OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7409, 3 January 1888, Page 3

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

[Fitoii oun Melbourne Oorrespondkkt.J Wednesday, December 28. THE CHIUSTMAS HOLIDAYS. The fact of Christmas falling upon a Sunday this year made the festival a somewhat dull one in Melbourne. Tho stiict S-abbatarian party had it all thoir own way, and prevented the running of any extra trainti. as well as musical performances at the theatres j so that last Sunday was not dissimilar to any ordlnnry Sunday. Large numbers of people left tho city by train on Saturday for the country district?, and the majority of the metropolitan population have been enjoying the holidays in a quut if rational way. Th e amusement to be derived at tho, theatres is not up to tlie usual standard, the new opera ' Ermine ' being indifferently performed, while the pantomime is a very weak imitation of what has gone before. The weather of Melbourne is delightful ai( present, the excessively hot days having still to come. CHRISTMAS AT rENTRIDOE. | A daring attempt was made about two o'clock one morning last week by four men to illegally introduce tobacco and articles of food into the Pentridge Prison. While Warder Jackson was on duty at No. 5 tower he observed four objects moving stealthily along, and coming in his direction. He lay down and saw four men creeping along on their hands and kneea, and making up to the lime-sheds. Each of the men carried large swags. They opened the limesheds with.a key, and deposited, tho articles they had brought with them. Jackson then desnendtd from the tower, and, raising an alarm, went in pursuit of the men. Two of them fell down as they were running along. These ho covered with his revolver, and he threatened that he would blow their brains out if they did not surrender. Thoy did so, and tha others escaped. Warder Kennedy then came to Jackson's assistance, and the men were taken to the guard-room handcuffed, and subsequently handed over to tho police. The goods placed in tho sheds were evidently intended as a Christmas tieat for tho use of the prisoners, as thist season of the year efforts are invariably made by discharged prisoners to place prohibited articles within the reach of those inside the prison. Tho swag was the largest ever captured at Pentridge at one time. It contained about 1,000 Ggs of tobacco, weighing about 001b, besides a largo number of parcels containing tea, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, coffee, lemon peel, seven Canterbury cakee, a miscellaneous number of coudirocuts, and fifteen bottles of brandy. The two men who were captured arc named William Clark alias James Tower and James Brennan alias William Sullivan, and they have been flnod LlO and L 5 respectively, THE COLUNOWOOD DROWNING CASE. The inquiry into the circumstances by which John Vontom, .employed as woolwashcr at Nottlcton's wool-sheds, Collingwoed, tame by his death, resulted in the following verdict: — "That on the 12th inst., in tho river Yarra, at Collingwood, the deceased, John Vontom, was pushed into the river by Henry Hawkins, who is therefore found guilty of manslaughter." Hawkins was committed for trial. FEMALE SUICIDES. On Sunday morning a young woman whose name is unknown committed suicide by jumping into the river Yarra, near the Falls Bridge. A young man named John Beardon, who resides at Byrne btreet, South Melbourne, made a brave attempt to save the young woman by jumping into the river after her. Ho succeeded in catching her dress and tried to drag her to the bank without a vail, regaining the bank himself in an exhausted condition. She shortly afterwards sank. The suicide was evidently a most determined one, for the young woman Baid to Beardon whilst ho was trying to save her that she did not want to be saved. The police were informed of the circumstance, and have been engaged in dragging for tho bedy since without success. A young lady named Miss Elwoithy, the daughter of Mr Elworthy, of Port Melbourne, who had baen spending her holidays at Beechworth, was returning to Melbourne on Friday, and broko the journey at Seymour. She stayed at Perron's Hotel, and during the evening complained of being unwell, On Saturday she was missing from the hotel, and her hat, gloves, and paivsol were found on the banks of the Goulburn. There was a letter under rtho hat, in which she requested that her parents might be informed of her fate. The police, on dragging the river, discovered her body. A MUSICAL EVENT. A musical event of unusual interest took place at the Alexandra Theatre last evening, when an Italian opera entitled 'I Due Studenti.'from the pen of Mr Alfred riurapton, the well-known local composer, was produced for the first time. The audience ex pected something musically and thoroughly original, and they were not disappointed. The piece is, however, so badly constructed from a dramatic point of \ltw that it U , altogether wanting in interest, and Mr Plumpton has been unable to avoid tiring similarity in the roost of his music. The opera is cohcisely described in the following sentence from the 'Argus's' critique:— "Taken as it appears upon a first hearing, _' I Due Studcnti' wants pith as a drama, and in consequence of attenuated plot tho musical composer has hot been able to achieve any higher work than tho slinging together of a long succcs ion of musical phrases—nearly always graceful, but hardly ever forcible—pleasing for the passing moment to the well-trained car, .but producing in the long run some palpable sense of monotony." FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT. A shocking accident occurred yesterday on the Brighton railway line, a gauge named Michael Purccll, who has been for twenty-seven years in the employ of the department as line repairer, being knocked down by & train and instantaneously killed. Purccll was proceeding to resume his work at six minutes pant one o'clock yesterday afternoon, after his mid-day meal, and was walking on the line about sixteen yards on the South Yarra side of the Balmain street crossing At Richmond. The lines to Oakleigh and Brighton run parallel at this spot. An up train from Oakleigh was approaching tho gates and a down train from Brighton waß coming in tho opposite direction. Purcell appears to have Ecen these trains, but did not sec another up train from Brighton which was approaching. He ran to avoid tho two firstmentioned trains right in the course of the up Brighton train, which was travelling at a high rate of spec.:!. The driver, John Lynnell, blew tho whistle, but tho deceased appeared to be confused, and was struck by the engine. Tho brakes were instantly applied, and the train brought to a standstill in about fifty-eight yards. The body of- the unfortunate man had been carried this distance. It was terribly mutilated, and it waa apparent that death had been instantaneous. SALES OF SYDNEY CITY PROPERTY. Some heavy sales of city property have been made in Sydney during the paßt week, and there are indications of a boom this way similar to that which exists in Melbourne. Recently a syndicate of Sydney and Melbourne capitalists was formed to buy properties in both cities, and they have already done business here to the extent of over L 250,000, having bought portions of the Chisho'm estate, in George street, for L 215.000, and a block of land in York and Clarence streets for L 43,000. The average per foot frontago in George street was L 1.029. PERGONAL AND GENERAL. Sir Henry and Lady Loch have taken up their sum Ter residence at Mount Maccda. The Duke of Manchester is at present a guest of the Governor of New South Wales. Mi Alfred Cellier, the well-known conductor and composer, was oxpected to arrive in Melbourne by the steamer which brought us Miss Nellie stewart. He was detained at New York through an attack of lung" congestion, but it is expected that he will be able to leave by tho next steamer. Henri Carl Hartmann, who had recently becu exploring New Guinea, has died at Brisbane from exhaustion. Ho was a vegetarian, Mr Jules Joubcrt, of exhibition fame, is in a most critical state of health at present, and it is feared that he will not last long. His failure to make a success of the Alexandra Theatre caused him such anxiety as to thoroughly undermine his constitution. The Very Rev. Arch-priest O'Meara, who has been connected with St. Francis Ohurch, Melbourne for a long period, died ytsterday. The cause of death was a dropsical affection. Sir Robert Dalrymple Ross, the Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly, died last evening. Mr W. Tcece, M.L.A, for Goulbourn, has been pronounced of unsound mind, and has been planed under restaaint for a week. The case of smallpox reported from Hanging Rock has turned out to be one of chicken-pox. Last week a largo firo broko out at Mossrs A. Hordern and Son's bedding factory and furniture worshops in Buckingham street, Redfern. Two four-storey buildings with their contents were totally consumed, and two other buildings considerably damaged. The premises and stock were insured for L 18.500, and the damage done is estimated at from L 12.000 to L 16.000. The young men charged with criminally assaulting the girl Ada Peel in a paddock at Camperdown were brought before the Court last week. The evidence of the girl was of a most disgusting character, and eventually the girl proved herself to have been a consenting party. The three prisoners were accordingly discharged. A petition has been presented to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from Messrs B. H. Taylor and G. K. Kirkland, praying for leave to introduce a Bill to enable them to lay down and maintain electric lines within the city and suburbs of Sydney, for facilitating and regulating the supply of eleetrioity for lighting and other purposes. Arohibald L. Campbell, a clerk in the Bank of New'Zcaland, at Newcastle, hat been committed for embezzling L 175. He was arrested when about to leave for Brisbane.' The bronzo medal of tho Royal Humane Sooiety of Australasia has beon presented to William Trueman, engine-driver on tho Manawatu line, in recognition of his having saved tho life of a child oightoen months old on the Wairarapa railway line two years ago by jumping off the engine when it was going nine miles.'an <hour, and pulling a ohild clear of the rails. The swarms of locusts about the Big Hill,

between Sandhurst and Ravehswood; wero so bad last week that one of the trains had great difficulty in getting up the hill. Thoy were on the rails in myriads, and at last the driving wheels became so greasy with squashing thorn that the train was brought to a standstill. The brake was put on to prevent the train sliding back. While tho stoker cleared tho wheels of the carcasses of the pests, the driver went forward to shovel them off the lino to give him another start. The front of the cngino and the machinory were literally covered with both mangled and live locusts. Thomas do Thierry, who, with two brothers, was building a bridge across the Mangakoraro Stream, was killed a few days ago. He was in act of pushing a detached log from the top of the pile driver when tho fastoning of the hammer gave way, tho hammer dropping on tho unfortunate .man's head, completely crushing his face and skull. A, man named Thomas Young, ,aged thirtythree, employed at Goodlet and Smith's brickyards at Merrylands, near Farramatta, had his hsad pulled off his body through being oaught in the machinery. He was leaning acrobs the partition when he was caught in tho 14-ir,ch pulley which drivei tho machinery, tho left arm being drawn in first, and tbc head afterwards. A sceno in the New South Wale 3 Parliament. -Mr M'Blhonc: "The Hon. the AttorneyGeneral was a very obscuro member of the Bar only a short time ago, and had a useless crawling old wretch of an uncle, who could do nothing but draw public money." Mr Inglis : "Shame I Shame I Shame! Simmer' Mr M'Elhono (excitedly): "If you come outsido I will punch tho head off you ,»_(Ories of "Chair, ohair.") Mr Garrard rose to order. Mr M'Blhonc (with increasing excitement): "If he comes outside I'll punch his head; the lying scoundrel." —(Order, order.) Mr Hassell: "He daro not say it outsido the Houbo." Mr,M'Elhone: •' By ,if ho does I'll Bbow him what I'll do." (Sensation). Mr Cameron :" lam sure the Iron, member will now see I have a duty to perform. Tho hon. member must ece that the words he has used are disorderly and should bo withdrawn." Mr M'Elhone: "I will withdraw my words out of respect to the House; but if he dares to fay it outside of the House " —(Crirs, "Chair, chair.") Mr Came.on: " I am responsible for the good c.onduct of the House whilst I occupy, this . chair, and I must ask tho lion, momber for the Upper Hunter, having now withdrawn the words lie Used, to refrain from using such words; and I must ask the hon. the Minister for Public Instruction, who to a large extent has been tho cause of the disturbance, to apologise to the House."—(Opposition cheers.) Mr M'Elhone: " He is a lying scoundrol."—(Cues of "Chair, chair.") Mr Inglis said "He felt that ho was in a trying position. When ho heird such gross aspersions cast"—(Opposition members: "Apologise, apologise.') Mr M'Elhone: "I will strike him where he stands if ho darts say it again. By , I will, whatever tho result may be." ________^___