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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 16 September 1908, Page 1

It is not often, in police experience, that a speculating shot gets home as successfully as it did in a New Zealand case of some years'ago, now revived by a Wellington paper. The belabouring of a 1 a man with a board off a fence, and the subsequent tumbling of the man over a precipice, 'led io ; a charge of at- ; tempted murder. Accused set out to prove an alibi, calling his aged mother, , who swore that the son was at home , with her at the-, hour the offence with which he was charged took place. The j chances of .W conviction did not look promising when counsel for the prosecut ion rose and commenced his cross-ex, animation of the old lady. After sparring for an opening, for a short time, r counsel decided on a shot in the dark. ', "So you remember your son being at \ home at the time of the offence?" he ' suggested. "Yes, I remember it well," ' said the witness. "And how do you know it was exactly 7 o'clock when ' your son wtis at home?' continued counsel. "Why l~ looked at the clock and i saw_ it was seven/ was the ready rei ply. "Now," resumed counsel, "would ; you just turn-round to the clock in the Court and tellhiß Honor the time . { by that clock '.'. (indicating the clock in the Courtroom).- There was a hush in the courtroom, and the silence be--1 came painful as the old lady started > and stared at the. clock. The shot in the dark had gone hiime— -the old lady could , not tell the tiibe. , Counsel did not , know this when! he. put his query, but a. lucky speculator broke down the alibi , and resulted in a sentence of 15 years' imprisonment being entered against act 1 cused. l Now Zealand, - when. Dnminionised, r was like a sac-suited man presented [ with a top-hat (says the "Post"). Tha j shiniue head-gear cost nothing, but tha frock-coat, the spats, the button-hole I and other things to match did require ' some cash. Day after -day comes the cry "worthy of the Dominion," until £ the ears become very weary with tha r iteration of the banal syllables. When s it is proposed to build another homa b for Parliament, the Premier, who has i heoome Prime Minister since New Zealand was painted Dominion, stipulated for something "worthy of the Dominion." and lesser political fry havo 3 taken up the' cry. On Friday night ? last, when advocating an increase in the 1 salaries of members. of the House of Representatives (promoted to M.P. to maintain the dignity of Dominion), Mr f.aurenson could not "conclude without a "worthy of the Dominion" touch. In ,f the current slang (slightly exaggerated), n Now Zealand is a gentleman with a n "swell" name, living by "touching" his friends. Let. everything ba , c "worthy of the Dominion," sings tha tj Ministry of. the day, and the money)s lender ia asked to provide the funds „ for the display. If New Zealand dea sires to do something really "worthy ir of the Dominion," it will cut its coat t_ according to its cloth, and pay for tha in ninth out of earnings instead of out of - c borrowincs. t If The editor of the magazine which ,(j was published on board the Oswe-stry T . Grange on its journey from Liverpool p ) to Auckland invited statements front jj youthtul emigrants as to what they c . intended to do in New Zealand. Con. jd trihutors had to be not more than IS j e years of ace. A girl of 12 v;rote as ,. 6 follows:— "When I land 3t Wellingl_ ton. where. I, hope to meet my father, I shall go , from: there to Wangarmi, c . where I intend to settle. Of course, o f everything wiil be new to me, and, I a . hone, very nice. I am, looking forward to haying an enjoyable week's € g holiday previous to finishing my edu- , n cation at school. When that is over _ c T intend to learn the boot trade, as jll I understand girls in that trade are er very well paid in New Zealand. Then, BT when I have saved sufficient, I intend 1( j to fitart a business of my own." A Jit— tl« fellow of nine thus enumerated his ambitions: — : :When I get out to New Zealand I hope to go to school for a few years. I am fond of school, and hone to be a clever and useful man. ry When I leave school I should like to be 1) an engineer,' ' for' I am interested in o { machinery. ;' sV When I have earned 00 .enough and, served my time I would S pt like to travel all over New Zealand b\ and see soiiie of its beauties, for I have ■to read it has 'many pretty places. I should IU . like somi dav to go back to tho Old a Country."