CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 179, 27 July 1912, Page 17

CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

BECAME MAYOR THROUGH " FUN."' The ?on-ru»est mayor of France Is Charles Carter, aped 28, of British extraction. Ho has been chosen as head of the municipal council of the village of JJouilry. M. Carter's story is a enrkrae and romantic one. Ills father was an, Englishman. Carter was sent to Monffry when still very young. Ills education completed, he wa« left to himself to earn his own living, an* became a farm labourer. On coming of age he chose French nationality. At tup last municipal election he stood as n. caTididfit o for *'fun, ,, a.n<l wqs elected* When the municipal council met to select a mayor the majority voted for Carter, who, to his {Treat astonishment, was ohoseu. TOOTH-MARK CLUE TO MURDER Mme. Agneesen, aged 50, and 51. Charles Vuneeckhoiit, need 26, who is alleged to have been her lover, are co trial in Brussels on a charge of having murdered Mute. lAgneesen's husband In October last. M. Agneeson was discovered suffocated In his bed. His face and body were bruised, anil two of his teeth had been broken. The prosecution alleges that the noise of the murdered man's struggles must have been heard , throughout the hoose, bnt Mmc. Airneeeen, who was sleeping in the next room, denies having heard anything. Two wounds, the marks of which fitted; the dead man's missing teeth, were; -dii* covered on M. Vaneeckhoufs hands. i "ABTIFICIAI. COTTON." V Last year a man named Bourbon sold to a Paris manufacturer named Block a patent for the manufacture of artitclal cotton. Bloc): resold the patent for 50,000 francs to the Italian Deputy Signor Crespl, who en-' tered into negotiation with the Manchester Association of Cotton Manufacturers. Tie latter sent a representative to 'Milan to test the invention. The firet experiment was without result, but the second appeared to be successful. Signer Creept, however, afterwards discovered that the cotton produced at the second experiment ■was the reTutt of trickery, and ihe claimed' the return of 50,000 francs he lad paid, to M. Block, together with 30,000 francs inaddition as damages. Returning to Paile M. Block instituted proceedings against Bourbon. The latter is alleged to tase admitted that the cotton was produced by. trickery, while maintaining tiat his Invenr tk>n was a serious one. FOSTER MOTHER'S HEROISM. Two women and two children were killed at a level crossing at BesuTtlliers, France, on Sunday morning, June 2, in remarkable circumstances. Mme. Breton, the gatekeeper, was chatting by the side of the line with a neighbour, Mmc, Acronderu, while a boy of three named Georges Vallet, who had been confided by Ihis parents in Paris to Mme. Breton's charge, was ptayipg with; the Infant daughter of Mme. Arrondeau between the rails on the permanent way. Suddenly an express, which runs only on Sundays and which the gatekeeper had forgotten, came into sight. The foster-mother and the mother sprang forward and raced along the Hue to rescue the children. The train caught them both, killed them, and then ran over the children, both of whom were also killed. A STARTLING PRESENT. A strange story comes from St. Peters* burg, via Paris. On May 27 Mdme. Vladii mir Denissof, wife of a member of the Council of the Empire, was surprised on Iher '- return home to find in her boudoir an lml mense and beautiful basket of flowers. - There was no card accompanying the pre- : gent. Shortly afterwards two lady visitor.! ! called, and naturally all were intent on ■ admiring the present. One noticed a slight movement, and then were 'heard a baby's sobs. Removing the flowers, a pretty Ilttlo girl, of four months, richly clothed, was found. To its little lace bonnet was attached a note beairfng the words: "Pray take care cf. it-.y child and have Jier t>apl tleod." The "suisse" who received ■the present declared that It was brought by a lady I who came m a motor caT, and that was all he could say. The baby Is to be cared for, and it was baptised the day following. DESPERATE DUEL. Two Frenchmen fought a desperate duel with revolvers in Paris last month, one receiving three bullets in the body while the other escaped unscathed to surrender Dimself to the police. The wounded man, M. Alauzel, was a wlne-ahop proprietor. lie had accused the other man, M. Charles Froment, a motor dealer, of robbing him of his wife's affections, and for Rome time there had been a deadly feud between the men. They met accidentally in a bar. Both trad, revolvers, and one said to the other, " If yon are a man, come out and we will settle our affair between us. I shall have your skin, and it would Dot weigh heavily en my conscience." They went to some waste ground to Save it out. Two acquaintances accompanied them to sec that tiie light was a fair one. Hardly had the combatants taken up their position when, without waiting for the signal, on.- , of them took aim. M. Froment was the first to fire, end he instantly lodged three bullets in the body of his opponent. The latter wan carried to a hospital, where i his condition was found to be very grave. I M. Froment walked down the street and j handed his revolver to the flrst policeman ]he met. " I hnrr , shot my enemy, and 1 j suppose I have tilled him," he said; "do I wltli mc what you like." He further stated I that M. Alouzpl was taking aim before the .-signal was civen. and that lie flTed first 10 legitimate seLf-de/enoe. ADVENTURE OF AN EMBASSY A diverting tale of the adventures of a valet who posed as a diplomatist was told at the trial In Paris of a man name< C.eorgv Mlcbauil, at one time a valet at th€ Spanish Embassy in Paris. He was charged with obtaining money under false pretences from a country squire, M, Oberbech. Clausen, who had a chateau In the Department of the (Jirondc. Midland gave himself out to be rue eon of a Swiss Minister-Plenipotentiary, and posed as being closely acquainted with, various notabilities In the diplomatic world. Mme. Oberbech Clausen gave an amusing account of a Ti3lt. paid by her husband to the Spanish Embassy to ascertain If the accused was in reality on such good terms there as he made out. Her husband was received by the house porter and then by a "flunkey in full uniform, who showed him Into one of the Tecepllon-rooms, saying (line M. MieTraud was just E;i:shlng his morning toilet. When ilii» vnlct-diplorant appeared Wm hair was wet and disordered .i* though he had Juki er.ine oui of the bath, lie efcomd M. I'luuwn aH over the Embassy and behaved exactly as if he were quite at borne in the house. Ilk demeanour so Impressed . his visitor that M. Clausen invited ito stay at his chateau In * roe country: IMlchaud was sentenced to two ,rears In*[.(irisonmeirt. ■ _