CONTINENTAL CRIMES AND SENSATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 271, 13 November 1909, Page 17

CONTINENTAL CRIMES AND SENSATIONS.

TITLED SWINDLERS. The Rome police, as a. result of stringent investigations wbicb have for some time past been proceeding in secret, have die" covered the existence of a eoelety of ewlndlera, composed almost exclusively of titled personages. Their method of procedure has been ito profit by the credit allowed to them on account of their 'titles and Influence to. obtain without payment articles of jewellery, automobiles, and other valuable goods, w>hich they then sold •again at absurdly low prices. The magnitude of their operations, however, resulted In their acquisition Of enormous 3ume of money through their sales. It wae announced that the police had Succeeded in arresting several persons inculcated In the affair, though many escaped •abroad. Further developments may, hffW' ever, be expected. TRAM CARS IN THE AIR. A company has been formed In Vienna to exploit a system of aerial tram cars, which Has been invented by Capt. Quoika, an Austrian aeronaut; High-tension electric cables will be laid on -the.ground, and air ahlps will be connected with them by means of Other cables, which will take the place of the trolley in the ordinary over' head tram ear system. Power will thus be supplied for driving: the propellers of the airships, nnd, in addition, the airships will 'be kept on their right course and at a fixed height of 300 ft. It is proposed to lay the first line between Vienna and Budapest. GIRL TAKES POISON TO AVOID EXECUTION. The circumstances attending the suicide of a girl hamed Matrena Prlslashnuk. who poisoned herself While lying in Kieff &aol under sentence of death, ihave juet been ventilated, says a Reuter message from St. Petersburg. Eckurt Horn, a young political convict, serving five years' imprisonment, was confined with a number of other "politicals" in the cell adjoining Prlslnshnuk's. He established communication <wlth the condemned Rlrl by taps and knocks, and she welcomed his suggestion that he should procure poison for her. Thanks to the somewhat la* Surveillance. Horn obtained the poison and excavated a tiny hole through the wall dividing the two cells. In the Intervals of -his work he concealed 'the cavity with clay. He eventually passed the poison through the hole in the spout of a tin kettle, and After a whispered farewell with Prislashnuk, watched her swallow it. He wrote a long and pathetic letter to his fiancee, describing the occurrence, and it was through the seizure of this letter that his participation in the tragedy tvas discovered. He w.ts tried before the Kleff Court, but was acquitted. THRASHED BY A CONSUL. A serious incident between the German Consul and the Russian authorities at Harbin, in Manchuria, was reported recently. A German business firm in Harbin, trading under the name of Hermann, refused to pay the Imposts levied by the Russian authorities, and had tae support of the German Consul, Herr yon Stuller, who tore up the Russian official documents served on the firm. TbU was tW'flrst Incident. The second' KTTielfliel'W ttin? n " It Is stated that Herr yon Muller openly refused to recognise Russian authority within the Russian settlement. He is declared to have ill-treated, and even to have thrashed, a high Russian official who was •ir. charge of the proceedings against the German firm. This time, the newspapers declare, the incident may have consequences. PANIC IN A CHURCH. A sensational occurrence is reported from Granada, Spain. During the service on September 2G a well-known merchant drew a revolver end blew out ihis brains.

The people in the crowded edifice, most of whom were women, believing that a dynamite bomb had exploded, were seized with panic, and made a mad # riish for the door. Many ehrieking women and children were ruthlessly thrown dawn and trampled upon. A number of men climbed to the windows, and, breaking 'the valuable painted glass panes, escaped Into the street. the church was a complete wreck, many chairs. Images of saints, and paintings having been destroyed. No one was killed, but a lady, two girls, and several young children were not expected to recover from their injuries. FRENCH OFFICERS FIGHT UNTIL DISABLEMENT. A duel of a determined nature wa« fought on September 1 In one of the gardens by the Great "Wheel In Paris bc'tween two officers, Captain Gerard and Captain Auge. They were formerly great friends, but quarrelled over differences of opinion on philosophical and sociological problems. During the riots at Mere Captaiu Ange commanded troops, and his action was crtlclsed by Captain Gerard, who writes for a local Socialist newspaper. In April Angc struck Gerard In the face In the barracks before several brother officers, and a court of Inquiry was ordered, which liits been sifting ever since, and has just nrrlved at a decision. Meanwhile Gerard took sick leave, and was subjected to some rather undignified treatment In hospital. On reading the reports of the court of inquiry. Captain Gerard sent his seconds to Captain Ange, and it was agreed 'to fight with swords, and to continue till the seconds of whomsoever was wounded should demand a cessation. It was, therefore, very different from the usual duel demanded by honour, when both duellists fire at once, and a procea verbal Is drawn up that "two shots 'have been exchanged without result." The affair lasted 55 minutes, with seven bouts, and each man .was wounded twice before Ange received the anal thrust in the back of his sword hand, paralysing the muscles. An eye-witness describee It as follows:— "There was no one present on the sandy path when the combatants arrived. First came Auge, tall and thickly built, who put on a pair of spectacles, and, with sword in hand, waited for Gerard, who soon came up, slight and supple. Captain Ledoux joined their swords, and, after the usual formula of advice, gave the word 'Aliens. messieurs. . From their guard and method of attack It was evident that both were resolved to do their worst, aiming always at the body. Luckily, however, 'the lightning thrusts which sought the breast always met the arms or hands, which were soon bleeding. Gerard was first touched in the forearm, and had it bound up. Next Ange was similarly wounded and attended to. Then Gerard was wounded a second time through his first bandage, but paid the thrust bnck with interest, wounding Ange in the wrist and hand. This last thrust pnralysed the flngers > and Ange'e seconds called for a termination. The two saluted each other correctly, and separated without exchanging a word. Aa he wks walking away, however, Gerard expressed his respect for Auge, who, he said, had acted as he ought to have done. 'I profoundly .admire th« courage of the man; but I have not altered my opinion*,' "