MR BROWN'S DEPARTURE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4044, 22 February 1892, Page 2

MR BROWN'S DEPARTURE.

Tho Bare Pacts-

a Fresh Start in a New Country.

The Post says that the bare facta of tho departure of Mr Arthur W. Brown are that he left Wellington by the Waihora three weeks ago for Auoklahd. His purpose was supposed to bo to. transaot certain land business wlrioh he had in hand' there. ' Time went by, and there was no" sign of any intention on his part.; to return, but it waß not till tho bpginning of last week that it leaked out that he had gone past Auckland, All the letter's received on Friday are written from Pfablert's Hotel, Sydney, now .kept by Mr Jacob Lichtsobiendl, for-, roerly of Wellington, and their tenor is uumistakeable. That written to Mrs Brown is stated to be positively heartta in its terms,and to. show every determination to leave his unfortunate wife to her own resources, To an old personal friend Brown has also written expressing his intention to make "a fresh start in a new country," and asserting that he was so hopelessly involved in financial matters that lie could not face his embarassment, and therefore fled. It may, he remarks, be cowardly to do bo, but after haying ocoupied the positions in which he has been placed by tho people of Wellington,, he had not the moral courage to confront the inevitable orash. Bather inconsistently, he expresses the belief that if his estate is properly handled' it will satisfy all his debt's and even leave a

surplus. This, howevor, appears to ; be subject to tho supposition of certain coutingent liabilities incurred by , him in connection with his director- , ship of the Mokau Coal Company , not being pressed. Other letters, in» | eluding one to bispartner (who is numbered amongst the sufferers) makes , his intention not to return sufficiently clear. Not the slightest indication is given as to whither he was bound. , In one of the letters Brown asserts that "as he has not brought himself within the reaoh of, the criminal law, he does not suppose his creditors will make any attempt to bring him baok." Few people in Wellington would have suspeoted that the ex-Mayor had either reason or inclination to leave so hastily.- He was a self-made man and proud of the position to which his abilities had.raised him.. He was a native of Dunedin, and oame to Wellington at. a very early, age, beginning lite on bis own account as shop'boyto a'city grocer.' Gradually he worked his'way up the so'ale until he - acqired a business on. his own account, and had one of the largest grocery stores in the'city with two branoh establishments. Later on he retired from the active management of the businesses,' though retaining some amount of interest in them, and for the last two or three years he has acted as a commission agent on a considerable scale, His entry into public life took place in 1881, when he was elected a, member of tbe City Oounoil, and afterwards Mayor—for two separate terms,;. Up to to-day he was a .member- of the Education Board, a Justice of the Peace, and a member of tho City Licensing Benoh, but this morning mails brought letters resigning each of these positions, as well as of less public offices which he held, He was an enthusiastic member of the American Order of I Oddfellows, and" has for the last twelve months been its Grand Master | for New Zealand, Whatever -his other qualities may have proved to be, , there is no doubt that the Order ow,es ■ muoh of its spread and'its strong < position in the Wellington district to 1 his energetio work. He was also a | Trustee-of tho Friendly Societies ! Guarantee Association .of Kew [ Zealand, to which office he also : sent his resignation. Rumours 1 were current this morning thatcertain 1 moneys which had been placed in his 1 care as one of the trustees of the Zee,- | landia Lodge were amiss, but we are I glad to find on enquiry that these, as , well as other trust moneys of which Brown had the handling, are per- . feolly safe, Borne of Mb personal 1 friends, however, have reason to lament the readiness with which they • gave bjm money and credit on tho eye 1 of what turns out to have been his ' farewell to Wellington. Whether | financial trouble was the real motive , of his flight many people profess to ; doubt, and other possible causes are i hinted at, but absolutely nothing is ■ known with certainty.