Pars About

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 952, 27 March 1897, Page 18

Pars About

The rewards of the Humane Society for gallantry in the effort to save human life appear in this colony to be distributed after a very haphazard fashion. If a man performs an intrepid action to rescue a stranger from threatened death, it seemß to depend largely upon his personal influence or popularity, or the favour of someone in autnority, whether or not his act meets with its due recognition. Oar attention has jnst been drawn to the case of Mr James Henry Langley, a young builder of Auckland, who, in February 1895. on the occasion when Captain Hewson, of the s ?. Waitoa, fell overboard at night in the Wairoa South river, plunged into his rescue, and held him above water until the dingy of the steamer was lowered and the captain was picked up. But the captain was struck by an iron bolt in falling overboard, and all efforts to restore animation failed.

However, the jury before whom the inquest was held was so impressed with the bravery of Mr Langley's action in so promptly plunging into the water to the drowning man's rescue, that they added a rider to their verdict stating that ' his conduct was deserving of great commendation and praise.' Mr Langley was merely a passenger by the vessel, and his heroic action cost him the loss of his watch and the spoiling of his clothes. Some influential people took the case up and promised to bring it under the notice of the Humane Society. Whether they did so or not is a moot point, but the fact remains that Mr Langley has never received either compensation or practical recognition. And yet we are informed he has endangered his life on four separate occasions to save others from drowning.

There was a similar case some years ago, m which the Humane Society's Medal was richly earned, bat was never obtained. A young man named Joyner, while strolling along the Mechanics' Bay breastwork, saw a large shark giving chase to a lad who was bathing. Joyner drew a clasp knife, and, at the peril of his own life, jmnped into the water and engaged in a combat with the shark, thus enabling the affrighted youngster to escape. Joyner himself only got off scot-free by managing to drive his knife into the shark's eye. Bat he never received either purse or medal.

Mr Walter Rivers, of the Rignold Dramatic Company, is none other than Mr Waiter Hay bittle, of Wellington, who has made considerable progress in his profession since he took to the stage barely two years ago. He is a brother of Mr Fred W. Haybittle, the well-known Wellington auctioneer, and, like his brother Fred, he was most popular as a comic singer and reciter. Mr Harry W. Diver, another prominent member of the Rignold Company, is also an old Wellington boy. He is a son of the late Mr Diver of that'city.

Messrs McManus, Goodwin and Lee annonnce in the Star that having met with & fatal accident at Pahia, they wish to return their sincere thanks to certain parties who brought a boat to their rescue. Seeing, on their own statement, that the accident these gentlemen met with was a fatal one, we presume the advertisement of thanka was forwarded to the Star from the spirit world.

Archie Brace, who is recognised as Tom Morrin's own particular ' Phaeton," rushed loyally to the defence of his patron last week in a paragraph, saying :—' Some of the sceptics are inclined to doubt a statement that has appeared in print relating to Daystar being ordered back to Auckland after his feeble display on the second day of the Wanganui Meeting. They can put all doubt on that bead out of their minds, for, as a matter of fact, I may say that it fell to my lot to be the bearer of the message in question to the telegraph office.' Archie evidently glories in the role of message boy to Tom Morrin. But the Obsebveb would like to ask whether he can take his Bolemn affidavit that he was the only messenger boy employed by ' Tummas ' that day. Also, the Observer wonders whether it is Archie's invariable rule to make himself acquainted with the contents of telegraph messages that he is the bearer of to the telegraph offices, so that he ' may put all future doubt ' at rest. Further, Archie- dear, kindly tell us, if you will, whether any ' future doubt ' was apprehended when that telegraph message was entrusted to your care.

The onward march, or rather whirl, of the wheel was indicated by the prevalence of cycling exercises amorig the reverend delegates to the colonial Wesleyan Conference held in Wellington last week. After each days sitting it was the regular thing to see little squads of the parsons go off for spins round the rocks or alone the Huttroad. .

An energetic tradesman quoted by the Bulletin, relates that he was- offered the legend, ' Purveyor to His ExceUency the Governor 'of one of the Australias, by a member of said Excellency's domestic retmue, for £2 10a cash. A hint for tradesmen to act upon when the new Governor comes along. Mr Ashcroft, the'bfficial Assignee at Wellington, is prepared to makehiß solemn affidavit that Bret Harte hewed ont a solid slab of gospel truth when he wrote 'For ways that are dark and tricks that are yam The heathen Chinee is peculiar.' It seems that Mr Ashcroft has recently had to apply a coat of whitewash to a Celestial bankrupt named Ho Kee. And he found out that, while Ho Kee was in a state of hopeless insolvency, he paid Choo Poy ±.25 4s for his services as interpreter in a Supreme Court action. The Assignee thereupon sued the artless Choo Poy for a refund of the £25 4s on the ground that this enormous charge was paid in pursuance of a conspiracy between the defendent and Ho Kee to defraud the Jatter's creditors. Mr Ashcroft got judgment for .£ls 4s,with£2 18s costs. It would aeem as if Ho Kee sailed dangerously closeto Cho-Kee.

Mr J. Hague Smith, who was at one timea well-known ironmonger in Auckland, and who has since held a prominent position in the New Zealand Insurance Company, is in Auckland at the present time. It is said T? * • may P robabl y entertain some of hie old friends at the club before his departure hence, and that John Abbott, Willie Swanson, and George Dunnett are certain to be numbered amongst the guesta. 'For the of auld lang syne.'

The Wesleyans of Petone have had a' social gathering under rather depressing circumstances. Two of the speakers were Messrs Blight and Frost. Mr Blight apologised for the withering suggeßtiveness of his name, and explained that it wasn't his fault. Mr Frost, however, declined toadmit there was anything but good in his patronymic Where would Petone be r he asked, if it were not for its freezing works ? Under a blight, of course, only be! did not wound the other man's feelings by saying so. Still the audience leaped to the obvious inference all the same, and shivered, at the frosty alternative.

Many old Aucklanders will be interested to learn that there is now in our midst a former old identity in the person of Mr John Reid, who at one time handled the ribbona of one of Hardington's Onehunga coaches, and who in his days was a popular baritone Binger in Auckland and one the best Scottish vocalists we have ever heard in Auckland. One of his daughters was married to Farren, a clever Irish comedian, and since then Mr Reid has been living with them in Buffalo. For years, in Auckland, he was a familiar figure in St. James' Presbyterian choir, and was frequently heard at local concerts. He was a brother of the late Mr Hugh Reid, one of the beßt tenor singers we have ever had in Auckland, and who was the father of Mr George Reid, of Devonport.

Mr Seddon seems to have had a high old ' time in Australia, according to his own account. Governors, premiers and magnate a of one sort or another competed for the honour of entertaining him. At Bendigo he received what he declares to be 'the greatest reception I ever received since I entered public life.' It was at a public meeting which Messrs Deakin and Purves were addressing in support of their candidature for the Federal Convention But when Premier Dick appeared upon the platform, the local paper says ' the audience were at white heat.' At one banquet held in honour of the New Zealand visitors, the Mayor, in the exuberance of his gallantry, placed his chain of office round Miss Mary eeddon's neck. "Whereupon the oldest inhabitant, in proposing Mr Seddon 's health, said, ' We have never had a lady ; Mayoress in that chair yet with the chain' of office round her neck, but when we have, if she's only half as pretty aathis one, I'll be content to be ruled -one of order by her every time of speaking ' At Ballarat, the New Zealand Premier's remarkable memory for names and faces received striking illustration. At the railway station, an old man stepped forward from the reception crowd, and, with extended band, said to Mr Seddon, ' Dick, old boy, how are you ?' ' Thank you kindly,' promptly responded Richard the First of New Zealand, 'and how's yourself, Mr Murphy O'Brien.' Murphy was quite moved by the warmth of the greeting, and r turning to the crowd, he exclaimed, » Luk at that, bhoys. He kne wb me, do yez see, Dick knew me at wunat .' And the station shook with the answering cheers of the de~ lighted crowd. .„•. i ". '■ '■.-."*,' /.>*■>'■-■?'•

. Again we have the Baby Ogden company back in the colony. But by this time the precocious ' Baby ' has outgrown her short frocks,- and she now blossoms out on the play bills as Miss Neil Oakdene.

Mr Lincoln is said to have been the firßt letter-carrier in Auckland. The oldest inhabitants may therefore be interested to learn that Mr and Mrs Lincoln have just celebrated their silver wedding at Whangarei.

A reverend gentleman applied last week to the Wanganui Education Board for a teachership. and in support of it sent in a formidable list of references including such feign and mighty personages as Lord and Lady Glasgow, the Premier and the Hon. J. G. Ward. The Board is in despair because it has no position lofty enough to •offer him.

Mr W. Crowther, M.H R., was not sure he had got into company of the right colour one day last week. When he got as far as Helenßville on his return from the Arapohne Show, ne was, of course, given the chair at the hotel ordinary, but he looked a bit perplexed when he found that his right hand supporter was a Kanaka. ' However, 6a perceiving that the Vice-Chairman was supported by a Chinaman, he concluded that the honours were about evenly 'divided, and that he might as well accept the situation and make the best of it.

Father Costello, late of St. Patrick's, Auckland, hAßpassed through the Wellington Hospital, and is now convalescent. And he has just received from the Wellington Sacred Heart Society, of which he is chaplain, a purse of sovereigns v ih token of their appreciation of the goocTne toaa done in the parish, of admiration of his energy «nd zeal, and bf sympathy with him on account of his recent illness.

••• • m Aromantic'Stery t>f a- father finding his long lost family comes from the Wairarapa More than thirty-four years ago a Mr Lee, of the Hatt district, left his home to fight in the Maori war. Being never again heard of, he was given up as having been probably picked off by skirmishers Anyhow, his family moarned him as dead. On his side, be is said tOf have come through the war all right, bat- to have then heard that his family had been drowned in a great flood in the Hutt Kiver. Mo9t people would have thought it worth while to have gone home to make enquiries into the matter, if not to see after the property that presumably remained on hi* hands. Not so Mr Lee, for he seems in his despair to have gone away to California, and to have flouribhed there. At this stage the curtain falls for thirty-four years. A few weeks ago Lee's family, who reside at Mastertoa, were amazed to receive a letter from the father, supposed to have so long, paused in his checks, telling them that he had only just beard of their existence, and requesting .that his eldest eon should come across the Pacific to joi-i him in British Columbia. Accordiagly,'MrA Bf obk^Lee v tt)ok ! p issage by the Jaat outward bound San Francisco mail steamer, intending to stay a year with the father whom he can hardly I,o* recollect.

At Mr Hislop's recent meeting with the Petone electors, the free and independent had a night'B jollification. At one stage, while the orator was in fall blast, a gay and -festive elector pirouetted np towards tne platform with two ginger beer bottles tied together to represent an opera glass, and ogled the speaker in so amusing a fashion, that the audience roared till the building quivered. At another stage, a beery personage at the back called out in a thundering voice for ' three smiles for the little woman at the back ' (there were three ladies seated on the platform). The ■electors smiled very audibly. But Mr Hislop didn't.

Editor Alderton is anxious to secure a cricket ground for Whangarei, and has been shedding hot and scalding tears over his recollections of the halcyon days that precefteu' ~the-- ' Pnhipuhi or Bust' era. * Those were happier days,' he Bays. 'We were not in each a harry then. We had good digestions, and were perfectly happy to let things go slowly while we enjoyed ourselves. We knew each other better; we took greater interest in each other's welfare, and would pat ourselves out to help one another. We have forgotten our cricket, and grown selfish and ugly and bad-tempered. That is so. When we leave off cricket, we leave behind us the sweetest period of one's life — when we met on the green sward, the tented field of onr boyhood's dreams of the world ahead, we pictured the castles beyond — illusions wlose delusiveness were better never regaled. But to dream those dreams again ! There is only one way for it, and that is to play cricket again.' It is inex prcosibly sad to learn that the Whangarei people have grown 'selfish and ugly and bad tempered.' But there is hope for them yet — if they will only take to cricket.

Mr W. Monkhouse, who foqght and lost the Egmont election, has been consoled by his supporters with a cheque for £86 and a, silver tea and coffee service. There's a wrinkle for Mr Fowlds's supporters in that.

Dr Walters, the principal of St. Pat's College at Wellington, likes his little joke. He scored one the otner day, and is now resting after his labours. The occasion was the wedding breakfast following a marriage at which the little Doctor was chief celebrant, and a Mr Dean was the blushful Benedict. In proposing the health of the happy pair, Dr \V asters dwelt on the fact that the bride (Miss Chisholm), had passed six years of faithful service at bt. Patrick's College. It was quite out of his power to make a priest of her, tut he had done the next best thing, and that was to make her a dean

Editor Cooper, of the- Scotsman, who lately visited the colony, has a remarkable store of political anecdote, and drew npon it when in the Bouth to squelch an impertinent Christchurch man. The story is told after this fashion : — We sat down at the table together along with Mr Cooper to have a cup of tea at the hotel. The Christchurch gentleman evidently thought himself aa good as Mr Cooper any day. While sipping his tea, Mr Cooper made the remark, with reference to something which had happened on the journey, ' that experience makes even fools wise.' 'Yes,' said the colonial, ' even old fools I suppose,' putting emphasis npon the old. Mr Cooper looked up. * Excuse me, Mr Cooper,' said the Christchnrch man, when he saw his neighbour looked a little amazed at his rudeness, 'excuse me; you know it is customary for us colonials to speak our minds very plainly.' ' Oh,' replied Mr Cooper, ' you remind me of an anecdote told by the late C. J. Fox, the celebrated Cabinet Minister. He was sitting down one day at a public dinner next to one of his traaesmen~who supplied his family with meat for his household. The tradesman said : " Mr Fox, I admire you very much as a man, bat I hate your beastly politics " Do you," Baid Mr Fox; "I may say I adnftre the goods you Supply to my table every morning, but I hate your bad 'manners " ' The Christchurch gentleman subsided after that.