MUNCHAUSEN RIVALLED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 23 January 1907, Page 2

MUNCHAUSEN RIVALLED.

PlilSONlill'S i'AlUl' TALK, Among the fairy 'stories to which be wails of ',lm New Plymouth Courtbouse bine mutely listened, ingenious (■ales, truthful tales, honest tales, and tales that taxed tho Court cmlense to the utmost, probable the nio.-t bincilul was that, told on Tnt'sday morning by a young foreigner named Pohina, who was accused of the theft oi a bicycle. The slorv unfolded bv tnc witnesses for the prosecution was a strange one, but paled into insigniiieance beside th,. explanation given by the accused person. A cab driver stated dial ire saw the man in Devon street, and heard him ask where he could get a bicycle, .lie was directed to llurle's, but soon returned. lie explained that lm had missed the train, and was anxious to get to llawera- that night. Seeing a bicycle standing in front of Messrs ii. Orifliths ami Co.'s oilices. Ire went inside and asked the loan of ii, promising to return if shortly. The owner uf'the machine lent it, but, on bearing from a bystander that tiie borrower owanted to go to llawera, withdrew llis con-cut, and took away 'flic bicycle. Pohina said it dildn't matter;' lie Would get another. lie crossed the road, and made oil' with a bicycle that llr ]■;. ,\j, (jarihew had "left standing agaiit-t. a verandah post m ii-ont of llawke's. Constable Ctillcn was inlormed, and gave cha.-e, eventually catching hi 3 ,„.,„ in j.,-00,,],,,,,, slicet alter f u ii owillg |, im llp •'"'' J'Kirdet anil other streets. j„ J.iougliain silrcct the suspected thief ;>»■' '»?. '"«-'.Vele came a cropia-r, and '"■ l'""«'»'i'i. came up. j„ .„„„,.,. " < l ll ''-(ions, the man slated he had "" i T '• W, ' ,I "'" I'H-ycle to go to the J'l'iway station. The „.".,«,,[ was '"ken to the police station and search

- prisoner eonitueiiced his onanees .I|,„ i„ K | g i JKl tj 011 s|J . lml J spue („,- untidy condition, he conled to the constable, J lO was a man ' 1 ineairs. u c , llld plcuty of nionev. roi instance, he had i£50,000 IN THE JUNK. Bui that was not all, Jj o l mi | to inci.t again ia order to bear out his hi»i. avowal ol fabulous wealth Por ill-stance he had an exceptionally fi„, Mean, yacht, capable of travelling live [ hundred miles an hour. He was de 'Slitfully candid and original coneenr g b,,s financial schenics of the future, le would buy a cheque book as soon ■'" be wa* liberate,,!, and "make m o "7-' How he «a, t„ perform t'.ls iid'-i'esting and niarvellous feat was not s.ated. jl„ „,,,, si , ( male money with the ebcoiio |,?„,i Hundreds of people have see,, i, II Ji.-.de of tire p„son walls bv indul™,'!; in a similar Jautasv Ho ,;,, i k ° lenl r,„, " uu,o .>- Ho was benevo1s ..„ ,d '„ i"" 1 1 " 1 "" h ' 1 tu Lhu !«">»■. lis good nature prompted bin, to ask ; Mio« prisoner if he had work to s,o to when he came out. The -,„sw ■,- urn, il " d *™™> man oilercd him a ob on n,„, „p i - machines J , the JKw-!" **fl- , JIo had several ih'e'ln ' jl-ants, all under an enormous larnau lin cover, so that they- u™|,,f.i night and dav. ' ' ,vtll bu " l

•'Ah, yes," iib said tu lJ]; , o conducted h„n rro)ll U|l , lv „ y ... m,: J' m im ; e ro >' nl 1,Ioo(l ' V." 1 ''•"« tne royal blue eyes, th - Ccrinan roya, b,, l(f eyes." i u , , keeper in one of the back street-.-ucli a Hat contrailicliou of the eviileuce ot ihe man who saw the bi cycle taken from Jjevon Nll .„ c i ;, UI( „, »''«*-. The: eonstahlc', condns , „ ■b.' be was "not all there." seemed I" be shared by the Magisn'nte , ™i.H.»l..d the accused for ,„ C dical eyanimation.. ,