DRUNKEN MAN’S IMAGININGS.

Shannon News, 5 October 1926, Page 4

DRUNKEN MAN’S IMAGININGS.

Probably every one has Heard the story about the world wanderers who. having returned from the desei’t wilds to civilisation, were comfortably seated in a train, bragging loudly bout the different councries they Lad seen, the various wild beasts they nan nunted, and fi’onr-whose presence .though they did not mention it) they had probably hastened away without wasting time for a backward glance. The tale goes on that they were- inter-rupted-by a red-nosed individual, whp, leaning across the train,-asked if they had ever been in the "d.t.’s” They admitted that they hadn’t. “Well,” .e----sponded he of the rubicund proboscis, “you shouldn’t skite. If yon haven't been like that yoh haven’t seen anything very fearsome.” That story is brought again to mind by a case heard in the Dunedin Police .Court, recently. A middle-aged man not previously known to the police entered the box to answer a change of drunkenness. Senior-sergeant Quartermain told in a few words the story of the astonishing experiences that the man’s drink-coloured imagination had taken him through. It seems that the policeman cn duty in the watch-house was surprised at ! the a sudden appearance of a red-haired I man, who' arrived at the dark and , silent hour of 1.45 a.m., clad scantily

in a singlet. He was in a pretty excited state, and averred that- in the boardinghouse at which he Avas staying the people Avere tearing bricks off tho Avails and projecting them at him with force.

It did not take the. police long to diagnose his complaint, and he Avas placed in the cells.

His experiences were not yet over, for later he reported that he saw peacocks playing cornets in the cells. He saAV nothing funny in the icongruous mental picture of peacocks running round Avith their beaks firmly fixed in the Avide mouthpieces of cornets and trumpeting lustily. The defendant laughed rather hysterically in the box Avhen he remem - bered Avhat he had seen or Avhat he thought he srav.

Defendant, who looked like a labourer, Avore a pair of very baggy trousers closely akin to the Oxford “bags’ - of baneful memory. He Avas obviously in need of attention, and on ‘lie senior sergeant’s application he was remanded for a week for medical treatment. He stumbled rather than walked from the box.