AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1842, 31 January 1888, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

VICTORIA.

Since January 6, 1887, over 8,000,000 ounces of silver have been obtained from the Broken Hill mines, the value being £•672,000, of which £271,000 has been paid in dividends.

QUEENSLAND.

A shooting tragedy was discovered recently at the North Toolurra Station. Two youths, one named Ross, aged 16, and the only son of Mr. J. Ross, the manager of the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and tbe other named Rintz the son of Mr. Louis Rintz, a surveyor residing at Brisbane, had been out shooting. Shortly after sundown an employee at the station found both of them lying dead some distance from the head station. Ross had his chest torn away, and the butt end of his gun was splintered, while some splinters had pierced Rintz's chest iv the region of the heart. The latter was lying a yard or two away from his comrade. The cause of the tragedy is involved in mystery, as no one witnessed it. The police believe Rintz shot Ross accidentally, and then committed suicide. Each had a double-barrelled breachloading gun. When found, Rintz's gun had both barrels empty, while only one of Ross's barrels had been discharged. One gun was close to the bodies, and tbe other several feet away with the breach open ready for loading. If the theory set up by the police be correct, it is difficult to understand how Rintz committed suicide, for the muzzle of the gun seems to have been placed in nis mouth, but he was too small to reach the trigger with his hand, and could not have pulled it with his toe, for his boots were still on both feet. Neither of the guns were burst.