MYSTERIOUS ARREST.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 March 1918, Page 2

MYSTERIOUS ARREST.

ENGLISH VISITOR APPPEHENDED. The Christehurch Press states that a gentleman with influential connections at Hdme who recently paid a visit to New Zealand in respect to the export of hides, was upon his arrival in Christchurch in receipt of a telegram from a connection of his firm serving at the front, asking for the remittance of a sum of money. The cablegram further asked the recipient to interview the parents of a New Zealand friend of the sender's, and ask them to cable £2O to their son. The gentleman made enquiries, and ascertained that the New Zealander's people lived in Worcester Street, Linwood. He saw the mother, and was curtly advised by her to interview the father, who was in business at Lyttelton. To this course the gentleman agreed and before proceeding' to his ship waited upon the father and showed him the cablegram. He was immediately confronted by a third person in the room, who stated that he was a constable in plain clothes. The policeman is alleged to have immediately arrested the English visitor, despite hia protestations, and to have ignored the latter's request to inspect his passport and to .uterview the captain of the ship, a person who could easily have proved that he was an accredited representative of the British Government. He was lodged in the Lyttelton lock-up without further ceremony, and as his ship was due to sail in a few hours, things looked black for him. Fortunately his friends in Christehurch heard of his predicament, and they immediately corminicated with the authorities, who ordered his releast. without further delay, while the constable is stated to have been severely reprimanded by his superior officers. The victim of the unfortunate episode, who is now on his way back to England, has been in the habit of keeping open house for New IZenlsmin— -t. Home and cnteitaining them royally, but he now declares that, considering the manner in which he was treated on his first, and he hopes last visit to the Dominion, he will never entertain a New Zealander again.