Invercargill.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 892, 27 March 1877, Page 6

Invercargill.

— — — » : ; ' ■;;* ,-,«,w : ' ' (From Our own correspondent.) ..,.. „., Since, myjast _I have to report in the way of accidents the- death of MVy James HooeT, late a -baker at Riverton, %vhich occurred r otX the night of-the- 17th inst.,. by drAwning'treatf"* Riy.ei*tpUr .The -deceased- ; \yas ? in company 1 with .a, neighbor driving ; jn r #,. buggy.. On .their .jeeturo.from, luveccargill, and the night . being dark, the turning „ from .. tbe^. to Riverton was misled, :> A^fJter G about for some distance,. Hood and his £om- • panion appeared to haye differed t a r s to, the X... road which should be steered, the ' result-, being tha^ the deceased left ( thg buggy to^find> , his way home on foot. .After some little* difficulty ihedriyer got^qponith^trackjaud s .made hpme -safely, enquirjng ,fp.^ ~Ms fifoqd'' shortly Aftef 'his, E'dqi'q^when.itava^ fo'utfd " that he had. no.t'' returned. Some searjyE^a's made, and ouyoitbe-.. apposite ,£id,e of th| AparinraJ^yiver iSoqth-.3LBerton)- the body , oftheideceasedwas founds some (distance up r , the bank,:haviog^beenidead^some»*houj*s^. It. .' is^conjectured -that herattempt^d^to.Crijas* the ; ; -rivef, and'siicceeded in- deing'so^butf that,; ihis- strength-" was "not "equal Hbe^bahk, sand, that -he- died from-exhaus >-.*. nibif. The^icotoner^s jury^r^turned- !an i opea' i « Verdict, lL ' iJ -'- c■■ . - n *•- *■■■** ] ?*■*#»». A very "serlpqs "case Recurred- Id toWtt # involving -the charge "pf" either inurdet v, or ?i manslaugbter against some person or persons : in wh'icn* there Ts : not the sligbtest doubf but ' ! fbat the inducing .cause_ijr^^'r^ | ;afed;ffie"h iiM A*"^^ ?yrt'& ~%>f .Jtejrsfei^^ J *?#*

conclusion is inevitable that either from" fear arising out of their possible implication a number of persons who could furnish the particulars of the transaction are acting in concert to suppress them. The case stands thus — A number of persons (Irishmen) were drinking freely during the night of Saturday, 17th March, and the whole of Sunday, at the . publichouse of Patrick Silke, the usual resort of Irish laborers and Emeralders generally. More or less of bickering and reference to old quarrels took place between the deceased, a j man named Casserly, and another man named I Monaghau, but the feud was apparently set at rest early on Monday morning by the j recognised process of " shouting all round,' and the whole of the parties concerned, together with onlookers, seem then to have been very drunk. Au adjournment then took place to the "yard, from which in a short time the deceased waa brought in, supported by his drunken mates, and was carried up stairs to bed — the statement being simply that he was too drunk to stand, and had fallen down. Soon after this he was found in a dying condition, bleeding profusely, having sustained iuternal and external injuries, and a doctor was sent for, who at once pronounced the matter hopeless. The injured man then accused the man Monaghan of having injured him, but did not, so far as I learn, give any particulais of the outrage. He was subsequently removed to the Hospital, and shortly afterwards died. A singular feature in the affair is that the landlord and landlady of the I house, notwithstanding the serious aspect of the matter, removed all traces of blood aud evidences of a fray before the arrival of the police ; and the witnesses ou the inquest unanimously ignored all knowledge of anything whatever which could have caused or aided in the man's death. An outsider, who was supposed to be able to throw some light on the matter, resolutely refused to say anything. Ultimately the man Monaghan was committed for trial for wilful murder, and the machinery of the Supreme Court may extract what the Coroner's Court has failed to do. If I had any doubt before I have none now as to the danger to the community of entrusting improper persons with the sale of spirituous liquors. In this instance, long after all the inmates of the house in which the murder occurred were unmistakeably drunk, they seem to have been plied with the poison, the only question being their means to pay for it. During the inquest herein the Coroner took exception to the manner in which a professional man (Mr Wade, retained to watch proceedings on behalf of Monaghan), was commenting on the action of the police, and, after some slight passage-at-arms, directed Mr Wade's removal, which was carried into effect. Tbe District Court has been held during the week by Judge Ward, but beyond a slight touch of civil business of a trivial character and the discharge of a bankrupt named Clapp, there was nothing to call for remark. On the site of the second attempt by the municipality at Artesian water supply a small ornamental fountain has been erected. The discharge, although not in volume, is all that w v as expected, being evidently permanent. The success of the experiment has induced another attempt on the eastern boundary of the town. Some displeasure exists among the townspeople with "respect to the action of his Worship the Mayor, relative to the grounds of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association. This Society has been holding its annual shows for several years past on sufferance, on the Town Belt, aud has gone to a large outlay for show purposes in the erection of pens and other appendages therefor, and has doubtless considered itself as unlikely to be molested, although not legally " seized" of the estate therein. The buildings upon the ground have not, it is true, partaken much ot the character of ornamental structures, neither have they been much of " eyesores." Whether or no, his Worship has ordered their removal, and the removal has been carried into effect. The action may possibly have the effect of preventing the holding of the Society's Shows in future at Invercargill, and hence the feeling of condemnation at the course pursued. I believe tbat legally his Worship is right, but on the question of the policy or expediency of the action taken, I s unhewtatinglj^'say that he is wrong.' Perhaps sooner. br later the question of continuance must haye been raised,, and so far as the .Society is .concernedr thejjemoval may, aft^r the; immediate outlay occasioned by it, is, provided; for* be a matter of goad rather than of barmy but>in the matter of the! benefit accruing-to the town* itsellf from ■•the peripdjeaic gathdringstbereis «no ; difference of Opinion. ~ x