CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 28, 1 February 1913, Page 17

CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

"RAFFLES IN REAL LITE. In September last a burglary was committed in a large villa at Zurich, and was so cleverly performed that the police could not trace the author, who escaped with shares, jewels, and money valued at over £1.000. A well-known firm of solicitors at Stuttgart has just returned all the stolen good* to the judge at the Zurich tribunal, stating that, under professional secrecy, they could not give the name of their client, who was a wealthy man. and who became a burglar like "Raffles"—"under stress of excitement." The Zurich judge, however, has other views, and demands the arrest of thp burglar. The Federal Government agrees, and through its I'.erlin Minister has demanded the arrest and extradition of the burglar. "PLEASE CABLE £10,000." \ A wealthy Frenchman named Chavann_, settled iv Argentina, hearing that his brother in France was needing £20,000. cabled £10,000. saying that was all he could spare for the moment. No other letters passed on the subject, and M. Chavanne died some time afterwards. His heirs claimed In the courts that the money should be returned as being only a loan. The court., while unable to treat the £10,000 as a gift, held that it was a loan made without any condition, and gave the brother ten years in which to return it. BETTER THAN TEE MINT. A coiner named Passaret admitted to tho Seine Assize Court in December that he had passed 5,350 counterfeit five-franc (4/2) pieces, representing £1.070 In value. Experts estimated that his profits amounted to £560. As a matter of fact. Passaret'e coins contained more pnre silver than the genuine pieces issued by the French Mmt —050 parts per thousand as compared with 535. Taking into account that the prisoner had no criminal antecedents, and that his bad money was really better than the current coinage of the Government, the court sentenced him to three years' imprisonment with the benefit of the First OffenderAct. BEGGAR'S £20,000. A man known as "Father Daniel," but whose real name was Jean Bapti-te Rouleau, died suddenly a few days ago in a gipsy caravan in which he lived at bevole, just outside Paris. He was eightyeight years old. The police found a key in the man's hand, the "Express" Bays. It was the key of a strong box in a Pari3 bank, which on examination was found to contain £20,000 in notes, gold, bonds, and shares. The man had begged for his livelihood for the last 20 years or more, and had concealed the fact that he was a man of good family and had inherited fortune in 190 S. CAPTAIN SHOT BEAD. A sen-ational Incident reminiscent of the Sidney Street battle in the East End of I_mdon occurred on Tuesday, December IT, at the Horse Artillery Barracks, St. Petersburg. A fire broke out at the depot of the Fourth Battery, and incendiarism was suspected on the part of a young gunner named Chervanovsky, who had been degraded for misconduct. When the fire was just ont. Captain Kologrivoff proceeded to verify the property of the depot, whereupon two revolvers were found missing, as well as a quantity, of ammunition from one of the cases, the lock of which had been forced. Standing on the landing of the staircase. Captain Kologrivoff had every man searched as he passed him. When Chervanovsky came near he drew a revolver and shot the captain point-blank in the head, killing him stone dead on. the spot. The sudden consternation of *he other soldiers was so great that the murderer was able to escape into the drill ball oa the second story, with windows overlooking the street above the entry to the officers' mess. From this vantage ground he fired recklessly in ail directions. One of the writers of the regiment who attempted to take him was wounded severely. Chervanovsky, who seemed half mad, continued to fire from the windows at his own officers, at the general in command, at the officers of the fire brigade, and, in fact, at everybody amongst the crowd. The barracks were surrounded by soldiers, mounted police, anil gendarmes. The chief of the fire brigade absolutely refused to send his men to certain death np the ladder of the fire escape. Suddenly, while the heads of all these forces on. the field -were still consulting what to do, Chervanovsky raised the revolver to his head, fired,-and fell back into the room a corpse. SANTA CLATJS' COMEDY. The proprietor of a cafe In Berlin, Paxil Kratky, is the inventor of a special attraction for the public. He put in bis shop window a superb rocking-horse, with a beautiful Father Christmas, which rocked to and fro and bowed to the children in a most gracious manner. All Berlin came to look at this wonderful automaton. The ingenious shopkeeper attracted a lot of business, but on Sunday, to the amazement of the crowd, Father Christmas got up from his horse, took off his mask, and was found to be no mechanical figure, but a small boy. He advanced to his employer and said, "Tou do such good business that I shan't sit any more for tenpence as evening. I want double!" Young Father Christmas "on strike" was immediately "sacked," but the generous customers at once collected a sum which will enable the living automaton to spend a happy Tuletlde. PARROT NEARLY CAUSES RIOT. . While the Paris Central Market was crowded with folk Intent on their Sunday shopping, considerable disturbance was i caused by a mysterious voice. An innocent • purchaser of fish would suddenly hear hlin--1 self called "Pig!" Such expressions as "Monkey" and "Ass" were also hurled at various people. Everybody looked around, but everyone seemed to be Innocent. A man in tha , crowd Bugge-ted thnt It was a ventrilo--1 quist, and several men were accused. But - the flow of insult did not cease. Accusation* were so freel? thrown about, and • everyone wan becoming so exasperated he . tbe continual stream of abuse that 11 general . fight was on the point ef beginning when • the culprit was illu-svefed.. 1 He waa hiding among the vegetables— . the handsomest specimen of a parrot ever r seen! He allowed himself to be captured ; without resisting, but before disappearing r into the pocket of his captor, he shrieked - "Vive la France!" It is supposed thnt the j bird had escaped from _ house in the nei__». I bourhood-