INSULTING ADVICE

NZ Truth, Issue 1203, 20 December 1928, Page 7

INSULTING ADVICE

Clothing Manufacturer Writes Disgusting Note to Woman Applicant For Employment

HOW "TRUTH" BROUGHT HIM TO BOOK

,(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Wellington Representative)

IN a daily -paper on September 24 appeared the following advertisement: "Wanted— Coat, vest and trousers machinists and finishers. The Costume Manufacturing Company, 276, Cuba Street." , » When Mrs. L., as we shall call her, saw the advertisement, she perceived an opportunity of assisting her frail resources, which, owing to the unemployment of her husband, were rapidly dwindling. Although she was devoid of any ex- J perience as a tailoress or machinist,! she thought that maybe Batenburg would teach her a little of the business, while she accepted a small wage in ' return. So, without any reference to her husband as to what he thought of the idea, she immediately wrote a simple letter .of application. She eagerly awaited the answer, but instead of the heartening news that Batenburg could find work for her to do, the next mail returned her own letter, to which a nasty, illiterate postscript intimating that her request amounted to confounded cheek, was added. "You have got a — hide. You want me to teach you and pay. What you had better do is . . . " was part of the text of the message, written m indelible pencil, m a wavering, effeminate hand, ill- spelled and badly punctuated. The remainder of the sentence quoted above is far too offensive to be printed, but it will be sufficient to indicate that, according, to the writer of the postscript, the only apparent alternative for Mrs. L. was that she should earn her own living m an immoral way. When she had sufficiently recovered from the effects of this disgusting blow to her hopes of getting a job which would help, at least m part, to pay the grocery and other household bills, she left the house, boarded one of the buses which run between Lower Hutt and Wellington, and went straight to the office of "N.Z. Truth," ' , Less than half an hour later/two staff me.n were calling upon the proprietor of a" clothing- factory situated at number 276, Cuba Street, upon the shop window of which was inscribed the name "Baten." The youth' behind the counter told them he would tret "Mr. ' Baten" for them, and' returned a few moments later with a shrunken, sallow-faced man, whose moist, weak eyes and

A few weeks ago there came into the Wellington office of "N.Z. Truth" a much-distressed little woman, who brought with her a letter she had written to a clothing manufacturer named Alexander von Batenburg, m response toVhis advertisement'for assistants. The letter itself was m her own handwriting, but at the foot of the single; sheet of notepaper was a disgusting superscription which the police* m collaboration with two lady members of ' ' Truth s • staff,;' were able to prove had been written by Batenburg. He was fined £10, m addition to a purseful of costs. 7vV iv ;; : '; 7

flaccid mOUth" 'did not impress his callers. He was told that they had come m support of Mrs. L.'s application for a position;, that her husband was out of work, arid that it would, mean much to her if she could secure employment. At first, he seemed a trifle' suspicious, but after a few minutes he became reassured, and a few leading questions and suggestions put to . him received answers which convinced his callers that he undoubtedly remembered the name and also .the letter. No mention was made of the superscription, however. v The result of the interview was that he promised to find- work for Mrs. L. Costume Ordered j Subsequent enquiries seemed to lead m the ; direction of determining that Batenburg was the writer Of the foul message, and when a pertain jppint had been reached m the course of investigations, the letter and' its attendant evidence was placed m the . hands of Chief- detective Ward. Detectives Murray and Baylis worked unceasingly on the case — perusing various confidential documents to which their profession demands access, interviewing- the quaking Batenburg, who, while firmly denying any knowledge or even complicity m the matter, absolutely refused to supply the two police .officers with sammes of his ! handwriting. : - 1 In the meantime, "Truth" expressed

i a willingness to cb -operate m any way possible with the police m their efforts to bring aboht Batenburg's conviction, . iand when tbld7tJia;t ..the -principal element of evidence, against the man* was lacking, a sehejhe fpr achieving that end", was planned among members of' , the staff of this paper, s Two ladies on "Truth's" staff were i given a little money for the purpose , they hacL In ■ vieWi and- at three o'clock i 'in* the afternoon, iri company with a : "Truth" man, they walked along Cuba Street m the direction of Bateriburg's shop. :..'•-•* V 7 While the two girls were m the shop, their escort kept at a discreet distance. , The elder girl of the two told Batenburg that she would like to see, some costume material,. ;^s 7_ibe- wished 1 -to hma eostumeVmafle. , . 1 During the next twenty minutes the , small fcouii ter* wasstrewn with bolts of cloth, and innumerable questions were asked as i "to" prices, "leh^th of -time'; required for making, .etc.-, : : ■ ■ -. •■;..-.. .. .. „- ■ He, however, seemed a trifle uneasy about his potential customers, ar^d; although he*was*v_ry;.bbsequi.- . ; yeryjpbiite, i .\here Was an;': * air of disquiet about his actions:: 7 which seemed to indicate that he 7 7 v was ' not . absolutely sure of his 7 ground. At" length -it was decided that the girl who had assumed the name of "Miss Arden" for the purpose of "the. ■ adventure should ..purchase a certain material. When the transaction haej proceeded thi-i far, Batenburg took her measurements, and told her the price ■ would be £ 6/17/6— for a style that was out of date some years ago. 7" ■ Miss Arden. then took some money from her purse, saying that as she liked to have everything on a businesslike footing, would Mr. Baten please give- her, a receipt for ten shillings deposit? V ."•■■:.• - --, - ; '■:'- - - "Mr. Baten" demurred, but when the lady was so insistent, he agreed with her that such an arrangement really was the most satisfactory way of doing business, and he walked over to his tiny office, where he very carefully wrote a receipt ■m acknowledgment of Miss Arden's ten shillings deposit. ; So carefully and laboriously did he write it, however, that the girls' good fortune seemed too good to be true. .s till, although The had patently enVdeavored to disguise his handwriting, there was no doubt m the mind of the handwriting expert who was called m by.y'the police that the postscript on Mrsi L.'s letter and' the writing which embodied Miss Arden's receipt* as well "as that contained m fourteen invoices written by Batenburg m his account with a certain §oft goods firm m Wellington, were all the work of one man. The handwriting expert is a public accountant by profession — a man with Money Well Spent ■* : - twenty years' and more .', experience with varying types of men and their penmanship. It was further arranged that the cloth should not be cu|t until Miss Arden had brought m some special lining material which a friend had promised to secure for her. ■„- ' *• The following day Miss Arderi -called upon the accused and informed; him that she. had changed her mind, and would not be requiring Batenburg to make the outfit fpr her -just then.7 Of. course, she forfeited her deposit, but '■'' it ■ ' was • "• : a '••' sound investment. . Batenburg gleaned an easy ten shil- t lings, -, and . those investigating his Shortcomings were pleased beyond measure with the: prize they had so comfortably secured. • On November ,30 he was charged with sending an indecent document. i through the post, and also with causing it to, be sent. His counsel attempted to "prove that because "the chief -detective had received permission to proceed _only. from, the Solicitor- General instead •? of • /the Attorney-General, the police were not entitled to proceed. '' ■ .-. Moreover, he -contended that the document m question was not indecent, and he applied;* for a fortnight's ad- , journment. '-"''_, '•'-■•■7 , Magistrate .Page acquiesced, but warned 'Lawyer Sievwright that there was a possibility of "his arguments being over-ruled. arid when, the.' case came before the police court a second time, counsel was informed that the prosecution would have to continue, despite the somewhat involved argument raised m defence. Batenburg' pleaded "Not guilty," but when the magistrate ■ gave a fairly clear indication as to his opinion of the words contained m the message, the plea was switched to one of "Guilty." As: Chief-detective-TWard remarked, Batenburg's character ■ is best jiidged by the act to which he pleads/guilty. „ To this "Trnth" *adds that" it is its solemn duty.'to pillory J _<uch individuals as Batenburg who, sheltering a craven perversion behind anonymous, unsigned, disgusting screeds sent through the mail, seek to derive satisf action ;from the effusions of then; twisted minds.