“MY LITTLE WILLIAM.”

Shannon News, 1 February 1929, Page 3

“MY LITTLE WILLIAM.”

CURIOUS LETTER TO A POWER BOARD. A copy of a letter which Mr Sim, counsel for the defendant, said had been written by the clerk of the Malvern County Council to the Malvern Electric Po\ver Board was produced by him in the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch on Wednesday during the hearing of a claim brought by the County Council against the Board. Mr Sim was cross-examining Miss Colthart, the county clerk, and proceeded to quote the following letter, which he said she had written to the Power Board:*—

“I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 2, with enclosure, and to regret that my little William, dated July 11, caused your Board’s pulse to beat 105 in the shade. This is dangerous, so I will endeavour to soothe the savage breasts.”

Mr Sim: Do you remember whether the original had the word “beasts,” and that it was crossed out and “breasts” substituted? - > Witness: 1 have not, said I wrote it vet.

Mr Sim: Do you deny that you wrote it?

Witness: I cannot say, Mr Sim: I ask you to say. Witness: I wroth so many letters, Mr Sim: Will you read it?

Mr Upham: My friend’ is putting the letter forward, but I attach little importance to it. All'my friend can show by his cross-examination is that the letter was written in a slangy way. I have no objection to it going in. The only thing it can do is to create a prejudice against this particular witness. There is nothing in it as regards the merits of the case. My friend knows that the chairman wrote afterwards disavowing it as a county document. The only possible reproach to' Miss Colthart in it is that it is slangy. Mr Sim: Well, I Avill put it in, and will leave his Worship to draw his own, inferences from it. The letter was then handed to the Magistrate, Mr H. P. Lawry, and tho remainder was not read.