MAIL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4270, 21 July 1875, Page 2 (Supplement)

MAIL NOTES.

• We make the following extracts from our late English (ilea : — A TERRIBLE STORY. A terrible story has just been unfolded at the Assize Court of Nimes. I -will tell it as briefly as I can says the Paris correspondent of the London Sfail: —A Spaniard called Jaime Sancho had for many years lived with his -wife at Beaucaire. The husband was a chiffonier, and, as the couple were laborious and honest, they enjoyed an excellent reputation, and were esteemed by all who knew them. By dint of hard work they had managed to save a sum of nearly S,Coof. v with which they purposed to return to their native place, Tarragona, and there buy back a little property which had formerly belonged to the family. Last October, indeed, they had made a journey with this object, but, not being able to come to terms with the proprietor they had returned to Beaucaire. While waiting for some good investment for their earnings they hid the money in the }:ouse where they lived alone, in the Grande Rue. On the 27th November, at 9 o'clock in the morning, they received a visit from a fellow-countryman, who announced himself as one Jos€ Vaque, and said he was sent by Sancho's brother-in-law, named Praty, to announce his arrival at Marseilles, and to say that his son had been arrested by order of the Spanish Consul, as wishing to avoid the conscription. Vaque further produced a letter jjurporting to be from Praty, requesting his brother-in-law to come at once to his assistance at Marseilles, and asking him to receive Vaque as a friend. Sancho therefore, at once departed for Marseilles, and left his countryman installed in his house. Vaque went out twice during the evening, and ten minutes after his

return on the second occasion, at about half-past 5, the door-bell rang. Madame Sancho was going downstairs to answer it, when a thick woollen covering was thrown over her head from behind by Vaque, and at the same time the house door was opened and a second man entered. The new-comer at once rushed towards the poor woman and commenced beating her about the head and body with a bludgeon, Madame Sancho, it should be added, being enceinte at the time. The two ruffians next garotted her and tied her hands together with a rope, and then her keys were taken from her pocket, the new-comer saying to Vaque in Spanish, " Hold her fast; I know where the money is." What was the poor woman's horror to recognize the voice of her husband's own brother, Francisco Sancho y Caretta, whom she had left in Spain a month before, and supposed still to be there ? Evidently he knew of their money, and she remembered that he had asked them to lend him 2,000f., and had even struck her.on their refusal. She at once saw her terrible position, and that there was only one chance of escape— namely, to remain perfectly stilL This she did with marvellous self-possession, while Vaque still held her and Francisco Sancho was rifling the drawer where the money was kept. Not a word, not a groan, escaped her lips, though she must have been in fearful Eain. At last Francisco Sancho said, "We ave what we want." The wretch then drew a long Catalonian knife and stabbed his sister-in-law with it six times successively.

Still this really heroic woman played her difficult part. Xot a cry did she utter, nor give any sign of life—not even when her brother-in-law put his hand to her heart and said to Vaqne, "She is dead." The ruffians then enveloped their victim in all the linen they could rind, and hurriedly left the house. By a miracle not one of the knife-thrusts had touched a vital part, though they were all aimed through the covering at the heart. The poor woman, faint and bleeding, managed by means of her teeth to free herself from the linen, the ,'woollen cloak, and t'ie cord, and crawled to her bed, where her screams brought no assistance, for tho room did not open upon the street. Her agony that night must have been awful. At last, in the morning, assistance arrived, the alarm was given, and the assassins were arrested at Montpcllier. At the trial Madame Sancho gave her evidence in the clearest way, and described the minutest details of the terrible scene which she had undergone. Her appearance in court naturally excited the greatest sympathy. M. Millet, a doctor, deposed that Madame Sancho had only escaped by what I have already called it above, a miracle. The jury found both prisoners guilty, with why, it seems hard to decide—extenuating circumstances in favour of Va<|uc. Francisco Sancho was therefore condemned to death, and Vaque to penal servitude for life. No one who reads these lines will assuredly wish that either of the sentences should lie commuted. H> DB. KEXEALY, M.F., INSANE? That which is designated either madness, or ignorance, in obscure individuals is in known intelligent and learned men charitably refcred to as " eccentricities," tfiey distinction being as finely drawn under such circumstances, as in the relative cases of a man who gets drunk at a public-house bar, and one who commits a similar irregularity in his own banqueting ball. The one is designated a "beast," and the other is re-

fcrred to as being "a little on," or "jolly,"] ito. We have perused a report in the London Times of Dr. Kenealy's recent speech to his constituents at Stoke, which appears to have been of a very " lively" description. We transfer a fen- of the paragraphs contained in the report, after perusing which the reader will be best able to supply himself with an answer as to Ilia belief in the mental -late o' the disbarred defender of the " Wopping butcherboy." After some preliminary remarks he said, —I come here as the advocate of the people, of the working classe-. (Question.) If there are any enemies of the people here I will ask my friends hero to make very quick work of such ruffians. ("A bloody nose," laughter, and applause.) The disgraceful villains who have made a disturbance here are my enemies, and are probably hired by the liars of the Press to come here. (Laugh tci.) The miserable villains who have hired them I treat with scorn and contempt. (Henewed laughter.) This is the only meeting where the penny liars have sent their emissaries. ("Give us politics, not abuse, Doctor ;" applause.) You had better leave the room, whoever you are ; I have no doubt you are one of the hired scoundrels. (Applause, laughter, and disturbance.) This disturbance is made by drunken penny liars of the Press. You ought to take measures to expel the three or four drunken villains who are making this disturbance. (Applause and laughter) If any one comes across one of those villains, immediately collar him and give him into custody. (Applause.) That is the proper way to treat villains of that kind. In my career through the Potteries I have found the working classes arefgentlemen in mind and heart, and I have found the srobocracy are blackguards. 1 thank God I have never sought to represent the snobocracy of this borough. (Jeers and applause.) I represent the working classoa of this borough. (Applause and " Question.") I hope the working men will enter into an agreement among themselves never to buy a pound of cheese, or an ounce of tea, or a yard of calico at any of the shops which advertise in these lying papers. (Laughter.) These lying papers aro tho greatest enemies the people have. (Renewed laughter.) . . I ask my constituents never to have a drop of drink in any house whore the Staffordshire liars are taken. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) They are banded together to dofame you and represent you as dog and man lighters and the scum of the earth. (" Give us politics; give us an account of your stewardship," and applause.) That is tho very person likely to have been present at the dog and dwarf fight. (Hisses and applause.) You sec the sort of villains who come here. You can see they are not honest men. (Disorder.) I hope I shall not be furt'.er interrupted by the dishonest rogues and donkeys who are here. ("Give us politics;" cries of "Politics," and disturbance.) You know as much of politics as a donkey. (Disorder.) I like to see such braying animals about me at times, but those who are disturbing an assemblv like this arc hired by the Press. (Hear, hear.) If those villains down there think they can put us down I tell them wo are men of different kidney. . . . (Cries of " liberty of tne Press," cheers, and disorder.) That is the way to stop this lying. ("The EmjlMnnan is a blackguard paper," and applause.) We must know tho names of these villains who are perpetually slanderiug us. (Hisses.) That miserable wretch at the back there (laughter,) who raves at the Englishman —the EiuilUshman puts his name to what he writes. ("Who is he?" and cheers.) If these fellows continue their abuse of this borough we must have an Act of Parliament to muzzle them. (Laughter and applause.) Wc muzzle our mad do«s, and why should we not muzzle our mad newspaper scribblers ? I am sure they ar2 as dangerous as mad dogs. They are unfortunately more destructive, and my advice to my constituents is, if they see any mad dog like that about loose to treat him as a mad dog ought to be treated. (Laughter.) You must bring them to their senses in some way. You cannot do it by reason, because reason they don't possess. (Loud laughter; a voice, " Invective is not argument" ; cries of "It is nonsense," great jeering, and disorder.) As a rule I have admired the handsome features I have seen in the Potteries. (Laughter ; a voice, " Which sex ?" and more laughter) —but I see here as ugly mugs as were ever exhibited. (Disorder.) If such monkeys viill not hide themselves in their natural obscurity we will have them exhibited. (Jeering.) This is the first thing we must do ; we must muzzle the mad do° newspaper writers and then destroy the hostile newspapers themselves. I have shewn you how to do both. THE KARENS. The Times of India is indebted to a Burmah contemporary for the following account of the Karens, about whose country our boundary dispute with Burmah has arisen :—" Inhabiting a range of mountains running north and south, surrounded by the Karanees on the south and east, by the Burmese on the north and west, a portion of the southernmost hills is also abutted on the west by British territory. The general name given to these mountains is Nwai-lone Tsai-hnit-toun, and, as the name implies, there are 12. In reality, however, there are many more mountains than 12. There arc also 12 tril>cs and 12 chiefs, butall under one Tsaubwah, who pays tribute to and acknowledges the King of Burmah to be his suzerain. \Vc are only in possession of the names of five of the mountains, Nwalloan, Bunphah, Koontsoun, Tsintsin, and Mounhla. These people appear to be divided into two divisions, called the Ma-yin-gound-doe, and the other Kah-yah.The males of the

former wear short trousers and sleeveless jackets, and the females the white thin dine ; but the most remarkable feature about the latter is that they all wear brass rings of the thickness of an ordinary lead-pencil— not separate rings, but one piece of wire bent round and round from the wrist to the elbow and from the ankle to the knee, the result of the latter being that they can neither sit in the Oriental style nor walk in the usual manner. The interior of their houses is made to accommodate sitting in the European manner by raised seats round the walls ; and as for their walking, they invariably leave a double track with a clear foot in the centre ; and to see them walking would

remind one of FalstafFs company of recruits just freed from the gyves. They also wear the brass wire round the neck. They have priests and a written language, and in this -respect are utterly unlike the Karens in Ilritish liurmah, who never had tho former at all, nor the latter ifttil the missionaries made one for them. The heads of the males, as the name denotes, are entirely shaven. The other division, called the Kah-yah, differ, insomuch as the men leave two top-knots of hair on their heads, just like Burmese boys, and they also invariably wear strung round their necks the tusks and principal teeth of all the wild animals they kill. On an average, each tribe numbers from four to five thousand souls ; so the total will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50,000 ; but mixed up with these Karens arc some Tonghoos." A STHAN'GE STORY. A curious incident is reported in the American papers. About ten years ago a Jew in straitened circumstances left Transylvania for America to improve his position in the New World. He left a wife and several children behind, and promised that as soon as it was within his means ho would send I them some money from America. There | fortune smiled on him, and when he had amassed a sum of 60,000 florins he resolved to return home and surprise his family with his wealth. He started without having apprised his family of his intended return, and on his way home he arrived at TTamburjr, whero he was seized with so dangerous an illness that he made a will bequeathing all his property to his wife. He | recovered, however, onlv to find that during his illness his money had been stolen from him by a man who had nursed him. A few benevolent persons sympathizing with his misfortunes, collected about 100 florins,

wherewith the unfortunate Jew resolved to return to America in order to retrieve his fortunes. In the meanwhile the nurse had decamped with his booty to America, where, shortly after his arrival, he died suddenly. The American authorities sent the coffin, with the 60,000 florins, to Transylvania, and, as the will was also found in the coffin, the authorities at the same time acquainted the relatives with the death of the testator. After the usual period of mourning, the wife contracted a Becond marriage. The first husband had, however, again saved a considerable sum of money, and eventually returned to his native country to find his wife married to another man. The event has caused great sensation in the neighbourhood, and it is stated that a conference of rabbis is about to be held to determine to which of the two husbands the woman belongs.— Jewish World. THE WRECK OF THE SCHILLER.—FURTHER PARTICULARS. The divers have effected a second descent, and made a more minute survey than on the first occasion, but with little more result. They discovered that the boilers of the steamer were shifted from their positions in the boat, but the engine remains almost intact. The propeller is completely severed, so to speak, from the shaft, while the shaft tunnel itself is clicked with tho debris of the vessel. The massive sides of the ship have fallen in, and cover, it is supposed, the specie and beat part of tho cargo, as well as, it is feared, a number of the bodies of the unfortunate passengers. This state of things leaves Captain Page and his colleague, Captain Lodge, the only alternative of blasting, which operation they will carry out as quickly as practicable for successful operations. A correspondent writes to the Times to urge a rigid inquiry into the loss of the Sshiller, and says:—"l met this morning at tho Scorrier station of the West Cornwall railway an intelligent and apparently very respectablo young man—l believe a Cornish miner, who tola mo his name was Richard Williams, of Chacewater, near Truro, and that he was one of the only two English passengers by the ill-fated Schiller who were saved, the other being a young man named Percy or Pursey, who was his companion during and after the voyage, and who has gono to London. He characterises the general statements of the German survivors which have appeared in tho newspapers as being in many points a scries of misrepresentations—or, to use his own stronger epithet, as being a heap of lies. In the first place, he asserts that there was an observation of the sun taken after dinner—probably at about one o'clock—on the fatal Friday; that he heard a saloon passenger ask the captain tho result, and that the captain gave an answer the effect of which he did not understand. Next, he Bays he came on deck just at the moment the vessel struck ; that the lines of the coast and rocks were quite disccrnablc; that he and his friend, seeing a boat, shortly afterwards, moving off, swam from the vessel and succeeded in getting into her, although she was nearly full of water ; that they and the nine other occupants who preceded them, including tho only woman who was saved, were subsequently enabled to reach another boat, in which were five of the crew of the ship ; and that then, when in this boat, he saw distinctly the Bishop's light and heard the fogbell clearly ringing. In fact, he says the statements as to the density of the fog havo been greatly exaggerated. On my asking whether ho had seen the light and heard the bell before the vessel struck, he explained that he had only that moment got on deck, and that, knowing nothing of the position of the vessel or of the character of the coast his attention was not likely to have beei called to either. Moreover, he says,- the absence of discipline and the completo disorganisation when the catastrophe occurred were fearful, and that hence a frightful of life occurred which was preventable. As an instance, he asserts that the boat in which tho 16, including himself, gained the shore, might have held 50, and that, in spite of the screams and entreaties of hundreds, the crew who had charge of the boat, resolutely refused to return to tho wreck, although there was nothing in the state of the sea to prevent their doing so. He states that the mismanagement as respects the other boat was frightful." STRANGE CAREER OF A WOMAN. A woman named Elizabeth Taylor, appeared before tho Warrington bench of magistrates recently, on a charge of being drunk and disorderly. She appeared in the dock in male attire, and the chief constable, in detailing some of her antecedents, stated that she was the daughter of a gentleman who formerly lived at Penketh, near War- : rington. She had been married, but her ' hDsband was killed 21 years ago. She com- j menced -to wear male attire 13 years ago, , was employed as a sailor during the American war, and made several trips from South : Wales to the American coast, in order to supply the Alabama and blockade-runners ' with She was known by the names i of Happy Ned and Navvy Ned, and for some ; time past had worked as a labourer on i several farms in the neighbourhood of War- i rington, having so late as the 12th May , helped to kill 13 pigs for a farmer at Croft '. house. She was lined ss. and costs. ' A LIVERPOOL SATURNALIA. The celebration of Whit-Mmday by tho residents of the lower quarters of Liverpool was characterised by an unusual amount of drunkenness.no fewer than 200 persons bein* locked up during theday for drunkenness and" offences connected with it. The police came in for a large share of ill-usage, one constable having his nose broken while assisting to quell a street riot, in which about 500 persons were engaged. Numerous cases of stabbing and assaults with pokers also took place, and one man was kicked to death. This bcha-

viour of the inhabitants is in striking contrast to that of the large numbers of excursionists who visited" the town, and whose conduct was remarkably orderly. MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODD FELLOWS. About 375 delegates, representing different districts throughout tho kingdom, attended the annual Movable Committee of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, which assembled at Newport. The Grand Master (Mr. l?euben Watson, of Nottingham), in the course of his introductory address, said tho Unity now numbered about half a million of members ; 34,505 were initiated

last year, and net gain of capital during tlio year had been £229,398 raising the funded capital to £3,706,36(3. The total accumulated capital was £420,000 or £4 10s. per member. The delegates have since been occupied with discuemons of various proposed alterations in the rules of the Order. FIRES CAUSED IIV SOLAR HEAT. Two incidents have just occurred which more than suggest that some "mysterious" fires may have their origin in the action of the sun on glass. A few days ago the master of the Volunteer steam-tug m Plymouth sound found that a large hole had been burned in the centre of the covering of his berth, and that the fire had penetrated to the bed itself, which was smoking. It was then discovered that this resulted from the concentration of the sun's rays by the glass " dead lights" in the side of the vessel. The grounds of a new mansion at Paignton are entered through gates richly gilt and ornamented. To protect them temporarily they were covered with canvas. On Sunday afternoon this covering was found to be on fire and was burned, ono of the lamps above being broken by the heat. All ordinary theories of the causes of fire failed to account for this one, and it was discovered that the globular lamps of the gato concentrated the solar rays and directed them on to the spot where the canvas had been, and thus doubtless occasioned the tire. .THE FLOWER SERMON. For some years it has been the custom of the rector of the church of St. Katharine Cree, Leadenhall-street, to hold a special | service, and deliver what is called a " flower sermon." On Whit-Sunday and Tuesday tho . custom was honoured in the observance. ' The church is of simple but graceful architecture, and has a fine painted window over

the altar. It is not large, and has no galleries, I bo that its available space is not great. On Tuesday evening it was filled to overflowing with a congregation coasisting mainly ot ladies and children, though there was a considerable mixture of men. There -were no floral decorations on the walls or any other part of the structure proper ; but < very lady of every age was provided with a bouquet, which was laid on the front of the pewdesks, or held in the hand ; and to those who looked from the chancel or thereabouts downwards the significant feature of the service was sufficiently apparent but it can hardly be said that it was a general effect. The Psalms and Lessons were specially selected as containing horticultural or floricultural allusions, and the hymns which were sung were chosen for the like reason. There is a very fair choir, which led the singing and chanted the responses well, the congregation joining in both universally. The sermon was preached by the Rev. W. Meynell Whittemore, D. D., rector of the united parishes of St. Katharine Crce and St. James, Aldj,ate. He gave out his text, from 6th chapter of the Song of Solomon, 11th verse :" I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and whether the vines flourished and the pomegranates budded." SHOCKING CfiUELTY AT SEA. By the arrival at Bristol of the schooner Carrie Annie we learn of shocking cruelty to one of the crow, which resulted m his death and the arrest of tho captain and mate for murder. From the commencement of the voyage from Kio Grande Captain Joseph ! Little and the mate, Alexander Thain, continually ill-used Henry Pountncss, aged 17, a native of Worcestershire When off the coast of Ireland, the cook and others of the crew being siek, the boy was asked to cook, and replied that ho could not. The captain then ordered him to be chained up to the skylight naked, where he was left eight hours in a cold misty rain. This treatment ' was repeated day after day, but although tho boy complained that he was very ill and should die, the captain refused to release ; him, and left him chained until within two | hours of his death, which occurred on the 2nd of May. The vessel was 87 days oh the j voyage from Rio Grande, when it drifted, being without masts, into Valentia bay. The • captain and mate were arrested at Valentia, where they are now awaiting their trial for

murder. ' A ROMANCE ON TUB LIVERPOOL LANDING-STAGE. I A romantic affair has just happened at | Liverpool. A young lady, who had been i brought up by a clergyman's wife at a rectory near Chester, a week or two ago contrived, by an ingenious pretence, to obtain a considerable sum of money from the lady, together with permission to go to the city, 'and having reached Chester she was privately married by licence toa person who, a few days afterwards, sailed for America, leavingnumerous creditors—betting and otherwise. A few morning 3 ago the young lady disappeared from the ..rectory, leaving a farewell note stating that she intended to join her husband. The police in Liverpool were communicated with, and the clergyman's wife proceeded to that town at the earliest possible moment in the hope of intercepting the fugitive. She arrived at the landing-stage on Thursday, just in time to find her prot£(j6 on board the tender of the White Star steamer Britannic, and on the point of sailing for New York. A sceneof a highly dramatic nature followed. The excited lady rushed on tho tender and forcibly dragged the girl to the stage, uttering disjointed and hysterical- exclamations, and when both had reached terra firma Bho broke out into a torrent of reproaches, which caused the fair defaulter to sob loudly, and attracted a large number of spectators. At length some degree of calmness was restored, and the parties drove to an hotel, the services of the police officer who had been in attendance to take the runaway into custody, if necessary, not being required. The young lady was accompanied by her maid. MISCELLANEOUS. An interesting but melancholy discovery was made the other day at the foot of Mont Blanc. A block of ice, separated from the mass of tho mountain by the thaw, rolled down into the valley. Upon closer inspection it was found to contain enclosed the remains of the American, John Blackford, who about three years since attempted an ascent, and has never since been heard of. He evidently met with his death on that occasion, and has sinco lam in his cold crystalline coffin, which has preserved his body and clothing admirably. When found his features were unchanged and he might have breathed his last only half an hour before. | Washington despatches for the press state j that Dr. Lmdernian, Director of the Mint has selected and approved the design for the 20-cciit silver piece authorised by Congress in March. On one side will be Liberty seated, surrounded by 13 stars, the date being underneath ; on the reverse an eagle and the inscription "Twenty cents" and "United States of American." Sergeant Bates will shortly go by boat from Toronto to Oswego, from whence he will carry the British-Union Jack unfurled to the jSew York City-hall. Ho expects to reach Aew \ork about the Ist of July, and will embark for England in a week from that time. On the 2nd of August he will start from Calais on his tour round Europe with the (lag of the United States. A destructive fire has accurred in the pit shaft and engine sheds of Thornley colliery, Newcastle-on-Tyne, doing damage to the amount of £30,000. Eight hundred men and boys are thrown out of work. Admiral William Walpole, who entered the navy 72 years ago, and was present at Trafalgar, died on Saturday, aged 85.

Amemornndum lias been issued by the Committee of the Stock Exchange which, while pointing out the difficulty of dealing with abuses connected with bargains in Foreign loans before allotment, suggests as a remedy that the system of civil and criminal procedure affecting such transactions eheuld be simplified. At the annual meeting of Free Gardeners, held in Newcastle, it was announced that the order now numbers upwards of 140,000 members. The funds appear to be in a flourishing condition the contributions amounting to £41,303, and the expenditure to £3G,3Sy. Lord Calthorpe has had an intimation that the Prince of Wales will subscribe £100 per

annum for five years towards the scheme for increasing the supply of horses in this country. The great double coil for the SI-ton gun has been successfully forged under the large hammer at the Royal Gun factories, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. At Hanley a man named Michael Doran was fined a total sum of £7 for various oßcuces, one of which was biting every person he could get at. The Italian papers state that m<Turin there still lives in the Institution of S. Calvario a woman named Margaret Scavarda, who has attained the age of 105 years. She was born on Christmas-day, 1770. She is the widow of a porter in the royal palace. TheFanfulla of Kome states authoritatively that the Tope has resolved to convoke a second meeting of the Vatican Council at an early date to discuss ecclesiastical reforms in general, and particularly matters relating to the regular orders.

Much depends upou the way in which things are stated. For example, in one of our Western exchanges an account of a steamer accident is given, in which the reporter says : "The only passengers were T. B. Nathan, who owned tliree-fourths of the cargo and the captain's wife." Helping One.—A lumberman in Michigan, being poorly provided with materials of sustenance for his men, fed them with pork cooked with the rind upon it. A young man of the company, not liking that outer portion of the food, was observed by the host to be carefully removing the outsido covering, whereupon the latter said, " Young man, we eat rind and all here." To which the youth replied " All right, old man, I'm cutting it off for you."