoning, Mrs. Berry's father advi3ed .j

Waiting For Him

Fruitless Qtiest

her to Waive the information she had sworn against her husband and intimated that Berry had supplied very good reasons for' his conduct. It appears that Berry told his people that Mrs. Luff had been most unhappy with her husband, who made her life a positive misery and at length turned her on to the streets — penniless. Berry is said to have macle it clear that his sympathetic heart went out to a woman so cruelly treated. He had decided to act as a guardian angel for her, until she became established m Australia. Why, then, did he take the 'trouble to screen their identity behind the adoption of Mrs. Luff's maiden name, irrespective of the fact that he left

Mrs. Berry and their five children with scarcely a farthing m the world? Mrs. Bei*ry receiv-

Ed a cable from her parents, who said they would willingly cable the necessary, passage money for herself and the children, if she would suppress the -warrant. y Rather foolishly, she complied, and within a few days had sold her furniture, booked her passage and sailed by the "Ulimaroa" on September 21, the very day upon which Luff commenced his action m the Supreme Court for the recovery of his son. Four days later, Luff's mother, who lives m Wellington, received a. letter from her son, saying that all his efforts appeared to be m vain. • Then followed a cablegram, containing a few terse, poignant words that clearly indicated the distress of mind through which Luff was passing.

"They cleared Melbourne as expected. Police investigating. Taking divorce proceedings my return on Friday to Auckland." That was all. Whatever Mrs. Berry's hopes may have been when she and her family mounted the gangway at Wellington are now sadly -dispersed by the flight of her husband, who seems fairly well determined to live with Mrs. Luff and I no other — for a term, at least. Luff, mentally and physically fatigued with the strain of the past three weeks, returns to Wellington this week, but although his solicitors may do everything possible towards the expedition of his "son's return, it may be a long time before he is able to establish their "re-union.

Constable Ross, of the New Zealand police force, is the only one to receive any pleasure out of the sorry business, for when he reached Sydney, and was met with the news of Mrs. Berry's order for cancellation of the warran ti he immediately made ap-

plication for a short leave m New South Wales, where, according to" recent advices, he appears to be enjoying himself. Meantime, his colleagues m the New South -Wales police are scouring the Commonwealth' for the identity of Mrs. Luff, whose astuteness, m collaboration with the foresight and coolness of Berry, seem to have effectively countered every move made against them.