GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13235, 21 July 1906, Page 5 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

'.- SEVENTY-SEVEN ■• YEARS OH -■':. ',V f JfALMViV. - « , , ; J j By the recent death if- T»-:»?pf» of Cap* tain Edward '2hsmare«g,- - titti' S:h ffctafciy \-*v Native Infant the '-oldest officer 'in .tte-"/.,-'-artny passed ,v .■ , *',]•-■:;- '■ Ili!iaare«!( :■ ."' was bora in JBO2, .and was cooscatxnriy': •'•- 10-1 years of sg* _ H,- joined *J>& army hi 1333, and ie ir- ; .... half.pay *n ,' 1829. He received half* pay for seventy. .-. seven years a,| the rat* of £120 a 'y*af-*» : a total of £3240. -..•;.: ". -' "■.

A MJSEBS HOAJRD. . From Taganrog, "Souks Bu«i« vomttt-'-tW' report of tin. tit- ft of an C i.■?.;■,!.• tadividual who formerly held ,i subordinate position under tins *Qovertnm'«t. hat bad, Jived for years the hie. ,if a recto*,-under''."■' conditions a - Logger would despise. Hit clothes consisted of tilthy rags, ami .'he lived oik 'offal picked up" in the gutter, After his death £4500 i:u cash was found in - - bis miserable" garret, a forge number of company ■ shares • and property d.««4s of 70 ■ '' oessiatins of land, bringing tip the valu« of his estate to £25.000 the- miser kit > ' will directing that hi* two danghtorß, i*h .-?• lie had constantly . rc;n.«ed to sec, should •enjoy the interest on his fortune for life; the entire estate after their death to become the property of the Russian State Church.

twice SKINNED. A private of the 56th Field Artillery »a» ' "'*> lying .seriously injured, the result of an. accident, in a tkriiu military hospital. The surgeons found that to cure liim it would be necessary,'to graft » large piece of human skin on a wound in his leg. Another artilleryman named Bin-, of the.same regiment, offered to undergo the operation of transferring » portion of his skin to the sick man's body. The offer was gratefully accepted, and the wounded gunner w«"« thought to be progressing favourably, but on his leg being stretched the new skin da! not hold, and it appeared that his friend's v - sacrifice had, after all, been in vain. At'. soon as the latter heard of this ho goneron* ly came forward again to provide the necessary piece of skin. Tins time the operation was successful, and (ho two chums Aie now recuperating in a convalescent home.

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AIRSHIP ACROSS THE ALPS'. /For the first time, stays the None ZpL lung, of Zurich, a balloon has crossed the Alps from '-Switzerland .to Italy, It ««■< an unoccupied aerostat, wit up from Zurich mi December 7 last, with the object of obtaining scientific data, for which purpose it earned self-registering The wind was duo ninth when the balloon ascended, and there were fair prospects of an uninterrupted journey over the carnal snows, of. the Alpine regions. Nothing more was heard of the balloon, „nd it wa« given, up for lost until the oilier disv a &W----herd of the Val Maggia, . m the Ti'cino. discovered, at an altitude of over 4000fl, -th*' remains of the airship. Most of the record* were intact, and from them it was shown mat a few hours had sufficed to cany the balloon across the mountains. The instru- ' ■meat registered a maximum altitude st- - ained of ■. 35,030 ft above sea level and \ lowest temperature of minus 58 degre* A SENSATIONAL STORY. Near Rati, a village in the Zurich Oberland, ;-a remote farmhouse was occupied l.v ' ; a family, named Obcrliofecr, const sting of two brothers and a tester. For some time evil rumours concerning the OberlunW had been floating about, and tbey were, accordingly shunned and feared by th« other villageis. A number of robberSfes hi ! been committed in'tb&neighbourhood, but though grave suspicion rested on the to- " cluso brothers, their guilt, could not b< brought home to them. Unwelcome, vi« tors to their farm Twer© received ■with gunshots, and so they were' left unmolested until lately when the authorities found cause to search tho house. An imnieus* i , quantity of stolen goods was found, but worse things we're discovered later. A Wall excited suspicion owing to its peculiar shape, and when an opening made » . rough coffin was found enclosing a female' .'.'Vl skeleton. with, clothes still adhering to it. Its identity bus not yet been established, but that some awful crimes hive been committed in the house appears to be now practically certain. LUNATIC VISITS THE KING. An extraordinary .story was iold by a Canadian fanner who called at Windsor Castle to see the King. He went up to Chief-Inspector Spencer at St. George's Gate and asked to «ee His Majesty, as he wished to inquire where Miss Mary Anderson was. " She came over in the same ship as I did," said! the .stranger, "and was put in a trance for several days. I want to see her, as die will be Queen one day if I marry her, I am the son of a King and Queen, and am charged with electricity. People I pass in the street art consequently able to tell what I am thinking about. I was sent to Canada by the King for the benefit of the Jews, and I - know the King wants) mo back by Christmas, but Ido not know where he is." The Canadian was escorted to the Castle Toll'.'. ; Station, and subsequently conveyed by the Windsor relieving officer to the workhouse. He had nearly £80 in his pocket, and i* believed to have had £1000 on him when he started from Canada. A local medical , ':'■',■ man has certified the Canadian to be ini sane, and the relieving officer has cabled i to his friends in Ontario. ! . ■■■" ■■■.-■■ ;■■.. ■■■ . x : ::w-

A PRINCELY KLEPTOMANIAC. Kleptomania, the distressing complain* which attacks for. preference persons of wealth and position, has found another victim, in Princess Pelageia Taktakova. Other peoples chicken runs had an irresistible attraction for the ■ Princess, whose estate st ' Kocmo-Chwiti, in th© ; Caucasian district of Gori, adjoins that of Prince Constantino Zizianoff. The latter, as well as other landed proprietors; in; ; the-vicinity, suffered from constant depredations on their fowlhouses, but no one suspected'their handsome aristocratic neighbour until one day recently,. when Print's Zizianoii's li, tl? da '■ enter came running up to her father and told him that she had seen the Princess takinsr away some of bis fowls. The Prince instituted a discreet search in the noble Mfn carnage, which stood waiting at tone distance, and found the fowls securely tied up in a vsackv underneath the seat. The sequel was an action brought by the Prince, winch led to the discovery of a, great number of stolen chickens in the Princess* lienHouse. The peccant lady will expiate her misdeeds m prison, the ." exclusive privileges, behind which Russian nobles often shelter themselves, being denied her in this

AN AMUSING WAGER. Two gentlemen, one visibly proud of Y ' magnificent St. Bernard dog, were discussing the other day'(the Liepz'ig Tageblatt relates), jji a cafe after dinner, the feeding capacity of this spkadid 'animal. One of the company backed himself to eat more than the dog, and proposed a bet, the- loser. or, -if, the dog lost, its owner, to pay for ' both meals, and a case of the finest Berncastler Doctor—a proposition which was accepted by the. owner of the dog with a!a«- ' - ' cnty; it being stipulated in addition that no dishes such as asparagus or salad, which ' dogs do not eat, should be chosen. The next evening, the eating match commenced, After a close mutiny of U»» bill of far* an order was given for two beefsteaks—one without onions for Tims, the do-*, m ac- ■' , '. cordance with the conditions. Tiras did not upend ten seconds over his etc-ai,', while his competitor calmly went ou chewing. A confident smile etok over the flutes of : : the dog's owner when the older was given ■■ '•■ for two more bicakss, one. of which Tiros once again devoured with one quip,' snd I looked for more. The third course, how- ; ever, was a piece of; dry bread, which the. , - human competitor alie with gusto,.bat tin?, J .\; dog, expecting . more' luxurious l f;ae, , turned »V : v|||j ! away ,from it in.disgust, and his owner! -. ,-■'., i ruefully paid up Jo;e four steaks and th«i i case of m'msu ..... ■ ■_."