MAID AND MAN

NZ Truth, Issue 1198, 15 November 1928, Page 8

MAID AND MAN

Smith Sets Mother Grundy Off ' (From "N.Z. Truth's" Gore Rop.) The clan of Smith has received considerable publicity of. late. There is Kingsford the flyer, and "A!." of New York, who . doesn't believe m prohibition. And now we have Arthur Robert. TN his story there is a mixture of love ■*■ and' tragedy— a broken -ho ;irtod wife, a wronged girl, a tiny cofilu. He has also been responsible for raising a point of law m connection with charges of abduction. • Robert Arthur Smith has had the tongues of Gore wagging for a month past. Over a period of years ho built up a bustling business at Gore by cutting male and female hair, Biniling nicely at his customers, and telling the story of his life the while if one cared to listen-in. Arthur, however, did. not tell all he kne\y. . , A happy wife and family were occasionally seen m the shop by the cus-. tomers — an affectionate couple, to all appearances, were the Smiths. But there was another, side to the story, Mrs. Smith employed a maid. Arthur liked the maid vory much. The affection 'grew; Mrs, Smith took steps to guard her special preserves m the field of husbantla. The girl got other employment. But love, steadily budding m tho breasts of Arthur and the maid, found a way.

On the morning of September 13 came a thunderbolt for Gore and Mrs. Smith. The news spread like wildfire,as village gossip does,

Arthur Robert Smith, married

man and father, hairdresser, had

fled with 9 girl m her teeng, |cay*

jna no trace of his whereabouts.

Methodical Arthur had not forgotten to furnish himself with cash. He had also left a. will m favor of his wife m the safe of the shop.

Three weeks passed. Then came tragedy. A young son of Arthur suddenly expired from heart failure, and a grief- stricken mother had no husbarid'sUiand to console her m her sorrow.

News had been received of Arthur's location. A telegram to Christchurch brought him to Gore— but not to his old home.

, Arthur's first appearance was at the court-house, where' he was charged with the abduction of a girl under the age of 38 years, from the possession of her employer. .; And so the public received, all the details. The missing links, were forged,

, Arthur and the girl, it appeared, had Rpent the first night away from home at , the Royal H0te1, ..-. Chriatchurch, where they occupied the same room; They then went to : ' a house, m Edgeware Road, Christchurch, giving, the name of Howell, Smith paying all expenses; ■■-.'. ' : ,""W: -■_;..•■ '■.■■. ■;• ■ . •.;■■■ -

The girl's age was 17% years, and her mother had always trusted he>% but maternal faith was misplaced,. Before leaving together on the groat adventure the g\rl had seen Smith at nights at Gore. Intimate relationships had been the rule for five or. six weeks oefora their departure, arid the result left the maid m a certain condition. .

Lawyer Bannerman's line of de- , j ;■'■' fence for Smith before the oourt, , vvas that it. would have to be : shown that when .the girl was taken qway it was with the intention that she be taken advantage ■■'of. ... . . ' ' ■ • ■;•'•■.'' ■■"■...•'.'■' In this qase the girl went away with Smith to find work as she wan m trouble and did not wish to be found out^; ' . - . ';\.-'. ■;. ;. ;.';■ ■ :: ' • . ••.'•.■ . .-■. . . '■'' Misconduct after; the taking away had nothing: to do with it if the intenj; at the time of. taking away was iniiocent, The girl's employer had said that, -hie .was not I'esponsible foi; her, and it was essential m order to secure a. conviction to prove' that the girl had been taken away against the will of her employer or her parents. In this case she had been let away 'by her employer and she was out of the control of her parents. The girl had siihply gone away and Smith had fallen m with her. • : j

Magistrate Dixoh, ' after these, points were: raised,, adjourned tbo case m order to go into legal authority, grant' ing bail m the meantime.

late,