CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 177, 26 July 1913, Page 17

CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

THE AIRMAN AND THE COW. AL Brindejonc des "Houlinais, who landed in a field at Cosfeld on a flight from Paris to Copenhagen, has received a communication claiming £10 damages for the death of a cow on behalf of the German owner of the field. The communication states: "At the moment of your landing there were three cows in the field, one of which would shortly nave calved. On account of the fear she experienced the cow calved too soon, and had to be slaughtered." CONVICT ROBINSON CRUSOE. An escaped Swedish convict named Andersson on Saturday night. .Tone 7th. reached the Island of Mar, near Xorrkoping, whore be broke into a Government store and helped himself liberally to food and drink. He went to sleep and in seme way upset a lamp, setting the store on fire. The outbreak spread to a wood, thirty-eight acres iu extent, which was destroyed. Police at Norrkoping. whose attention was attracted by the glare, went to the island and captured the convict, who was severely burned. A WIPE WSO CAME EACH,

Amongst ihe passengers t,y thc ill-fated liner Titanic was Mme. lirenys, whose husband was informed by ihe company that his wife was amongst the drowned. His grief, though sincere, was nut long-lived, and after a while be consoied himself with a second partner in the person of Mile. Kosquet. with whom he had lived in retirement. Lately, however, he heard that Mme. Rrenys had escaped drowning and had returned to F'rancc. nnd was searching for him. Distracted by this complication of his matrimonial affairs. M. Brenys resolved that he and his second wire should both die. and he killed her with revolver shots, and then turned the weapon upon himself. in his case the wound was not mortal, and the wretched man was preparing to hang himself when the gendarmes burst in and prevented the tragedy, afterwards removina him to the hospital.

MOSCOW MUTINY. The prisoners who mutinied in the Bntlrsky Gaol will al] be court-martiaiied, says a Moscow dispatch. Their attempt at escape was at once elaborate and daring. They had no arms, but somehow or other they obtained several lengths or cord, out of which they made nooses. The idea was to strangle the warders, dress some of the conspirators in their uniforms, release the other prisoners, and organise a fictitious -'convoy.'' which would march through the streets to freedom. The execution of the plot was entrusted to the occupants of one of the larger cells, In which there were over twenty convicts. These ringleaders managed to get out of the cell into the corridor. They killed one warder by strangulation, and appropriated his uniform. Tiree other warders were also rendered uncuseious, bnt not before one of them had shotted tbe alarm. The military guard of the prison rushed. np and opened fire on the mutineers, fous of Whom were wounded- The remainder were then overpowered and placed in solitary confinement.

THE PARIS PAWNSHOP. The official pawnshop of Paris, the "MontdvPiete,' - is. according to the "Dally Telegraph," in distress. It is running out of funds, and before the end of six weeks it will require 10,000,000 francs to continue to lend on people's watches, chains, and candlesticks. What has reduced the official pawn institution to such distress? It has to hand over all its profits to the Assistance Pnblique. and thns it can form no reserves. The absurd result is that the Mont-de-Piete has periodically to borrow money, for which it pays the current interest of 3i per cent. This amount has to be deducted from the SJ per cent which it imposes on all articles pawned. Thus, in order to give profits to one set of poor people protected by the Assistance Ptibliquc. another set of poor people or persons reduced momentarily to straits has to pay. The Mont-de-Piete is not popular, anyway, as the whole Latiu Quarter is ot opinion that it ought to be abolished. It accepts the watches of ecudents and fiances, a-nd never gives them back unless the money is refunded, acting thus like a bad uncle or "old aunt." the name by which the institu* tion is known. DIVORCE AND TRAM SCENE.

Proceedings in divorce cases are not allowed to be published ir. France, but this has not prevented details of a case in which the names of thc parties are not mentioned from appearing in tbe Press. According to these revelations in court the origin of this particular divorce suit ia traced to a ride in a tram. Husband and wife were soins home late one evening. The husband was tired and sleepy, and fell into a dose. The wife was annoyed, and tried tn wake him up. The following conversation is reported:— "Wake np. George." "Let me alone, will you? "Wake np; if not I will tell you something startling." The husband continued to doze, which so exasperated the wile that she did tell him something startling. To prove it, she showed him a ring with her lover's initials, and he happened to he his best friend. This finally stirred the husband out of bis sleep, and the sequel was an appeal to the divorce court. But meanwhile the wife alleges that she discovered that his conduct was na better, and there is recrimination ou both, sides. What a lot of trouble might hav« been saved had the husband not been Stt sleepy that night! MOTORIST'S NIGHT PERIL. Berlin motorists are seriously concerned at an attempt to wreck a motoring party ia the same manner as was employed two months ago at Heunigsdorf, when Herr Plunz aud his wife were killed. In that case a wire rope was stretched across the road between two trees. In the present instance the same plan was adopted, and had the miscreants been a little earlier a frightful tragedy would undoubtedly have taken place. Happily, however, not even the chauffeur was injured. This man, named Parawitz, is the driver of a taxi-cab, and be took two ladies and a boy from a Berlin restaurant to Potsdam. He travelled at a fairly rapid pace, aud found the way clear. On his retnrn he proceeded at a leisurely rate, and to that he owes his life. For between Wanasee and Charlottenburg he ran Into a rope stretched across the road. So slowly was he going that all the harm done was a little damage to the front oj the car. The ehauTfenr states that he noticed a young man and a woman making off from the spot. The police, witb a dog, were soon, on tbe scene, and a track was followed to a spot near a workmen's quarter. Tliere all farther marks were lost.