BILL SYKES ON THE SOMME.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 243, 19 January 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

BILL SYKES ON THE SOMME.

A SIDELIGHT ON THE WAR. We are indebted (says the "Glasi-o.v Weekly Herald") to Mr. Robeit Holmes, the well-known London Police Court missionary and probaf-'on officer, for a wonderful account of the achievements m the great war wrought by men who have boon outcasts from socief ■-, nnd who, by all who knew them, were looked upon as irreclaimable blackguards. We are talking, remember, about the soit of man who gets a stiff sentence of penal servitude, and everybody says : "Serves him right; these lellows should be liuig" These men were iiueanees to themselves, to thoir well-wishers, and to t'lo ration. Nothing - neither kindness nor /severity, prison nor protection, education nor repression— served to wean them from their evil courses. Then came the war. With considerable misgiving, the War Office agreed to giv these fellows a chance and see what, resulted. Tn "Walter Greenway, Spy.'' Mr. Holmes cites case after case t» shoiv us what did result.

THE GIRL IN* THE CASE. I'i.to was a young lad of engaging jippearancc and address ,who s 'Onied to Un liorn ;i sneak-thief. Study came easy to him, and lie actually started to prepare for tln> ministry. Ho found it more cougonia! to steal his hooks rather tlian to Imy them. So brazen wore Jus tlioft.s that for a long time, though suspected, ho escaped detection. Th.'n came the crash. The girlish look of innocence that ho wi re took the Ir.irt of everybody, from tho magistrate down, tho universal judgment was that lit* <ou!d not he really had. Hi-- 11 \v start ended as abruptly !iis first cu - ing to his habit of disposing of brasses tiic n from tin* engine-room of the plao« whore he was working. Kinal'y, h-> hoctme clerk to a fraudulent "bookie' to ivho-ii this innocent face was a g'rat :i=set. The clerk one (lav walk.nl olf with tlie hag, and the "wel.shcr." much to his annoyance, was left to hear the Ivrunt of the storm. Aft.-r this, our friend hern mo a curate, and a very successful curat 0 he mad". Mu'-h sought after hv the yonnu: ladies, he gave no cans? for the slightest breat'i of scandal, hut. with masterly Z'nl l>~c:imo treasurer for every kind of jvid that- existed in the pari.-h. Then he fnded out with all the av.iilal>V s-11! Even then his face gave jruarant ■" that his professed reformation wa.. fenuin" He was trained as an evangelist, rnd ha 1 grr.t voaii" rntil his perp!«-

t:i ii peculations brought him back to tiiiee years' penal servitude. On his release, he settled clown in a c-olliery district, and, by a miracle, became an accredited insurance agent. His suc- ( was phenomenal and his popularity unbounded. He was actually on trial for the pest* of "local preacher" when he and 1'250 went off to New Zealand.

'J ho " bookie" joined the Array ano was in 1!)11 a sergeant in l'lander*. 'Picture his delight when in a draft from home there appeared bis fcrmer clerk. I'ue youth haa a rather strenuosu timo under his sergeant until he became a sour, e of revenue to him. Dres-ed up as a girl, the former convict charmed the hearts ot the soldiery, who readily took on the bookie in bets as to her sex. "Sister Matty" now became an institution in that part cf the Army. Nor did he stop at amusing his p:>!>. A coupe of snipers had made things unpleasant in this district, nnd Sister Matty, dressed as a Belgian pe\as.ini girl, walked off with a nattv litt'e l.a-ket. and a bottle of real brandy. Soon alter she was >potted being scjinrv>d along the open by two old Belgian peasants, who vied with each other in uial ing eyes at tho fair vis:c.n. As they had sampled the brandy there was no difficul'.y in gathering them into tlie f. hi. and the sergeant finding them to be disguised Huns saw them safely where their sniping days are over. Sister Matty proved a perfect genius in dealing with snipers and '■pie-. 'Hie c'evernoss that so id-suited tlie State nt home has proved invaluable* abroad.

THE GROUSER. Tim (Irou-er began his official career by "adopting" a lonely pirrso on his fiend's mantelpiece. He would have r-'urmd it eie his departure had not his bust exploded most villainous sentiments Mil the merits, and the succeeding discussion put tho pi rse out of his mini.! and 1 opt it in Ills pocket. Leaving prison, bv went to the workhouse, air! c.onlided to the probation officer t'ur. had he been con-lilted ho could have greatly improvM the situation there. He was drafted to a commercial life at sea —as stoker. He discovered that his shipmates wme and liis captain a tyrant. Change of ship made matters worse, and eventually, owing to the mysterious cli-appc.ar-nn cf diamond rings hi a shop he had vi-ited, he paid a mug visit to orison. Always his cry was that he was being pe' iiiion. but a* length he d-s----appoaied. and. when again hoard cf. he had -eoni' away t-o the fishing fi-h----ing IV: "mines." As alwavs. lm pnvol the on I'-' intelligent t>erson on the t-nw'er. large'v through iiiatto.ition to