TAXI DON JUAN

NZ Truth, Issue 1207, 17 January 1929, Page 3

TAXI DON JUAN

Entertained Promiscuously By Young Domestic Servant on Her Master's Premises

COURT SEQUEL TO INVITATION

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Invercargill Representatvie.)

| A taxi-cab driver m the role of a modern Don Juan, a 1 | domestic servant who played the part of his hostess without 1 | the consent or knowledge (till next day) of her master, and a | | lawyer who found a strange man on his premises at six o'clock | 1 m the morning — these were the principal characters m a | | piquant little, comedy-drama at Invercargill. | MftllllllltlllllltllllllllllllMlllllllllllllltllllllllllltllllllllltlllttltlllltllllllllltllllttlllllllllllllllTr

LIKE all good men of the legal profession, William McAllister likes his morning paper, and likes it early. It was one of the maid's first morning duties to take the newspaper up to her master's room as soon as it arrived — about seven o'clock. On the morning of October 23 McAllister rose earlier than usual, and went downstairs to see if the paper had arrived. On his way back to his own room he encountered Officer m the vicinity of the maid's room. The time was about 6 a.m. . Officer told McAllister that his name was "Fra-, s c r," but his' correct name was subsequently " learned from the domestic. The "guest" was not questioned at any length before the occupier of the house "kicked him downstairs" and let him out. Briefly, that is the story which accounted for Norman Officer's recent appearance at the Invercargill Police Court to answer a charge of being unlawfully on the dwelling premises of William McAllister. Supported by Lawyer Allan Hogg, Officer's excuse was that he considered he had a right on the premises, as the maid, with whom he was friendly, had asked him to stay the night. He met the girl, he said, at the gate

Kicked Downstairs

on the evening of October 22. She asked him into the kitchen, saying that the family was out. Later they went up to the girl's room, and were there when the girl's master and mistress returned. Officer had no wish to be found m the house, and he accepted the girl's invitation to stay the night m her voom, the intention being to leave undetected m the morning. But, alas for Norman. The best laid plans of maids and men get sometimes entangled with that much abused proverb about the early bird. Evi deuce was called by Seniorsergeant Fox to the effect that the domestic implicated m the case was a girl of ' 18 years of age who had been committed to the Child Welfare m. Timaru m 1925. Officer said he knew nothing about the girl being m the charge of the state. « ' " ■ / • Magistrate Cruickshank took a serious view of the charge, and fined accused £10 and costs 12/-, m default 14 days. . Lawyer Hogg asked for the fixing of security for an appeal, which, it is understood, will involve legal argument as to whether the purpose of Officer's visit comes within the jurisdiction of the Criminal Law.