WHAT KATHLEEN HEARD OVER THE WIRE

NZ Truth, Issue 1215, 14 March 1929, Page 3

WHAT KATHLEEN HEARD OVER THE WIRE

"Is That You Gwen? "Asked Man's Voice, and Sister's Suspicions W^e(^

TELEPHONE GIRL FAILS TO FIX BLAME ON HAMMOND

(From ■" N.Z. Truth V s pecial Chris tchufchi Representative) In placid little Akaroa, nestling snugly inside the hills which form the eastern extremity of picturesque Banks Peninsula, Gwendoline Curry enjoyed the unbounded freedom of the country life. , i She was a well-known figure m the township, which lies a few miles from her father's dairy farm and this fact made it all the harder for her when she was overtaken by the most appalling disaster she has yet experienced m her short span of life.

IN the free and open life which is so well known. 'to those who earn their living from the soil, she grew from adolescence ;to womanhood, and' though, comparatively young m years she was a well-developed woman and, naturally enough, the envy of some of the youth of the neighborhood. -But, m responding to the amorous attentions of her swains, she stepped across the boundary line of discretion. The path of love was easy to tread, but for Gwen. Curry it was one of retrogression from which she did not retrace her steps. The realisation <of what , price she had to pay for that folly — shamed m the eyes of the people she knew so well, and disgrace for the family, came to her.as a blow. . Before her baby was born, the girl left Akaroa for Christchurch" to take up a position m the telephone exchange where her sister was already employed. ■ Perhaps the sad story of* her downfall would hay* remained a secret between the girl and her sister had the man she accused of betraying her not denied the . allegation and substantiated hia denial by going to court to plead his innocence. On r Jjanuary 20 this year, Gwen. The Girl's Secret Curry gave 'birth to a. male child/and m support of. her application for an affiliation , order, she accused Ivan Hammond, . a married man, farming at Robinson's Bay, Banks Peninsula; and formerly of Long Bay Road, Akaroa/ of being responsible. Hammond, who was represented by Mr. Roy Twyneham, denied the allegation, and successfully pleaded his innocence before Mr.- H. P. Lawry, S.M. . . The case, which was heard m the Christchurch Maintenance Court, contained two remarkable • features. The girl's secret was exposed by her .sister, Kathleen, a switchboard attendant m the Christchurch telephone exchange, who allegedly intercepted a call by a man from a street slot 'phone to her sister which aroused her suspicions, and led to the younger girl's condition being found out. The other, feature was the attack made on the ghTs character by counsel for the defence, who called witnesses to allege certain things on the part of the girl. , . „. One -witness, James Hamilton, blandly confessed that immoral relationship had occurred between him and the girl while he was .engaged on farm work on property next door to her home, and this evidence, the magistrate intimated, bore heavily with him In discrediting the complainant's testimony, concerning her reputation. For six years, said the girl, she lived m the same district as Hammond, and, knowing his wife, she was, a frequent visitor to; his home, where, at times, she tended the baby while Hammond and his wife went to the pictures. She, alleged that misconduct first occurred m . a bush near Hammond's A Chance Meeting house, at Robinson's Bay, Akaroa, m February, 1928, and that it continued at different intervals until she left Akaroa to live m Christchurch m April of the same year. . " Miss Curry went to Christchurch to take a position m the city telephone exchange, and one evening m August last year, a chance meeting with Hammond • at the Beresford Corner m. Cathedral Square resulted m her taking a walk with him to Hagley Park. There, she alleged, misconduct also occurred. ' Later, m November, she declared that she again was met by Hammond after she had come off duty at 8 o'clock, and they walked to a seat m Victoria Square, where Hammond endeavored to ! persuade her to go out with him. "He told me he had rung me up twice at the exchange, and found I was off duty," added Miss Curry. The girl said she had kept her condition a secret, but her sister, with whom she shared a room, and, 'who also worked \n the telephone' exchange, discovered it some time m November. To Mr. Twyneham, the girl admitted that she was aware of her condition m April, but she, still ..went out with Hammond when he was m Christchurch m August. . '

Len., Hammond, the defendant's brother, wrote to her m June or July to her private address, and he spent an evening alone with her m her, rooms, m Kilmore Street, near the, Caledonian Hall. ■ "_ . She had spent other evenings with Len. at Akaroa before she went to Christchurch, and he had expressed himself m deep terms of affection towards her. Mr. Twyneham: Have you ever met Len, m the farmers' yards at- Akaroa? The girl: No. Have you never misconducted yourself with him?— No. Did you know that your father accused Len. of being responsible for your condition? — No, but Leri. asked me to marry him last June. When counsel mentioned the names of James Harrison, Jack Falcome, Jack Gilbert, a quarter- caste native, and Les. Hammond, another brother of the defendant, Miss Curry admitted knowing them, but firmly denied that there, had been any impropriety between her and any one of them. " Ivan Hammond, the defendant, she said, was, the only man with whom misconduct had oc-' curred; She denied ever telling her father that she had been locked m Jarden's , b v tcher s hop with Ivan Hammond. : The next witness was James Jarden, a stock agent, of Christchurch, who knew the , Hammond ' family, but who did not know Miss Curry, even by sight. . •■'■■■.•■ • .He saw the defendant, Hammond, at the Christchurch Winter ;. Show, m August last he said. He was standing near the Bridge of Remembrance one evening during Show Week, with his wife and Len. Hammond, when he had Ivan Hammond pointed out to him by Leyi. ' "Leii said, 'Did you see. that? 1 apparently thinking that' I', knew. He didn't say who wag with him." A further question put to Jarden brought forth a denial,' and Mr. Tracy was permitted to treat the witness as hostile. Mr. Tracy: Will you deny that you told me outside the court the other day that the. two you saw that night were Ivan Hammond and Miss. Curry? Jarden: Yes, I will.' It was dark and I couldn't see who they were. I told you it was no use you bringing me into this thing. " .

Counsel: Well, that's not the tale you told me. The circumstances leading to the painful discovery of her sister's condition were related by Kathleen Curry, a switchboard attendant at the Christchui'.ch telephone exchange. One morning, while working m charge of the switchboard, which controls the street-slot telephones, she said, a request came from a man m one of the boxes m the Square to speak to Gwen. Curry. -- "I recognised Ivan Hammond's voice," she said; "so, as I was "just going off for my morning spell, I switched him through to the, retiring room and answered the 'phone myself. "He asked me:. 'Is that you, Gwen.?, What time are you knocking off?' He said, 'That's not Gwen. speaking,', but I replied that it was a.nd asked- him who was speaking. "He then rang off," continued the - girl, "and I went to the window of the retiring room and saw .Ivan • Hammond comirjg out of the slot telephone box, near the Beresford Corner, where the service cars leave for Akaroa." ' Miss Curry said this confirmed certain suspicions she held regarding her sister's relationshipsi and that night she watched her. come off duty "at 8 -o'clock. Gwen. met Hammond at the Beres- ' ford Corner and she followed them to Victoria Square, where they sat on a seat for about five or ten minutes! and then they both went to their respective homes. .' ' '. '• ■'; Subsequently, Kathleen took her younger sister to the. doctor and learn-■-ed the truth of her condition. ' When she taxed Hammond about it, and accused him of being resppnsible for the girl's' condition, he feigned igporance of it, . but said he would rather pay and get something done than for that to happen to Gwen: ."'' Mr. Twyneham: Didn't you try to get some money but of, him? . . Miss Curry:' I would rather have done anything : than let her suffer the ciis&n*cLCG> ' " ■■ ' ' You asked him for £200 or £300 to get your sister out of the. country, didn't you?— -Well, I Was going to get married, and we could have taken her away to Canada with us. ' Hammond, said the witness, replied ; that he had no money, and when she said it might, have to go to, court,, he allegedly replied-: "It it does I will be fouricl guilty,, as £he odds are against •mei^ ; : _;■ :' .'':.' .' ■■ ' „ V" : ■•■'.'.' ■■ Counsel: Wasn't he indignant about

"Ashamed of Him"

Grunted Like Pig

"Yes, he said, 'Why don't you so to Len?'" was the reply. "Didn't Hammond offer to go and confront Gwen. there and then when you accused him?" counsel then wanted to/- know. ; ' "I asked him to, /but he would not," the girl replied. Counsel: And you swear that you could recognise his voice on the telephone,', and that you could see right across the' Square from the Post Office to. the box outside the Liberty Theatre? Miss Curry: Yes. . The girl's father, Samuel David Curry, a dairy-farmer, of Long Bay Road, Akaroa, was the next witness, and he related the conversation he had during an interview with Ivan Hammond. . ., ....... '„.. . : , ... .: . Hammond, he said, accused his brother Len. of being "responsible for the girl's condition, so together they; went and saw Len. at the dairy factory 'where he was working. > ■■ . „ : According to Curry's story, Len. at first declined to have anything, to do ■with it, but Ivan kept at him until he acknowledged that he might have been responsible. ' Curry said he did not take much ..notice of ... what Len. was say- . ing, as he did ' not .regard, him, as being very strong mentally. Later, Curry said, he received a letter from Len., admitting impropriety with Gwen. m June, and stating that he was quite willing to be blamed- for it, as he was the father of the child. Under further examination, Curry stated that he had received a letter from Len. m August stating that he had seen Ivan and Gwen. out together one night near the Bridge of Remembrance. ' / . *■ ■ •• .; V The letter stated: "I, am ashamed ■of, him. I was going with Gwen (before/and I am straight. I don't ■ want to . see her get into trouble as I like her." . . . I don't believe m married men going out with single girls. I am putting you wise, and hope you don't, take it too hard. . . . I have got no time for Ivan after that. I will explain when I come home to Akaroa this week." ! Curry added that when he questioned the girl she said she was only walking along the street with Hammond. He had never had 'any trouble with her, and she was a good girl. .

Mr. Twyneham: You have been about Akaroa a good deal looking, for evidence, haven't you, Mr. Curry? Curry: I didn't need to. I was told to go to Alf. Lelievre, and he said there was nothing m what I had learned, but I wasn't satisfied. "I asked him if he' knew whether Gw,en. and Hammond had been locked m the back of the butcher's shop, and he said it was not true," Curry explained. -...>;• Questioned regarding his daughter's habits, Curry said she seemed to be making a practice of riding up from town m Hammond's company, and he warned her to discontinue- the practice as people might talk; Mr; Twyneham: I think Len. Hammond was rather keen after, your daughter? Curry: Yes, he was, but she had no time for 'him. He only came to the house once. , This concluded the case on behalf of the girl's application, and Mr. Twyneham, m a review of his evidence alleged that the girl had a loose character and intimated that he proposed calling witnesses who would swear that impropriety had • occurred between them and Miss Gwen. Curry, the com- ' _ plainarit. ':• Hammond's de r •fence was an unqualified denial of the girl's allegations._ tions. He ad mi 1 1 c d knowing the girl, and said he saw her quite .frequently while ... he .was employed by R/ Jarden, a. butcher, at Akaroa. 1 \ „ ' ' , . • '; : . 'Sometimes, she • came for the meat, and occasionally he rode home with her, but never at night. . ■ ■ As far as her charges of, impropriety at Akaroa were concerned, he flatly denied them, while as to , the Saturday night m August, when she alleged she was out witlV him m Christchurch, he said he spent that night at the home of his; - brother-in-lawj James Fyfe. . ■•'..- Fyfe was called to . substantiate the alibi.; . ' ■-, Hammond denied ever ringing the girl up m Christchurch, but admitted the* interview with her sister. The sister, he said, was crying, and said:; "You know what my father is. Some of you will get shot." "When she asked me for £300 to send Gwen. away, I replied that I was not going to pay for other people's trouble, .'so she then asked for £200, and I refused,'*. Hammond- added. .''...- --. "I told Curry," he went on; to "I was not responsible for the girl's condition, and told him. to see' Leh.

about it. Curry never gave me a decided answer, but grunted like a *pig and walked away." When invited to comment on Gwen. Gurry's conduct when m his house, Hammond related an incident when his brother Len. wanted a snapshot she had of a boy she was writing to m Temuka. > "She concealed 14: m her clothing and Lien, chased her outside. I don't know what happened, but Len. canie back with the snapshot," said Hammond. He could offer no explanation to Mr. Tracy's inquiry why Len. should tell Curry that defendant was 1 out with Gwen. m Christchurch during Show Week. ■'•■■■■.■ : Counsel : Why should Len. want to marry her? . . . Hammond; To save further trouble, I suppose. Sam Curry accused Len. at the factory before he said anything to me about it. Len. told me he had misconducted himself with the girl: . Hammond denied that he ever rang the girl up or.' that he went to the seat m Victoria Square with her. "Why. do you think these girls would lie on the unimportant de- : tail of your being seen m Victoria Square?" asked counsel. "It would have been simpler to fix* on Len. , [ ~ : . / : r ' He Made Mistake as he is single and they can't get, anything from you but the order.'^ Hammond maintained his denial and alleged that the . case as put , forward by. the girl and her sister was a pure fabrication. His brother, Leonard Cecil Hammond, a farm laborer, of Takamatua, Akaroa, gave evidence to the effect of his having been a party to improper conduct with the girl on several occasions m Akaroa and once m Christchurch. He realised, he said, that he had niade a mistake about his brother being with the girl near the Bridge of Remembrance, and wrote the letter because he thought that' if anything happened to her he would get the blame, as he had been going with her previously m Akaroa. When cross-examined by Mr. Tracy, Hammond said he remembered being m counsel's office and denying that he had had relations with the girl. Mr. Tracy: Well, Was that true? Hammond: No. Why did you lie?— Because I knew what sort of a man Curry was. Do you remember telling me that Ivan forced you to. write the letter admitting that you " were responsible for Gwen's . condition ?— No. Mr, Lawry, 5.M..: Was it to save your brother that you offered to marry her? . : ' .. -^ / ' , Hammond: No, "not exactly. The Magistrate: What do you mean by not exactly? — Well, there have been* others put with her. : The Magistrate: All the' more reason why you should decline to .. be drawn into it. You told lies all along. Tejl us the truth now. • Who told you to write that letter? Hammond: I wrote it myself. Nobody asked me to write it. Bench Doubtful , The last witness for the defence was James Hamilton, a youthful farm hand, formerly employed at Hammond's farm on the Long Bay "Road. ' He had been on friendly terms with Gwen. Gurry, and declared that improper conduct had frequently taken place between them- at various places on Hammond's property. Mr. T'racy: Have you any .objection to the court making an order against you? ■■••■• • Hamilton: No, I don't suppose I have. I sunpose I have as big a chance as the next man. / Were you on the same terms with any other girls about the place? — Oh. no (casually). The girl, however, failed to satisfy the magistrate, and, remarking that there was not sufficient evidence to. convince him, he declined to saddle Hammond with the paternity of the child. Mr. Lawry stated that the evidence of Hamilton, who had sworn that intimacy had occurrjed about the time of the commencement of the trouble, left a doubt m his mind, and also questioned the girl's testimony that the defendant Hammond was the only, man with whom she ..had' behaved improperly. ' The application was accordingly dismissed. . .