The Ensign. GORE THURSDAY, MARCH 29.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 717, 29 March 1900, Page 2

The Ensign. GORE THURSDAY, MARCH 29.

„!?A w||pi^|?givirig.evidence a .Before:th'e magistrate on^Ttfesday, in .a police case, described a ruan.^"cqn3ition as not being " dead sober " (says tblß'^ijJilding Star.') " I have heard-of a majj :;;b"ejpfr 'dead drunk,'" sa : d the magistrate,;. with a smile, " but net ' dead sober.'- Vrrj' Food,-w l as' i a somewhat scarce commodity in Dunedftf'abbut the end of last week. It is stated)that breakfast and dinner were dove-' tailed intcTpne'. " Sunday morning's breakfast in fane j,popjilar boarding-hciuae comprised 701bs sausages, 401bs steak, SOdoz. eggs, 401bs chops,tbesiae= bacon, cold joints, etc. The landlajpVsjud (.he butchor's bUTfor the week ambufite'clto. £120. . . i; A, decidedly" dramatio arrest was made at ;Masiertoh:last week, when the police took in charge, a.; just 'wedded husband for stealing turkeys,- and along with 'him the brat 'man. Both culprits, Morgan and Sayer by name, ' wore brought subsequently before the MngisIrute who sent them to gaol for seven days. The mcii had been before him on a former occasion. The arrest took place at a, private house, the wedding cereinjuy having been concluded some few minutes previously. — ' Observer.' A man named Thomas Gradd astonished the officials of the Melbourne Hospital recently by walking into the casualty rsom with a springy step, and announcing that he had just falleu from a two-storey wiudow. at his residence in Fitzroy. Gradd's face exhibited a number of abrasions and excoriations, but there was nothing in his appearance to indicate that he had just beeu subjected to a severe 'fall. He said himself thut he felt " all right," but added that it was "just as well to make sure." He was then examined carefully by Miss Ellis, M.8., and was found to ba wholly uninjured, save for the slight scars on his face. He walked oil. observing that he " must be made of indiarubber." The editor of the Ottawa '.Citizen,' Captain Morrison, who is going' out to Soiuh Africa with the next Canadiau contingent, is both humorous aud practical. In a recent issue of. his paper he writes : " The business of trying to manage campaigns • in South Africa, at this distance from the seat of war having proved unsatisfactory, the editor of this philanthrophic journal has decided to go on the warpath himself. You will now observe the Boors scatter just as thsy make for the tall inaccessible kopjes." The unusual spectacle of a swarm of bees in a shop was witnessed by people who passed along Willis Street, Wellington, last week.' The bees (reports the ' Post ') took up their abode amongst the goods displayed in the window of Mr F. Martin's pork shop. Their entry, as may be imagined, caused the shopman no little concern. It was not until Thursday morning that the swarm was removed out of the shop. The 'Press' states that it is likely Mr J. C. Martin, the Public Trustee, will be appointed acting judge of the Supreme Court during Mr Justice Denniston's absence. Mr Martin was formerly Resident Magistrate in Wellington, a position he filled with marked ability. There is something very pathetic about the story of Margaret Heffernan, who lies in the Melbourne gaol under sentence of death for drawing her infant child. She belongs to the Yiiekandandah district, and left for Melbourne in October. Finding herself in sore straits about the 13th and 14th January, she wrote to her parents, acquainting them with her position. The. letter, in tho ordinary course, should have arrived at Dederang on the 14th January, at O.iiO p.m. The parents did not call that night, and on the following day, the 15th. the postoffice and all its letters were burnt. The parents thus knew nothing of their daughter's trouble until they heard of her arrest. Evidently, as no reply came to her letter, she believed herself cast off, and was thus led to commit the crime for which she now stands condemned. News from Taurangu, states that Tamati Tv and a number of other local natives left there last week for Whakatane, via Maketu, making a raid ol Ihe nature of taua inuru (a " robbing party ") at the latter place in passing. A relative of the chief's was recently unfortunate enough to loss his wife, not by th« remorseless hand of deatli but because the lady wandered off with a native gentleman from Maketu. In such cases (says a Bay of Plenty paper) the Maori finds the Supreme Court too cumbersome and dull, and prefers a taua whereby he secures horses, cattle, guns or other useful chattels in exohango for his faithless spouse. Another case of honey poisoning is reported from Onewhero, in the Auckland district. Two lada named Albert Hallamore and Harry Rogers took a large quantity of socmingly pure honey from a tree. An hour or two after they bad partaken freely of the honey they became violently ill, the symptoms being similar to. those in cases of strychnine poisoning. The sufferings of the victims wero lerriblo Dr Dalzell prescribed medicine which gave relief to the sufferers. Tho honey was obtained in some swauipy bush close to where those who were poisoned some little time back obtained theirs. Rather a sensational find of opals was made at White CliJTs (N.S.W.), close to the chimney of the residence of Mr Phil Brady, part owner. A boy running between the house aud the office kicked up a sttne. On examinntion it proved to be poor opal, and it was supposed at first to have been thrown out after classing. However, Brady and others employed in tho office commenced to dig with a pick, finding other stones of poor quality as they went. At Bin below the surface a hard band was met with, underneath which a rich opal patch was found. The whole excavation did not produce eprth enough to fill two wheel barrows. The estimated value of the opals is between £700 and £800. Some brilliant stones are among the parcel, one weighing Goz. Vigorous operations are gome on, as further tracings are leading under the house, which will be removed to allow the proprietors to search. The find was a lucky one ever dreaming of the existence of such a patch so close to the house and so near to the surface. ' ~~ The ' News ' reports that on Sunday afternoon a sad accident occurred at Woodstock, about a mile and a-half from Dacre. Three children of Mr Foth^rtygham, farmer, were playing at a water-hole' about five feet in depth and 15 feet square, when the boy, six years of age, fell in. One of his sisters, eight years of age, ran to her parents' house, a distance of about three chains, for help, and her father and Annie, sixteen years of age. hurried to the spot. • The latter, who reached it first, jumped into the water, exclaiming to her brother, " Don't drown, Johnnie." The f <ther followed immediately, but got stuck in the mud at the bottom. His little daughter on the bank handed him a pole with""which to extricate himself. He then carried the boy out, but, in the meantime, the g'rl had sunk in the soft mud, nothing but her hair, which was floating on the surface of the water, being seen. Tho father at once reentered the water and took out the girl, who, however, had breathed her last. Mr and Mrs Fotberingham are highly respected by settlers in the district, and they have the sympathy of a large circle of friends in their distressing loss. The Coroner does not deem an inquest necessary, A Royal marine in the Nival Brigade at Modder River, writing to his mother at Rochdale, on January 10, says.:— "Our scouts report that the Boers have pot their wives with them, and that they hold prayer meetings every nigt\t. We saw a. piece of work the other day by one of the colonial scouts which was the most daring thing I have seen yet. This scout rode right alon-;, parallel to the Boer, trenches, a£ about BJO yards, at the gallop, just to draw the Boc:s' fire and find their position. He swam the rivor on hi 3 horse, and rode right into an amGush of them, but, on drawing his sword, they " nipped ". for. their lives, Sc<he kspt on for three hours, the Boers sniping at aim nil the time. You could see the^Just flyi lg all round his horse, but he lay along bis horse's back, and never got a scratch." A great injustice is very often done because some self-assertive people imagine it is next to impossible to make an error. Shakespeire must have made an analytical study of the human heart before he uttered those warni ig words "Man know thyself, thtn others learn to know." Thi-i is a lesson we should all try and perfect our.-elves in, and when this has been done we have to face the significant fact that unless we cultivate good health, prosperity and happiness cannot abide with us. Hollowiiy's pills will aid us to do this. The" most eminent medical men agree that for the preservation of good health and cure* of disease there is nothing lo equil them. .'

■has asieclv for" a; European "education;^. His request was ; forwarded.: by Consular-General, Osborn "to Secretary, Hay, iri Washington, who has approved of it, and has suggestetHh a' notef;to- Germany and Great Britain that the three- powers, pay £ the expenses, of the young man: while he attends '.school in Europe. ..." In'the Dunedin Supremo Court on Tuesday-, the case Browne v. Williamson, a claim of £1000 damages for defamation of ohnracter, cnnio before Mr Justice Williams. ' The plaintiff, who ' is engineer for Maniototo County, in his claim, said that defendant, who is a farmer living near Kokonga, when addressing a meeting of county electors as a candidate, stated : " The engineer might or may be a good draughtsman, but he was no engineer." I'ot the defence the use of the words was denied or, if used, that they were spoken bona fide, without malico, and upon a privileged occasion. His Honor was clearly of the opinion that the occasion was privileged, the defendant being invited to attend a meeting at which be and every ratepayer was i. entitled to express views upon county matters generally, provided they did so honestly and without malice. The evidence was clear Browne was a qualified and competent engineer, but* that did not effect the case. The defendant said what he thought, and as Hhe occasion was shown to have been privileged, and tho plaintiff having failed to prove malice, judgment would be for defendant, with costs. Owing to three ballot boxes in connection with the Otaki licensing election going astraj a fresh election will be denvi ded. The boxes were duly sent by the Returning officer, but were discovered at the parcel office at the railway station too late for tho election on Saturday. A recent issue of the ' Wandsworth Gazette' states that ono of ils representatives called at Messrs Gershon Bowmar and Co.'s warehouse nnd looked over divers articles and patents ranging from a reaping maohine, employing motive power instead of ordinary traction or horse power, down to self-affixing castors for tables,- chairs, etc. Of the domestic appliances patented, the most striking were an automatic cornice pole, whereby through the simple pulling of a string the curtains are arranged in symmetrical folds, and a tubular kettle, so constructed that water can be boiled in half the usual time. Mr Gershon Bowmar, it might be stated, is a son of Mr C. B. Bowmar, Charlton. Mr D. J. Nathan, who has just returned from 'a visit to Europe and America, in the course of a speech at Palmerston North, stated that there was an enormous outside demand for our colony's products. There were splendid markets at the Cape if the people could arrange, with or without Government aid, for a direct steamer service to South Africa. The produce which was being sent Home from New Zealand — our frozen meat, wool, butter, and cheese — found a ready market, and in fact they were ready to absorb ;tll we grow. There was this point, however, to be considered, and that was tho producer was not obtaining that full advantage from the sale of .his products which he was entitled to receive. If they travelled through England it would be noticed that New Zealand mutton was marked up in the shops " Prime Canterbury," and the men in charge would seriously inform purchasers that it was Canterbury meat from England. The man in the shop very often did not know that there was a Canterbury in New Zealand. As regards butter they were not sending regular supplies. They must induce the Government to arrange for a regular fortnightly service, because if they wished to hold up prices they must keep up regular supplies and carry on winter dairying. The result would be that instead of obtaining abnormal prices for a certain period there would be a lesser price nil the year round, but it would be more uniform, and would eventually place more money in the pockets of New Zealanders. After a severe and prolonged illness, Mr Abraham Solomon, a well-known citizen of Dunedin, passed away on Tuesday. He was born (reports the ' O.D. Times ')" in London in 1834. Attracted by the discoveiy of gold in Victoria, he went to that colony in 1852, and after being there nine years, chiefly in Melbourne, crossed. over to Dunedin. In 1860 he established himself in business in George street, and successfully conducted it until laid aside by illness. He took a keen and active interest in chariUble aid and municipal matters. He was chairman of the lienevolent Institution Trustees for nearly 11 years, and had been a member some yeais before being elected chairman. He was also a member of the Charitable Aid Board. Elected a city councillor in 1888, he has been re peatedly re-elected. He leaves a widow and one son, Mr Saul Solomon, barrister and solicitor. The boys' bicycle race for trophies was run nil yesteiday afternoon, the course being from the Gore Post-office to the crossing opposite Mr It. Buchanan's. Nine competitors faced the starter, the wiuner turning up in J. Kerr (1-lOsec), with ltoy Bust (HOsuc) second ; lime, 7min. 24sec. A visitor to the Dunedin races writes to a contempoiary : — " A smart case of ' toteripging ' was worked in the Wingatui Stakes, run at Wingatui on Monday afternoon. There were only two horses in the race — Blazer and Decoy — and it was a ' dead cert ' for the former. The totalisator on the outside stand did not open on the event, but a well-known Dunedin financier invested on the inside machine. He put £1 on Blazer, and just when the horses were being started he rung on three tickets on Decoy so as to made a dividend. It was so neatly done that when the ' dead bird ' won and the public began to walk round, they were dumbfounded to find that Blazer had paid such a ' divi ' — £8 12s. The object of the punter was to get at the the ' bpokies ' in town, whero rumor says he had Blazer heavily backed, and this is the dividend was made. It. is not often that the 1 bookies ' are ' got at,' but when they are it is always heavily." " A Kecent Arrival," writing to the Natal ' Mercury • about tho condition of Johannesburg, says th«t in that city there is very little disorder and not much drunkenness. At the present time, beyond hiartial law, there are not many actual signs of the war, but the number of women and children who go about in black clothing shows that many a husband and father will return no moie. The opinion of those best able to judge (says the writer in the Durban newspaper) is that Johannesburg will not be a scene of battle, although warlike preparations have been made. The Boer army will most probably fall back on Pretoria and leave Johannesburg to its fate, but whether the people will endeavor to gratify their vengeance before leaving it is not easy to predict. That they look upon Johannesburg as the cause of all the trouble is a fact. It is believed by men who ought to know that the fort and tho public buildiDgs will be destroyed. The Boers* certainly are prepared to injure the shafts and head-gears at the mines, and the threat, that the town should be set on fire, is one that is continually uttered even by the women, who assert that they will carry it out themselves. , ' At a meeting of the Excelsior Football Club last evening (Mr 0. Kelly presiding) it was unanimously decided to apply to the Southland Bufrby Union for affiliation, the club to compete in the junior flag competitions. It waa resolved to secure Kerr and Coutts' Bazaar for practice on Monday nigh's, the question of securing a club room being left in the hands oE the committee. It is probable that a match for Easter Monday will be arranged with the Dunedin Pirates, the gate proceeds from which will go to the famine relief fund. An American vessel arriving at Adelaide a few days ago which touched at Palmerston Island, between Tonga and the ''Hervey group, on February 7th, reports that the small community of 50 inhabitants was almost starving.. They had had no communication with the outside world for nine months. The captain left a supply of provisions, and wbb requested to notify the condition of the community to Sydney and Baratonga. Nothing further has transpired in regard to the alleged wilful derailment of an excursion train npnr Invcrcargill .on Monday, •morning. A departmental inquiry into the matter was held yesterday before Mr Hudson, assistant general manager, but the proceedings were not open to the press. As showing the generous growth of oat. crops in this district, a Chatton farmer rec ntly stated that, dining cutt-ng operations he had to leave the binder from time to get a duplicate of some part of the machine from tbe house. On returning to the field he failed to see either horses or binder, the crop being so tall, completely concealing them for a. the gale. He states he was compelled to follow n\> the. track of tbe machine oafore he could' discover jts whereabouts. ; . „."'•

petual lease "tenants of _ education reserves, sectioin ;4, : ;blppk 'TVlll.viWendpri; section 75, ' blook "I, ; Wendori; and section 2, block. Vll," Wehdonside, mayi'-acquiroC the : freehold of such sections upon payment of ' the capital values fixed for the purposes of the leases. ' " A'nj % Auokiand firm of solicitors has been instructed to receive' complaints with a view to obtaining either a depaitmentnl or Parliamentary enquiry into matters concerning the selection of the fifth contingent, and also into the general working of the local Defence Department. New Zealand dairymen have subscribed to a testimonial for presentation to Dr Babcock, the inventor of the milk-testing apparatus bearing his name. The testimonial is inleudcd as a recognition of* the inventor's generosity in refusing to patent his invention bo that farmers might have the fullest benefit of it. Careful enquiry shows that about 70,000 persons must have ..witnessed and taken part in Saturday's send off to the contingents at Dunedin. The Bailway Department estimates that 30,000 had arrived in town by midday and the railway carried 15,000, exclusive of volunteers, to Port Chalmcra. Mr Arthur, the traffic manager, has been complimented by the Minister on the manner in which the heavy traffic was copad with. Babbit trapping is now in full swing all over the district, and large numbers are finding their way into the Mataura Freezing It is anticipated, owing to the keen 'competition among exporters, that this year's catch will be a large one. and as a consequence the freezing works authorities are preparing for a busy season. As exporters do not sf-ip supplies away until well on in the season (when the London market is clear of English and Continental offerings), the extensive storage accommodation recently provided at the Mataura works will •be brought into requisition. The quantity of gold entered for export in February last was 17,12(i0z, valued at .667,3G9, a decrease of 3,0040z5, valued at £14,615, compared with the coiresponding month of 1899. Comparing the two months, January and February, of this year with the same months last year, there is an increase in favor of the former of 143G0z, valued- at £G667. There are some interesting circulations in the ' Home Magazine ' as to the co3t of w.a\ A careful estimate, we are told, places the' amount spent by Great Britain during the Queen's reign on war and preparations for war at the almost incredible sum of £2,500,000,000. That this is not an overestimate becomes clear when we reflect that the Crimean war alone drained £116,000,000 from our Exchequer, and that we are spending every year more than £42,000,000 in maintaining our Army and Navy. If the United Kingdom were called upon .to pay the .Victorian war bill to-day, it would absorb four" Shillings out of every sovereign of its entire wealth, and would be called upon to raise a sum which would -extinguish our national debt four times over. Even the inteiest of the war-gold is colossal. If it wore invested at 5 per cent, (ignoring altogether the accumulated interest of over sixtytwo years) it would yield a revenue of C 125,000,000 a year, a sum which would be sufficient to meet all our national expenditure, and leave a yearly balance which would go far towards solving the question of old age [tensions, or to replace all the sums raised yearly for charitable purposes and missions. At the Gore Court this morning a somewhat rani nri* — a defendant who took a .cheerful view of a claim made against him — was discovered. This paiticulir individual alleged he had paid the amount, and had got a receipt, but that nee ssary document had been lost "It don't matter," he reflected, " I'll p.iy it again, and get it out of him next Court day." General Wnuchopo's charger, Lady Mayoress, from which he was shot at the battle of Magersfontein, has been taken to Britain in tho transport Montfort. The decease-! (,'eueral expressed a dying wish that this lihould be done, and his faithful man, Jobson, carried out the instructions most satisfactorily, the beautiful mare arriving in perfect condition. General Gourko, the Russian officer who recently wrote to Europe stating the war was practically over in favor of the British (mops, told a reporter, i . December, that he was going to Africa, with thirty members of the lied Cross and 3000 cases of medicines to Lorenzo Marques, and thence to Pretoria. "In my own mind," Gouiko said in December, "I am absolutely confident of the success of the Boers, and you may take my word for it there are thousands of Russians now fighting under General Joubert." Gourko, within two months, found, as our near friend Te Whiti expressed it, that " the potato is cooked," and that all the winds were blowing in British soldiers. A commandeered man who was at the Modder River when Cronje threw up the sponge, says the Boers were 14,000 strong, in 15 laagers, with 18 cannon. The British, with 11 guns, at a rnnc;e of seven miles, drew nearer, doing, fearful damage, the shells bursting rocks and throwing earth on men and horses, while the smell of the lyddite made the Boers drowsy and some fainted l ight away. The Boers laid a gun in position, and in a few seconds a shell crashed on it and smashed it into a useless condition. The Boer guns were so damaged as to be unworkable. He estimates that 2000 Boer horses were killed or rendered unserviceable. The wounded men filled the hospitals at lloshof, Jacobsdil, and Bloemfontein. It took several days to bury the dead. The coasting steamer Glenelg, bound to Melbourne from the Gippsland lakes, has been lost. There were 15 of a crew and 30 passengers, and of these only three escaped in a boat. Lambann, a seaman, one of the survivors, says that during his watch he heard a gurgling of water in'the hold. The captain endeavored to return to Lakes Entrance, but found it impossible to do so and ordered the boats to be got out. He saw women put in the lifeboat and cut away. He got in with Thome (the steward) and others and tried to get alongside another boat to take off some of the passengers, but it was too rough and a squall came on. They never saw the boat again and the Glenelg went down ten minues later It was a fearfully dark and dirty night. Thorne, the steward, says the weather was rough and squally when the Glenolg reached Lake Entrance at 4 o'clock on Sunday morning. He heard a noise shortly after, and was called to bail out water. A little later he told the captain that the water was gaining, and was then ordered to servo out lifebelts. Everybody was very quiet. Overcoat taken from train. Reward. Grand minstrel and variety entertainment at Gore on Wednesday next. Vitadatio, the great herbal remedy, cures nervousness. Southland County Council invite tenders for a number of works. Koman Catholic services for April announced. N Z.L. and M.A. Co. notify various lines in stock. Strong lads for blacksmithing and coachbuilding wanted. - Annual meetings of householders for election of school committees on 23rd April. Spring dray for sale.. Yule and Mackay, dentists, visit Wyndham ou sth prox.