O’BRIEN'S FARE.

Shannon News, 31 March 1922, Page 3

O’BRIEN'S FARE.

INCIDENT AT . SHANNON* STATION

On Tuesday last a man who gave the name of John O’Brien came on the New - Plymouth train from Palmerston to Shannon. He did not pay his fare, and when asked for it by the guard all John could give in reply was a cold, stony stare. This was no good to Guard McDougall, who put the. inan off at Shannon in care of the stationmaster, Mr Thomas. As is well known, the railways are already running at a loss, and Mr Thomas thought he would not be justified in further adding to this loss by taking Tourist O’Brien free on the railway, so he called in the assistance of the Police in an endeavour to collect the money from the passenger, a Thing they could not do, for John did not have it. They therefore gathered in O’Brien himsell as evidence. On the 28th instant he was brought before Messrs. Spencer and Murdoch, J.P.’s, at Shannon, on a charge of vagrancy and not paying his fare on the puff railway. O’Brien said that he was "an honest man and wanted to go to Wellington, but through hard times and force of circumstances over which he had no control, he had no money to pay his fare. He would do so as soon as he got the money, and urged in extenuation that he was not the 'first honest nan who was hard up.

With this part the Bench agreed, but for travelling without his fare they fined him 5/ and the amount of the fare, or 48 hours’ gaol. John left the Court with the apperance of a man who had a great load , lifted from his mind. .