OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7475, 20 March 1888, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

[From our Melbourne Correspondent.] March 13. CRIME IN .MELBOURNE. Melbourne haa been again st-utled by some daring acts by criminals. A conspicuous case is that of a contractor who recently left his buggy in charge of a lad while he paid a visit to a shop in Swanston street. He had just before drawn L 530 in cash out of the bank, and this he left in a bag under the seat of the buggy. Bag and money were missing when he returned to his buggy, and it became apparent that while one man had engaged the lad in charge of the buggy in conversation another had quickly abstracted the bag of money and made away with it. This is but a small crime, however, to one which was committed on a hotel-keeper at East Brunswick. This gentleman was foolish enough not to bank his money, and left L6OO in a safe in his bedroom. When he went to bed he placed a loaded revolver on the top of the safe so as to be able to protect himself, but unfortunately for him three burglars found their way into the room and added this firearm to those they were already provided with beforo anyone awoke. When the hotelkeeper was roused by his wife from his slumbers he met with rough treatment from his midnight visitors, being battered on the head with a revolver until he could be induced to keep quiet. He was dispossessed of the key of the safe, which was cleared of its contents. The ' Age,' commenting on the present state of things, says :—" A succession of recent events has made it too palpable that there is a formidable band of outlaws in Melbourne who are making burglary a profession, and who go to their work prepared to add murder to robbery when occasion requires it. The fact that robbers are armed with revolvers, and prepared to use them, is likely to bring the weapon back into popularity with reputable citizens. It would be unfortunate if loaded firearms came into common use, as in the early days of the colony. They have been laid aside to a great extent because people have relied with confidence on the law and its duly appointed guardians, and it is to be devoutly hoped that it will be speedily shown that this confidence is not misplaced." AN OLD DUNEDINITE IN TROUBLE. Most residents of Dunedin will remember Mr William G. M'Kenzie, who for a long time acted as Mr W. J. M. Larnach'B private secretary. Ho has for some time past resided in Melbourne, and quite recently entered the employment of the Picturesque Atlas Company, Limited. Last week he made his appearance at the City Police Court on a charge of embezzling LSO from the company, and he has been com*

mitted for trial. The principal evidence fiven against M'Kenzie wfts that of Mr 'rcderick George Singleton, the manager of the company, who stated that the accused was Snfcaged by him on November 24 last tc receive the money from the collector and pay it into the bank, besides which he was to keep the books. Mr Singleton went to Sydney on the JJth til'.- and returned on the 18th. On the P9th tilt, the prisoner wa3 sent to the Onion Bank with the pass-book o£ the company to have it made up. AsM'Ken&ie did not return within a reasonable time ho Went in search of him, and while he was in the bank the accused entered it. Mr Singleton told him that he believed that there wa3 something wrong with his accouuts, and he had come round to the bank to make inquiries as to the amount to the credit of the company. The prisoner said that if Mr Singleton would return to the office, he would explain matters to him. They then proceeded to the office of the company in a cab, and on the way there Mr Singleton asked the accused what was the amount of his deficiency, and he replied about LSO. When t'/icy reached the office the manager showed M'Kenzie a pay-in slip for Ll4l 15s, dated 2Sth February, and asked him if he had anything to say with respect to it. The prisoner stated that the initials appearing on it were not those of a bank, official as purported, but were written by himself. He added that he had initialled similar documents for some time past. This statement was made in the presence of another employe, named H. S. Clarke. Mr Singleton knew that M'Kenzie had received L 99 5s on the previous night, but had not paid it into the bank, and asked him what had become of the money. The accused then handed over L7B 10s to the manager, and said that he had deposited the balance to the credit of his private account that morning in the Bank of Australasia, to meet a cheque which he had drawn the day before. He added that he would make up the deficiency by raising mor.ey from among his friends. When Mr Singleton asked the prisoner what he had done with the money he said that he had on one occasion held over the money given to him to deposit, and had converted LSO in cash into a note for the amount, and during the night had been robbed of the note. He voluntarily accompanied the manager to the detective office, and on the way there asked Mr Singleton to consider the temptation that had been placed in his way, and pleaded not to be arrested, as he would pay the amount of the deficiency. The prisoner also told the manager that when he entered the service of the company ho was deeply in debt. After consultation with Inspector Kennedy, a warrant was taken out for the prisoner's arrest by Detective Griffin, who executed it shortly afterwards, In crossexamination, Mr Singleton said that up to February 25 the prisoner had paid in all the amounts which he had received, but not on the dates on which he received them. Between LSCO and LGOO passed through the prisoner's hands each week. Altogether four men had been charged at different times with embezzling the funds of the company. TRAGIC OCCUKHEXCE. A telegram from Thursday Inland reports a tragic incident there. On a recent Saturday afternoon Captain Kirby, a very old Straits navigator, was in the bar of the Thursday Island Hotel with Douglas, the engineer of the Albatross. The latter was inspecting a Japanese sabre, aud playfully pointed it towards Captain Kirby's breast. Captain Kirby jokingly presented his breast to the blade, but in doing so pressed with unintentional force against the point of the weapon, which, being as sharp as a razor, penetrated four inches and severed the main artery, • Death resulted in three minutes afterwards. Douglas has been arrested pending an inquiry. I.AHGK FIRK IN MELBOURNE, One of the largest conflagrations that has ever taken place in Melbourne was that which destroyed Mr James Moore's new and spacious timber mills on the Sandriilge road, South Melbourne. The estimated loss is L.'JO.OOO, which is only covered by insurance for about L(i,000. The premises were supposed to have been in the care of a watchman named Egan when the fire broke out, but he was not seen about the mills by those who entered them shortly after the outbreak of the fire. The flame 3 quickly spread over the building, which was almost entirely constructed of wood and corrugated iron. The mills were fitted with the most modern and costly labor-saving machinery, and were generally acknowledged to be among the most complete of their kind in Australia. Amongst the materials destroyed were a number of window sashes and other carpentry work intended for the annexes of the Centennial International Exhibition, for the erection of which Mr Moore has the contract. He does not, however, think that their destruction will much delay the completion of the annexes. MURDEII AND SUICIOE. A terrible double crime took place at Woolloomooloo last week. A waiter, named William Carroll, while under the influence of drink, attacked his wife with an axe, smashing in the base of her skull, and afterwards cutting his own throat. The poor woman succumbed to her injuries a short time after admittance to the hospital. The husband's injuries were not immediately fatal, but from the first there was no hope of his recovery. Carroll had been out of work for some weeks, and recently had given way to drink and to i!l-usiug his wife, who, it is said, was also addicted to drink. They had a quarrel in the morning, which was renewed in the afternoon, when, unexpectedly, Carroll rushed into the back yard, and, returning with a large American axe, struck his wife a fearful blow on the head before fche had a chance to escape or defend herself. The only other inmate of the house was an old man named Dawburn, who appears to have been too drunk or too feeble to interfere or remember much about the murderous scene. After striking his wife down Carroll made his way upstairs, and was found lying on a bed with his throat cut. At the inquest a verdict of Wilful murder was returned against Carroll, who has since died. THE OAKLEIOH OUTKACE. The Oakleigh Police Court was engaged last week with hearing a capital charge preferred against the three men—Edward Torade, Thomas Read, and Cornelius Ryan —arrested on suspicion of being connected witli the outrage committed upon the woman Catherine Heydon early on the morning of the 24th ult. Several witnesses were examined for the prosecution, the principal of whom were George Heydon and his wife, the latter being the victim of the outrage. Hcydo?i was cross-examined for upwards of an hour, and, under pressure, made some admissions concerning the past career of his wife. He believed she had been convicted four times under different aliases, but assumed an air of astonishment when counsel stated that the convictions recorded against her numbered seventeen. Mrs Heydon, under cross-examination, also made admissions reflecting seriously on her previous history. The witnesses for the defence were reserved for the higher court. Torade and Read were committed for trial, and Ryan, .vho was drinking with Heydon and his wife on the night in question, and who was seen to run away from the woman after she had been outraged, was discharged. THE LATE FATAL EIGHT. The coroner's inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of John Douglas Hvrons, who died in the Alfred Hospital after engaging in a prize fight, resulted in a verdict of manslaughter being recorded against the surviving principal, Matthew Evans, and also James Stephens, William Plumivier, Reginald Albert Ely, and Louis Pollock, the men who were under arrest on the charge of having aided and abetted in the fight. The evidence showed that the fight was for a stake of L 5 a-aidc, and that it was pre-arranged. There was no suspicion in the minds of any of those present that Hyrons was fatally injured, and it was not thought that he was more knocked about than his antagonist, Evans. THE EXHIBITION. At the meeting of the commission on March 7, the President said that the amount of floor space available for allotment in the main hall and the new annexes had now been approximately allotted to the various countries applying through the commissions appointed by their respective Governments, while space had also been reserved for exhibitors from countries not officially represented. The allotment in

Bqttare feet at present was as follows: Main hall, floor space: Great Britain (including Lancashire), 11,520 ; France, 8,890; Germanv, 0,010; Austro-Hungary, 1,180; United "States of America, 3,000; Italy, 960; India, 1,420; New South Wales, COO; Victoria, 12,450; still available (reserved), 7,750: total, 53.750. Temporary annexes (including extra bay of 50,250 square feet): Great Britain, 111,817; France, 56,000; Germany, 54,500; Austro-Hungary, 15,000; Belgium, 3,500; Switzerland, 3,000; United States of America, 37,500; New South Wales, 80,900; Tasmania, 3,500; South Australia, 20,000; Queensland, 5,000; New Zealand, 10,000; Canada, 20,000 ; Victoria, 243,000; reserved for other courts, 21,000; reserve under dome, 8,000; total, 692,717. The Agent-General had been informed of the above by cablegram, and plans on a large scale of the portion allotted to each of the different countries, together with a key plan, were forwarded to him by the last mail. Similar plans were being forwarded to the commissions of the Australasian colonies, and the allotment of space to exhibitors in the various courts will no doubt be proceeded with at once. Executive Commissioners to the Centennial Exhibition from the other colonies are putting in an appearance in Melbourne for the purpose of looking after their respective courts. Mr William Seed, chairman of the New Zealand Commission, has been here for some time past arranging preliminaries for the display which New Zealant? proposes to make, He is not at all satisfied with the space allotted to the colony, for, instead of the 10,000 ft set apart for that court, he estimates that at least 20,000 ft will be required. New Zealand, it is stated, will be represented principally by products of the soil, in which the Commissioners propose to provide something that will challenge the attention of the world. MRS fiOKDOX IiAILLIE. News of the discomfiture at Home of Mrs Gordon Baillie, the would-be "friend" of the crofters, has no doubt reached you by cable. The following paragraph from ' Table Talk ' with reference to her is interesting : —" Mrs Gordon Baillie gave it out that she was the only child of the Earl of Moray, who disowned her because she married Mr Knight-Aston the operatic singer. She had by that gentleman tour children, who, when they sang at the Exhibition at a bazaar last year, were much admired. Mrs Baillie also stated that she was a divorced woman, and that Iter present husband was Mr Bromby Frost, a connection by marriage of Dr Bromby. The latter statement, we have it on the authority of Dr Bromby, is correct. Mr Bromby Frost, who looks like an octoroon, is a nephew of Mrs Bromby, the wife of the late Bishop of Tasmania. Whilst in Melbourne Mrs Baillie resided in Toorak road, in a furnished house for which she paid L 7 rent a week. She aluo hired a carriage at L2 a day. Her expenditure for rent and carriage alone thus amounted to L2l weekly. She kept six servants and ' a private secretary.' Her grocers' bill was the largest of any family in the fashionable suburb of South Yarra, as it generally included dozens of bottles of all sorts of strong drink, Her most favorite refreshment, however, was ' brandy and soda.' " THEATRICAL ANJ) MISIUAI.. The tragic death of Mr Federici at the conclusion of the first performance of the opera ' Faust' has cast an undetinablc "loom over the Princess's Theatre whicli has not since been dispelled. The feature in connection with this production of Gounod's work is not the singing but the magnificent manner in which the piece is put on, and the completeness of all accessories—orchestral and stage. A church organ has recently been built upon the stage, and the solemn tones of this instrument during the church s;cnc lend a grandeur to the music, which is quite unexpected in a theatre. The orchestra, which is banded together under the baton of Mr Collier, is a really excellent one, and the skilful treatment that the instrumentation of the opera receives makes up to some extent for the vocal deficiencies. Miss Nellie Stewart hj is marvellously improved as a singer since her visit Home, and in the part of Mar"uerite has achieved a success which was quite nulookcd for ; but some of her efforts, such as the jewel song, arc somewhat crude, ' Ingomar' has had a successful run at the Bijou, Mies Jenyns appearing in the part of Parthcr.ia to Mr Holloway's Ingomar. The last performances of 'Drink,' in which Mr Charles Warner give 3 such a terribly realistic impersonation of the character Coupcau, are announced, and ' The Road to Ruin ' will be played at the Theatre Royal next Saturday night, Mr Grattan Riggs commenced a season at the Opera-house on Saturday night, appearing in his favorite idle of ' The Irish Detective.'

The Saint Maur Company arc drawing their season at the Alexandra to a close. 'An Old Master' and 'Pink Dominoes' formed Safcttrd i.v's bill.

The Lynch Family of Bellringcrs have given several most successful concerts at the Town Hall.

The Cogill Brothers and the Clark company still ocenpy St. George's Hall and the Victorian Hall respectively. At Sydney 'ln the Ranks ' has reached the sixty-seventh night of its production at Her Majesty's Theatre. 'lolanthe' is being performed at the Royal, and a dramatisation of Rider Haggard's ' Jess' has been given at the Gaiety. ' Dick' holds the boards at the Criterion, and the Federal Minstrels still occupy the Academy of Music.

The Vivian company, who are at present playiog 'Current Cash,' and the Plaisted opera company are at Brisbane. The Brough and Boucicault dramatic company have had a successful season at Adelaide.

A new musical society has lately been established in Melbourne under the title of the Choral Harmonh Society, the object being the study of the smaller choral works of the masters of music, such as cantatas and motets. The newly formed society is under the patronage of His Excellency the Governor and Lady Loch, and is to be conducted by Mr Otto Linden. It is said that negotiations are pending with Madame Adclina Patti for a professional visit to Australia. CKNEKAL. Among the actors attached to Mr St. Mam's company at the Alexandra Theatre is the son of an English earl, young, good looking, and a bachelor. At the last meeting of the Victorian Trades Hall Council a resolution was passed in favor of opening the public libraries, museums, and art galleries on Sundays. There is a vague rumor afloat that the proprietors of the ' Argus ' contemplate the reduction of the price of that well-conducted journal to a penny. There is more credence to be attached to the statement that an American syndicate are about to establish in Melbourne an eight-page evening newspaper, conducted on the lines of the best New York journals. Other journalistic ventures are promised during the currency of the Exhibition.

At Lady Robinson's Beach, a favorite resort near Sydney, there arc two separate bathing places for ladies and gentlemen. Upon the ladies' baths in more than on? place appears the following :—" Blackguards are requested to peep through at the ladies ; gentlemen will walk on." Justices' Justice.—At Sale recently a party of gentlemen hired a hall for a dance, and were rudely intruded upon by uninvited guests. The Police Court Bench held that an objection taken that there was no trespass because the intruders were not ordered to leave by the "owner," but only by tho occupier, was fatal, and dismissed the case. The Railway Commissioners will pay Messrs Horace Bastings and Co., contractors for the Ballan section of the direct Ballarat line, the same amount per day for completing their contract before contract time as the contractors would have to pay per day for being over time. This ib Lls per day. The contractors are of opinion that they can complete the work about twelve months before time, which expires on May 1, 1890. Dr Murphy, of St. Arnaud, had a lively experience recently. He was dtßpatched by the deputy-coroner (Mr Rahilly) to make the necessary pod mortem on a defunct Chinaman ; but on Mr Rahilly's arrival the doctor was found outside thu house containing the body, with a Chineso guard doing sentry-go over the defunct, and threatening with utter annihilation any white-skinned barbarian who dared to lay a sacrilegious finger on the hallowed remains of the departed,

The first poll under the local option provisions of the amended Victorian Licensing Act was taken at Port Melbourne on Saturday, and resulted in a victory for the local option party. The number of hotels in the borough is 48, whilst the statutory number is just half that number, and the electors were called upon to decide whether they should be reduced, and, if so, to what extent. The number of votes recorded was 1,223, being less than half the number on the roll. No fewer than 142 papers were informal, and of the remainder 440 votes were given for retaining the present number of publichouses, and 641 for reducing them, 581 being given for the full reduction to 24. One hundred and fifty men, with families, are said to be in a starving condition at Carcoar (N.S.W.) The men were formerly employed on the construction of the railway at Blayney and Cowra, and it is alleged tint the contractor for the line has drawn all the money he is entitled to, and has left the men without wages for the past six weeks. It is understood that the contractor failed in business, and is now insane. The Premier of the colony has promised to consider the matter, but has disclaimed all responsibility on the part of the Government. A Chinese tragedy has occurred at Jackson Flat, Sandhurst, resulting in the death of Ah Sue and Ah Goon. From the evidence given at the inquest it appeared that Ah Goon, who was addicted to opium smoking, was considered to be insane, and that he accused Ah Sue of molesting him. He waited in the bush with au old muzzleloading single-barrel gun and shot Ah Sue as he was returning home to dinner. Ah Sue was carrying his fossicking tools and fell dead instantaneously. Ah Goon then went to Ah Sue's hut and informed his paramor of the occurrence. He afterwards proceeded to his own hut and Bhot himself in the neck and finally cut his own throat. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence.