THE END OF JOHN NORTON.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 April 1916, Page 6

THE END OF JOHN NORTON.

A STORMY LIFE. Sydney, April 18. John Norton, one of Sydney's bestknown characters, perhaps the most notorious individual in the Commonwealth, died in Melbourne the other day. His had indeed been a stormy life. l*or the last twenty-five years he had been more or Jess directly in the public eye, for his papers have been widely circulate!, his political ambitions were considerable, and his appearances in the. law courts, both as plaintiff, and defendant, wore ffequenjjand not far'between. Norton was one of the dynamic individuals -v'ho insist upon living at 1 the /top of their voice.?. Very early in life he nearly caused a European war—he wa? then a journalist at Constantinople—and subsequently drifted t:i Australia. la f'ydjust prior to the great maritime ■strike he became associated with sevtii'a! militant political journalists, and after a few sensational, strenuous years, !)«•- came sole proprietor of Truth. His capacity for work at that time was almost unlimited, and, as lie hit a head wherever he saw it, he quickly becamea sort of local volcano, and, what is more, made money out of it. He probably started with nothing—certainly with not much more—but had for many years been a very wealthy man. His income was stated, in an enquiry held before the Prothonotary lately, to be £IO,OOO, a year. His estate is said to be worth about £150,000. Most of this .was acquired by dealing in garbage An interesting point arises in eormeiition with Norton's death. His wi r e l-tciiitly obtained a judicial separation from him, and alimony was fixed pendente lite at £IOOO a year. Notice of appeal to the High Court and Privy Council against Certain findings of the jury had been given, and when the separation was granted the Court deferred the questionof permnnent alimony until an enquiry into defendant's nVeans had been completed by the Registrar in Divorce. Norton died before that enquiry had been completed. Herein, then, aie the q.ip.<tions:—Did the alimony pendente li'e die with Norton? Can the -fudge in divorce take judicial noti.v of vlio unfinished enquiry? Havi* the executors power to prosecute an ii,np."il t.i ti;,. High Court or beyond against a decision of the State Full Court, dismisfing Norton's appeal from the jury at the trial of the suit before Mr. Justice G#rdon? Much, of course, depend-i up#n the testamentary dispositions of the deceased.