THE MEDICAL MAN AND THE GIRL HE MET DR. CHRISTIE'S STAR-LIT ROMANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1213, 28 February 1929, Page 8

THE MEDICAL MAN AND THE GIRL HE MET

DR. CHRISTIE'S STAR -LIT ROMANCE

BUT of Dr. Christie it has to be related that his latest excursion into the idyllic pastures of Romance did not include his Wife as the lady Kcquired to complete the picture of his romantic setting. i The doctor's wife was left at home while he paid court to a single lady — Miss Gwen Calver, formerly of Wanganui and now resident m Wellington, who is a well-known tennis player. How the doctor and Miss Calver first saw the love-light m each other'seyes has not been disclosed,, but certain it is that Christie — and the lady — so far forgot themselves as to throw convention and discretion to the winds, with the result that Wanganui, particularly m the select social circles of the city, has had a choice item of gossip to discuss. The culminating' interest was reached when the doctor's wife, Mrs. Dorothea Eita Christie, took her troubles to the Divorce Court where Mr. Justice Smith granted her a decree nisi. ■From what can be gathered from tiie columns of the Wanganui press there was a decided reluctance to give undue publicity to the case. Both Dr. Christie and Miss Calver moved extensively m the best social circles and were well-known figures at most, if not all, of the society functions that were staged m Wanganui.

Well-known Wanganui Medico Throws Discretion To The Winds, Affording Wife Evidence of His Association With Miss Calver

JUDGE HEARS WATCHER'S STORY AND SEVERS BONDS

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

Doctors are generally supposed to be very busy m«n, and, of course, they are, with leisure rather an uncertain quantity m their lives. But with the doctor as with anybody else it is not all work and no play. He finds time for recreation — and, indeed, romance. , .'■■•■ '

For example, the case of Doctor Henry Howard Christie, the well-known Wanganui medico, is the case of a. busy man who found time, not only for recreation but romance with a capital R.

! The story of Mrs. Christie's Avrecked happiness and the doctor's infidelity, as told to Mr. Justice Smith m Wanganui the other day, Avas not lacking m interesting sidelights. i Across the stuge of Christie's association Avith Miss CalvEr flitted the I figure of a private detective Avho had been engaged to "obtain evidence." [ This inquiry agent had, from all aci counts, not had a very easy .task, but

Wife Stages Climax

of this phase of the affair more anon. It Avas m 1926 • that Mrs. Christie packed her trunks and left Wanganui for a holiday trip to England. Not a thought In her mind, then, that anything Avas likely to come beitwcen.her and the doctor. But England is a. long way from New Zealand, and it was during \ her absence that the doctor became more than a little interested m Miss Calver. By the time Mrs. Christie arrived back m Wanganui her husband had become so interested m Miss Calver

that he took no pains to keep his regard for the lady a secret. He was very attentiA f e ; — far too much so to please Mrs. Christie, Avho could see that the doctor Avas displaying at least an exaggerated interest m her rival-to-be. Such a state of affairs could not be supported* by the Avife without protest, and she took an early opportunity of telling, her husband that she A\ r as fully UAvare of Avhat Avas going on and that she did not like it. He Avas asked what' he proposed doing about it all. Christie promised his wife to give up the other woman, and for a time it looked as though he was abiding by .his undertaking. • But the association had become too great an attachment to be easily broken, and instead, Christie broke his promise. Dr. Christie's practice took up a great deal of his time, but Avhat leisure ho had Avas not spent at home as his wife expected it to be. * Instead, he AA'as seeing a great deal of Miss Cah'-er, and Mrs. Christie again had ail her former suspicions aroused. Once more she taxed him Avith it, and this time she extracted an admission that he had been Avith Miss Calver at his seaside residence at Castlecliff.

Things went from bad to Avorse m i the Christie household, and m November last Mrs. Christie, taxed the doctor with impropriety Avith Miss Calver. He mads no attempt to deny the impeachment, and when the news was conveyed to him that divorce proceedings would be taken he offered no opposition. ! John McGlinn, a private detective J and ex-member of the Irish police force, now. enters the picture, for McGlinn Avas engaged to search for evidence. He kept a Avary eye on the doctor and folloAved him about the countryside, but little if any success attended his early Avatching. One day he picked up the trail of Christie and Miss Calver and followed them oh their AA r ay to Feilding. But Christie evidently kneAV that he was under obserA'ation, and that he Avas being followed about so he employed a clever little strategy Avhich, if it Avas knoAvingly employed, certainly had the effect of sending McGlinn off on a AAild-goose chase. The doctor deviated from the usual i road and drove the car into a gully where it Avas not seen by McGlinn, who drove straight by without seeing his quarry.

With only "no luck'. 1 to report 'the private detective returned to Wanganui, having lost on the first move. But McGlinn still persisted with his inquiries, and on the second occasion on which he set out on the trail he was rewarded, better, perhaps, than he had hoped to be. . ' ' J He followed Christie and Miss Calver all the way, to Levin, where, for two and a-half hours, he had

What Watcher Saw

them under close observation as they spooned on the side of the road beneath the stars. At the end of two and a-half hours McGlinn saAV them move • off into the town itself, Avhere they visited the i Wistaria tea rooms. I There they spent another hour together, McGlinn keeping vigil on the. opposite side of the road. I Having refreshed themselves on tea and cakes the couple left the tea rooms. McGlinn saAV Miss Calver take the

iniiiiiiiiiiuiiMiiuiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiuiuiniiiiiit doctor's arm and they proceeded to an hotel, where they remained. McGlinn, as it proved, was destined to have a long 'Wait, for the doctor and the girl spent the night m the hotel, the private detective keeping watch all the time outside. Next morning he saw the doctor go to the confectioner;s shop adjacent to the hotel, and he purchased some eatables, Ayhich he placed m his car. McGlinn had seen enough, and he returned td Wanganui with all the evidence he required. . . Events moved swiftly after this, and the divorce papers were all prepared. Every effort was made to keep the case quiet, but such an item of gossip could not long be kept concealed. . Very soon the town was whispering about the doctor's romance, and speculation was rife as to what the evidence would be when the petition finally cam© before the judge. As was expected the doctor did not bother /to defend the suit, and he offered no opposition. McGlinn's evidence was sufficient to convince his honor . that the doctor's Avif e had made out ; her case, and , he granted her a decree nisi to be moved absolute at the expiration of .three months. . .