GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9142, 25 August 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS

END OF A PARIS DUELLING TP.IAL A Paris jury on June 30 acouin . journalist, Eugene Habert, aS d £ t!l9 shot the artist, Felix Dupuis aL 1 -- - Wh ° duel in the Bo de Bonlo4e lasf °°: in a Habert attended a . reception 'at n house, where a young lady recited a 2"*' on a picture by Dupuis. He then rirl T both sonnet and artist in his n „ d Being told that he had violated the^r hospitality, and would not be acr ain •**? of by M. Dupuis, he wrote another off '^ 1 article. He was challenged to a ,]„ i'" 8 "' then practised pistol shooting «fc Ha figure, learned to hit it in the heJt ZUlc aimed at his adversary's hear? '2? four seconds were indicted as an- , rhe they having shamefully neglected"? e? tempt an arrangement, or to i n *i fto at " apology by Habert. All five wJ* an quitted. 6 * era ac-

WAS HER MARRIAGE A.JOKE"' Madame Sarah Bernhardt it - lr has not yet made amicable arrant rs ' with her creditors. According to th!'£ fcrit3 dard's Paris correspondent, thwart a ? n * the Civil Tribunal to annul her n „° Vln ? with M. Damala, so as to « e t hold' Vge property, which they cannot do'd! •er coverture. Their counsel stated that marriage was a joke. The clergyman hf ; he whom it was celebrated in London w a 'f ceived as to the age and religion of th* v, T and bridegroom. Thus the lad v,' „ 9 but 38; she is not a Jewess, but Vp 0 . ' Catholic ; and her name is not ot ? aa Rosalie. The judges have not ySh as to whether the tragedienne's marriaoa joke or not. " ' W;u

STABBING a pugilist. Elizabeth Walker, 37, described - married woman, was charged at the Midr]!* sex sessions with maliciously wounding John George, a professional boxer T prosecutor said he gave lessons in rt, of self-defence, and resided at 5 linn,?" Yard, Westminster. On the m'ornmV $ May 16, the prisoner, who lodged in%h same house, forced her way into his room and said, "You are a 'scrapper.' I w ;n show you how battles are fought and won" She then stabbed him under ri«ht eve with a knife, and also inflicted four sejn wounds upon him. Prosecutor denied having had any words with the prisoner previous to the assault. Police-Consul V Preston, 59 A, who was called to the ho U c e in consequence of the disturbance, said that when lie arrived the prosecutor was smothered in blood, and the prisoner was throwing her arms about and shouting ii i did it with a knife. lam sorry I did' not kill him stone dead." The prisoner had a black eye, and said the prosecutor had been knocking her about. Both were under tip influence of drink. For the defence a witness was called, who said he saw p ro . secutor beat the prisoner with a chaptwo hours before the occurrence, and after it the prisoner was seen in the arms of prosecutor, and heard offering to take him to the hospital. The jury found the prisoner "Guilty," with a strong recommendation to mercy. She was sentenced to four months' hard labour. EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. Emma Macdonalcl was charged at LamPolice Court with attempting to commit suicide by throwing herself in" front of a train at Streatham Station. She was seen to throw herself off the platform just as a train was approaching. The engine-driver noticed her when 25 yards distant, and immediately put on the brake, bringing the train to a stand after the tender had passed over her. The driver explained in court that the life-guard beneath the tender muse have pushed her on one side into the fourfoot way, so that she was practically uninjured. The prisoner was remanded. Trie engine-driver was praised for his prompt conduct. SACRILEGE at clapham. At the Wandsworth Police Court, Arthur Freeman, John Roberts, and William Evans were charged with being concerned in stealing a siik chalice veil, two linen corporals, two linen purificators, a silver cross, and other articles from St. Peter's Church, Manor-street, Clapham. It appeared from the evidence that Freeman and Evanwere seen in the yard of tie church, and inquired of one of the choir boys if anyone was inside. Subsequently Freeman and Roberts were found in a stass of intoxication and taken into custody. Roberts dropped the chalice, and in his pockets were found some of the other stolen articles, including the silver cross. He admitted to the constable who arrested him having stolen the chalice from St. Peter's Church. A pair of boots were found u>>cn Freeman. The Rev. R. B. Lawson Exwn, the curate in charge, identified the cro?? and boots as being his property. He said he visited the church on Wednesday event lg, and found the vestry in a state of confusion. Three bottles of wine had been removed from the case, and the wine apparently consumed. A previous conviction of 12 months for felony was proved against Roberts and Evans, who, with Freeman, were committed for trial. DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM. At St. Bartholomew's Hospital an inquiry was held by Mr. Braxton Hicks, deputy city coroner, concerning the death of Betsy Gilder, aged 35, the wife of a bricklayer, living in Naylor Road, Peckham. Mr. H. D. Helsdon, house-physician at the hospital, deposed that an abscess had formed on the woman's neck. It caused her intense suffering, so that it was necessary to remove it. Chloroform was administered after every precaution, but almost immediately the woman died, in spite of every effort being made to resuscitate her. The cause of death was failure of the heart's action through the administration of chroroform. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from misadventure." A WONDERFUL FAMILY. A wonderful family, the late members of which would seem to have discovered the elixir vitas or some means at least of considerably rivalling Methusaleh, has, writes the Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, just been brought to the notice of the public by a statistician, who makes centenarians and longevity his special branch of social science. The seat of this remarkable family was at Tarbes, in the Department of the Hautes-Pyrenees, where its last survivor, Joseph Ritas, has departed this life at the comfortable age of 1 IS years. Ritas was born in Spain on August '21,17/0. His father lived to the age of 111 years, and his brother died a few years ago at the age of 114. The mother and paternal uncle of Ritas were equally long-lived, having far outstripped the allotted span of ordinary mortals. Neither his wife, however, nor any of his children survive him. He did not marry until he attained the age of fifty. MURDERS IX CORSICA. At the last assizes in Corsica, two men named Racchini and JS'ieoku were convicted of a long series of murders and attempted murders which had for many years spread terror throughout the district of Sartene. Racchini, who was only twenty-four years of age, was charged with having murders a man named Tafani on Jan. 4, ISS6, wlt 1 having on June 1 in the same year shot a young girl named Jeannette Milanini, had rejected his advances, and with having on June 1, 1887, conspired with his father to murder two gendarmes. He was further charged, in conjunction with the othe prisoner, Nicolai', with two other murders of gendarmes, while Nicolai was charged in a separate indictment with having committed two other murders. The jury toun both prisoners guilty, but accompa' ll6l their verdict with what is practically recommendation to mercy in the case _ Nicolai". Racchini was sentenced to deatu, and this is said to be the first time for many years that a Corsican jury has not l"' 011 ?' in a qualified verdict, which prevents court from passing a capital sentence.

A SEA CAPTAIN KILLED. Mr. Hicks held an inquest at s j_\ Bartholomew's Hospital, on the "°. ( J r < Thomas S, Beal, 6S, a commander ini '« service of the New Zealand R°) a ' *'j Company, residing at Firme Park ' » Stroudgreen, Hornsey. A labouring named <■ Patrick Finan said on t w , June he was in Liverpool Road, 1* in fc ' and saw the deceased get out of a rat"- . A van came along, and the deceas . endeavouring to get outof thewaj vehicle, fell down and broke hi 3 Other evidence showed that the dec - after being attended to by a doc ° ' admitted into the hospital. Mr. ' house surgeon, said it was fount ■ man's thigh was fractured. He „ , cc j. shock to the system. A verdict of AC« dental death" was recorded.

,-iA • - NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.