“HE WAS LONELY”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 929, 24 March 1930, Page 13

“HE WAS LONELY”

ATTEMPT TO GO STRAIGHT FAILS TURNED BACK TO DRINK “He had a few convictions against him, but made an attempt to straighten up. For eight years he was a sober, hard-working man, but then he broke down again. Ho started to drink through loneliness, and has been taking methylated spirits. When ho is drunk ho doesn't know what he is doing.” This short history of a man’s life was given at tlio Police Court this morning by Chief-Detective Hammond, when William Kirk pleaded guilty to a charge of theft. He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Kirk, a labourer, aged 56, pleaded guilty to using obscene language in Albert Street, and stealing a coat, a cardigan jacket, and a cheque-book, of a total value of £5, and belonging to Peter Smith, on March 18. According to the chief-detective, Kirk went into a marine engineer’s workshop and stole a coat and cardigan from a hook in the office. He had been seen going down Hobson Street carrying the cardigan, and was found to have the cheque-book and some letters of Mr. Smith’s in his pocket. He had sold the coat, which wq,s not recovered. Kirk was a good worker when lie was sober, but the only thing to be done was to send him to gaol for a long term to get *the drink out of him. “I have known him since boyhood,” said Mr. Hammond. ‘This list goes only to 1913, and there art? two more pages, I think,” said Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M. “I remember when ho broke out, and I gave him another chance.” The term of six months’ imprisonment was imposed.