MR. HILTON.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 148, 8 December 1870, Page 6

MR. HILTON.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — At the last meeting of the Athenseum Company, my name was mentioned as leaving Lawrence without paying for the hall after hiring same. In the first place, I never engaged ; secondly, I never put my foot inside the hall ; thirdly, it did not cost the Company one single six-pence worth of trouble. Supposing I did owe the L 2, I think that the least thing the Company could have done, would have been to apply to me, without resorting to that kind manner of parading my name in the press as owing L 2. I have no doubt the Athenseum Company will see that they certainly have done me a good turn, that is to say, they have done unto me as they wouldn't wish to be done by, for I have no doubt, individually, if the debts of those gentlemen sitting last Thursday were paraded in a public paper, they might discover their debts to exceed L 2. The L 2 shall be forwarded to the Company, but I beg to suggest an alteration in their mode of collecting accounts. I consider I have been stabbed in the dark, but feel sure the public will agree with me that the proper way to get an account is to first ask for it — certainly not advertise it in a public paper ; and Mr Editor, I am rather astonished that you should allow such in your paper, but I suppose it becomes interesting as I am a public character. I am, &c, Hilton. Teviot, Dec. 3rd, 1870.

[We handed Mr. Hilton's letter to the secretary of the Athenseum Committee, whose reply is as follows : — ] Sir, — "With reference to Mr. Hilton's letter, which yon handed to me for perusal, I beg to state, Ist., that Mr. Hilton's agent distinctly, and before a witness, engaged of me the Athenaeum Hall for two nights, and had placards of the entertainment posted tip in the township to that effect. "With regard to the statement that he never put his foot inside the hall, I beg to remind Mr. Hilton, secondly, that on Thursday evening, on finding only three persons present, he went into the hall near the platform, and informed these people that there would not be any performance that night. Upon leaving, Mr. Hilton requested me to reserve the hall for him for Saturday evening, which I did, and heard nothing of his having left the district till about halfpast seven o'clock that evening. On Friday, Mr. Hilton's agent called with a vehicle to get his boxes, under the pretext that Mr. Hilton was going to perform at the Blue Spur that evening, and I now find that he left the district on the Friday morning, so that he did not give me an opportunity of asking him for payment of the rent. I may state that had Mr. Hilton come to me as any gentlemen would have done to proffer payment, the price asked would have been inerel) r the nominal sum of a few shillings. I had an application for the hall for Saturday evening, which I refused on the strength of Mr. Hilton's engagement. With these facts before it, the public, I think, will justify all that was done at the committee meeting, and place the facts of the case before it in the proper light. — I am, &c, ¥. J. P. Thornley.

[These facts having beeu elicited we think the public will agree with us that Mr. Hilton not only put his foot in the hall, but has put his foot in the whole affair.— Ed. " T.T."]