HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1507, 17 January 1901, Page 16

HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

(BY LATEST MAILS.)

TWO LIVES LOST IN A BELFAST FIRE. Belfast was visited on November 2-3 by a disastrous fire, involving the loss ot two lives. The house where cho m'e - took place is a two storey buudin o a the comer of Hopewell street, .->nanhhill road. In addition to the ni« block there is a smaller extension at the. back. A man named V aih, t ws passing the place when he saw dmt the lower portion of the establishment was in flames, and that a third storey window in Hopewell street there were two men, three women ana a whose escape was cut off. He at oua.roused some neighbours, and secuei sheets into- which the unfortunate occu nan+s of the house might jump. Meanwhflt a number of men had come upon the' scene, and obtained a farmer, by 'which Lance-corporal lh'Henry, or c., Manchester Regiment, ascended to the window, and. rescued tne CiU f d ,: “ G tl o the men and a woman jumped horn the window to the pavement and were seriously injured. Constable Twynam next ascended the ladder, and had brought down one of the women, and was comm*, down a second time with a man wiien . the ladder broke and he ana Ins cnai fe e and a woman, who was apparently on the top of the ladder, were thrown violent lv .to the ground. By tins vim.e there was only one woman remaining at tlie window, but altnougli the sne-o were held! up she could not be inane©n* to jump, and stood for some tome oil the sili. At last she swooned and teh, fortunately, into the outstretened sheets below. She must have struck something in her fall, for she was suffering from a wound on the hack of tne head. At this stage the fire brigade arrived, and found the house in flames, and, in spite of every .effort, the building was soon gutted. An abundant supply or water, however, extinguished the flames in

about 20 minutes, and an entrance was effected into the upper storp of the house, when, cn a search being made, the body of Margaret Finnigan, assistant in the shop, was found in an attic. With regard to the- injured the worstcase was that of AnivA Boyle, the servant. who fell from the window. From the first the case was hopeless, and she died without recovering consciousness. The cause of death was a compound fracture of the skull. * At the inquest the jury returned verdicts of “Accidental death.” and commended the conduct of the police and the'lance-corporal of the Manchester Regiment for their gallantry in the work of rescue. GUILTY OFFICIALS SENTENCED. Charles Banks Nelson and John Shimmon, late director and manager of Dumbell’s bank, took their seats in the dock far the twelfth day at Douglas, Isle of Man, on Nov. 23, being charged on a second indictment .of misappropriating the moneys of the bank.—Mr Greer, for Nelson, contended that there was no element of fraud in the transactions. Nelson believed himself able; to repay the advances, and the statement of his affairs which he had produced justified that belief. —Mr Co-ole followed on behalf of Sliimmon, and the At tor iiev-Gm - eral then addressed the court. —Deemster Shee summed up. He. said the jury must consider the largeness of the sums taken, and that they were used in Stock Exchange speculations. Could defendants have thought another bank would have made similar advances for similar purposes?—The jury retired at seven minutes to five to consider their verdict. Shortly before eight, there being no sign of theiir return, the judges went to dine, and the court adjourned. At 20 minutes to 11, the prisoners and other officials who had been previously tried, were placed in the dock, and the judges and jury filed into court- The foreman informed the Deemster* that the jury were unable to agree, as some members had doubts as toi what constituted fraud, and thought the defendants were solvent. —Deemster Shee charged the jury to consider the whole circumstances. To say .Jthafc the defendants could not be guilty of fraud because they Were solvent would not be right.— Tire jury again retired, and at a quarter to 12 -said they were about agreeing. Shortly afterwards, however, the court adjourned! until Monday. A vast crowd remained outside the courthouse ali alight, and the police had great difficulty in keeping order. The jury were hootted on the way to their hotel. The jury, after being locked up o* or Sunday, returned to court on Monday with a verdict of “Guilty” against kelson and Shim mon on the charge, of misappropriation of the bank’s moneys m regard to the Allsopp’s account, arcl recommended them to mercy.—CounM for prisoners addressed the court, ; n mitigation of sentences, and then the judges retired for ten-minutes. - On returning sentences were pronounce 1 by Deemster Shee. Nelson,’ he said, was u man of education and good social ] option, an advocate and solicitor, and obviously a good man of business. lie

knew that people were entrusting thei.r money to the bank. The court' was compelled to make an example of him, and for his heinous offence he was. sentenced to five years’ penal servitude. ShimmoiT also, his honor said. had been found “Guilty'’ on the clearest evidence of fraudulently hiking the money of the bank, his employers, and he was similarly sentenced. Both Nelson and Sliimmon were then sentenced to three years’ penal servitude on another conviction of issuing false balance-sheets, the sentence to run concurrently with the other. The crime of the auditors, Rogers, William Aidred, and Harold Alclred, in issuing false balance-sheets, was regarded, Deemster Shoe said, as but little better than -the other defendants. They had been appointed to protect the shareholders and depositors, and, instead, assisted the managers and directors in deceiving them. Rogers was the worst of the three. He knew of the mismanagement, and incited th? managers to continue their dishonest policy. He was sentenced td 18 months’ hard labour. Thejaonrt could not lose sight of the fact that people had placed reliance on William Aidred, being, the bank’s auditor, and he was sentenced to 12 months’ hard labour, and Harold Aldrod. who should have saved his father, was sentenced to six months’ hard labour. MARK TWAIN AND THE CABMAN. NEW YORK, Nov. 22. •Mr S. Clemens (Mark Twain), the famous humorist, appeared in the novel role of a public reformer this morning by prosecuting William- Beck, a New York cabman, for overcharging him. The people of New York have for years submitted to the outrageous extortions made by these cabmen, rarely even protesting. T'ne cheapest ride costs four shillings, and eight or ten is frequently paid for a two-mile journey, the cabmen seeming to charge just what they please. Mr Clemens was overcharged fifty cents (2s), and determined to make an example of the offender. His appearance with the cabman at the mayor’s office attracted a large crowd of spectators, who expected to hear the humorist make some side-splitting jokes, and a large delegation of newspaper reporters and artists were in attendance. Mr Clemens, however, was not inclined to bs funny, and in ids customary drawl describee bow .the Cabman demanded six shillings for a drive which was dear at four, and, when remonstrated with, became abusive and indulged in sarcastic jokes. That settled it; Mr Clemens took his number and decided 1 to punish him. He told the City Marshal that New Yorkers lacked patriotism in submitting to cabmen’s extortions ; “Beck,’’ he said, “was no better than a pirate.” His keen ironical .sallies entertained the spectators im m ensely. As Beck offered no excuse, his license was suspendeu. and the City Marshal said if there were a. few more citizens like Mr Clemens New York would be a more comfortable place to live in. As Mr Clemens left the city hall, a large number of people shook his hand and warmly congratulated him. . Beck’s punishment caused general consternation among the New York cabmen. HARD ON LADY CLERKS. ROME, Nov. 22. The Director-General' of Italian Telegraphs has dropped a bomb into the camp of the ladies engaged in the public service. He says, in a report which he has just issued, that out of 100 lady clerks employed last year twenty-three were, during the year, absent from business' mere than 2tlo times, sixteen more than 150 times, seven more than 100 times, and four between thirty and 100 times. Moreover, lie declares that the women’s work is not merely of not the slightest use to the State, but is positively a serious nuisance. The employment of women in State departments should, it is suggested, be abolished. TRAGIC END OF AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE. PARIS, Nov. 18. Paris society circles were yesterday thrown into a state of great excitement by the report that the Countess tie Cornulier hadl been shot by her husband. The count and countess had been separated for four years, but the count was jealous of his wife, and frequently annoyed her. For several clays in succession lie waited for her at the corner of the Rue de Provence, but did not meet her. Yesterday afternoon, however, as the countess was leaving the office of her business agent the count confronted her on the staircase and 1 pointed a loaded revolver at her. With a terrified cry the lady tried to avoid him, but th© count fired three •shots in quick succession. The first struck the counters on the left- hand.

the second lodged m her left breast, and the. third entered her temple. The unhappy woman fell to the ground bieeding profusely from her wounds, of which two were mortal. At the sound of firearms the neighbours rushed to the scene ofthe trageay, hut were too late to he of any service to the countess. She was earned to a neighbouring chemist's shop and an ambulance was sent for, hut she died on the way to Larihoisicre Hospital without regaining consciousness. The. count, who remained perfectly calm throughout, gave himself up after the tragedy., declaring that his wife was unfaithful to him, and that he had killed her at her lover’s door. AI. Leroux, the man referred to in this accusation, it as a cowardly lie intended to blacken the dead woman’s character. He states that about four years ago the conduct of the count became so scandalous that the countess was forced to leave him. She then brought an action for judicial separation, and chose M. Levo.ux for her advocate.

The countess was given the charge of three children. Shc> leaves behind her a, hoy aged fourteen and two little girls aged twelve and eleven years respectively. The count is an ex-infantry officer, and both he and his wife belong to good French families. •PORTUGUESE] CRIME DISCOVERED AFTER FOUR YEARS. LISBON. - Nov. IG. A sensational trial fer murder by dynamite bomb has just finished' at Villa Franca de Xira in the condemnation of five persons to long terms cf imprisonment. ■ The chief criminals are Augusta Graca. and his *Oll Francisco, who managed a factory belonging to a rich landowner named Domingos Fandango do Assis. It is nearly five years since they plotted the murder of Fa mi an go and induced their servant, Gueimnda, to carry it out. Early in 1896 Fandango found that the Graca* had been robbing him, and decided t.o have them arrested. Young Gracas was about to marry a. daughter of General Arra.njos, and saw that the marriage would be impossible if he were disgraced. Father and son accordingly persuaded old' Gaeimadia to throw a dynamite bomb into Fanclango’s carriage as he was driving* home. Fandango was killed and his coachman was injured. No clue was obtained until lately, when j.g newspaper accused tlie Gracas of the murder, and Gueimada confessed. The younger Graca tried to take all the blame, but the court condemned father and son to nine years’ imprisonment and twenty years’ further penal servitude in the colonies. Gueimada’s punishment is eight years’ imprisonment and I 'twelve in the colonies. Two others are sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment, and one is discharged. Francisco’s wife, whom he married soon after the murder, refused to believe in his guilt, and took lodgings opposite his prison window. A CLEVER GANG'S SYSTEMATIC OPERATIONS. A gang of forgers has been for some time endeavouring to pass off forged cheques on London bankers by an artful and complicated scheme. One cf the gang calls upon a firm of solicitors and instructs the firm to apply for payment of an amount due to him from a person who is able but refuses to pay. The debtor’s address, as furnished by the creditor, is a shop where letters may be left- for a small fee. The solicitors, on. applying to the pretended debtor, receive an instalment ; and on inquiring of the creditor whether they shall forward the amount to him, he requests them to forward it to his address. After a short time a second instalment is received, and this is also sent to the creditor’s address —generally a temporary one. Having thus obtained 1 a. couple of cheques .signed by the solicitors, the gang then procured in some way or other a blank cheque of the bank at which the solictiors keep their account, and. forge both the clerk’s writing and the signature of the firm. The forged cheque is drawn for a large amount and as solicitors often draw out considerable sums in notes for the completion of properties, this does not excite suspicion. The method of cashing the cheque is equally crafty. An advertisement is inserted for a clerk, and the applicants are requested to apply at an office engaged for the occasion. The selected applicant is then directed! to take a cheque to the bank and get it cashed in £IOO notes. One of the gang; follows him, and if the cheque is paid lie waits to see whether the clerk is watched as he leave* the bank. If the course is clear, he takes the money from the clerk at an appointed place, and at another spot ho divides the spoil with his confederates. The forging of the writing in the body of the cheque and of the signature are almost perfect. In order to make it impossible to trace the book from which the cheque has been taken, thei number of the chernie is often nhlßAi^GM—amL-

auothei* put in its place : and with the same object the mane of the branch is eradicated and another substituted for it in almost identical type. FOOTBALL .SPECTATORS FLUNG ED INTO MOLTEN GLASS. SAN FRAN SIS CO, Nov. 30. While some twenty thousand' people were watching a. football match between the Stanford and Rerkesley University teams, yesterday afternoon several hundred men and boys climbed on the iron roof of the San Francisco Glass W orks to get a free view of the game. Suddenly the roof collapsed and precipitated fully a hundred of them into the great furnaces filled! with molten glass." 45ft below. Twelve were almost instantly killed and thr-e have since died ; in addition eighty were badly injured, several, it is feared, fatally. The scenes attending the disaster were horrible to witness. Many of the victims caught at the rafters and girders as they " fell, and clung desperately, shrieking for assistance. One by one, however, they dropped into the fiery furnaces, which were literally covered with writhing bodies. The exterior heat from these furnaces is said to have been 500 degrees Fahrenheit. and the situation wars rendered more horrible by the fact that the sudden derangement of the furnace maomnery sent a stream of burning oil over the bodies of the victims, and those who wore- not killed! outright were speedily wreathed in flamers. The people on top climbed quickly away, nursing their wounds a.s best they could. Immediately after the accident the employees of the works and others forced their way into the building and began the work of rescue. The fearful smoke from the burning clothing, the smell of roasting flesh, and the suffering, shrieking victims caused several to faint away. The rescuers raked; the half-cremated bodies from the furnaces with long iron pickers which are used for testing the glass. . ... An eye-witness saj's : “Most of those under the pile of struggling humanity were dead long before we reached them, and as the hooks could not hold the burning clothing it was difficult to get the bodies away from' the flames. We ctood beside a veritable hell and saw men roasting to death before our very eyes. It was a terrifying experience.” ‘ The scene after the disaster ,was like a battlefield, the plane was stream with men and boys with broken limbs, fractured skulls, ancl burned bodies. Every available physician was pressed into service, while carriages, coaches, and other private vehicles conveyed the victims to the hospitals. A. large force of police had to be summoned to keep the frenzied mob back from the building. Shortly before the disaster occurred, the superintendent of the works sent an urgent call to the police headquarters for assistance to clear the people from the roof, but the police arrived too late. A MONSTER DESTROYER OF TORPEDO DESTROYERS. The Russians liave evolved what may be regarded a.s a monster destroyer of destroyers. She is being built by Sehiehau at Eihing, and, unlike her prey, will have good sen-keeping qualities, besides guns and protection (says a. correspond! ent of the “Telegraph”). The Novik, for this is the name of this latest disturber of the existing order of things naval, will have a displacement of about 3000 tons, and a speed of 25 knots. In a seaway she will be able to travel even better than a flotilla of destroyers, each a tenth her size, and more than proportionately fragile and liable to overstrain or worse. She will also hav© a turtle-back deck of two inches of Krupp armour rising from below her water-line, and completely protecting her vitals from injury by any light gun fire. While a destroyer carries only a. few twelve and three pounders. this Russian ship has six 4.7 weapons of fa,rue, besides eight three-pound-ers and a couple of Maxims, and! she is fitted with no less than six torpedo tubes, all of them above water, for no foreigner has under-water fittings of a really satisfactory type. She will be able to discharge ahead or astern, and on her broadsides from four tubes, thus rendering her the most powerful offensive vessel with this weapon afloat. Even tlie Elswick constructors have never given even a man-of-war, twice or three times the .size, more than five tubes. From these details of the Novik’s construction, which have been set forth in the “Engineer,” it is evident that if this newestproduct of the naval constructor is not intended as a destroyer of_ the torpedoboat destroyer and all her class she might pass under this designation. There is no reason to think that she will rot achieve all anticipations. She will be a most formidable warship, an inflated 1 sea-keeping destroyer of anything of less power and 1 slighter -defence' that may have the misfortune to fall in with her or appear hull-down on tliq horizon while she is prowling round. In any future war she will not be tne only ship of her class, for sisters are being constructed

A DOUBLE LIFE. Dr Westcot b held 'a-n inquest at Beth-nal-green, On ‘Tuesday, says “Lloyd's London Newspaper” concerning the death of Frederick Clark, aged -56, a carpenter, late of 94, Hackney road.—Jane Clark, the widow, stated that her husband had left home on the Ist lust, to go to work, and 1 did not return for three clays. When he did arrive he appeared ill and said that he had been in Tottenham hospital owing to an old oak window-fr a nte falling on him while at work. A' doctor was called in, but death ensued. Witness ■did not know a woman named Bradley. —Lena Bradley, of 71, Temple street. Hackney road,, stated that she had 'known Clark for three years. He was ■with witness on the Monday and Tuesday, and then -again on the Thursday until the Saturday, when he said he would go ' home.—The- Coroner : Then you knew he was a married man?—-No, but I knew he had a home. He told me ■his wife died in the’ hospital.—Has lie often stayed with you?—-Yes, sir. He appears to have lived a. double life.—Mr George Booh, Coroner’s officer. stated 1 that he had ascertained that deseased ■did not go to- work after 'the Tuesday. The story' of his meeting with" an accident and going to Tottenham hospital was a pure invention.-—-Dr H. C. Will, Columbia-: road, .sjaid the autopsy showed that death was clue to acute pneumonia. There were no signs of injury on the body,—-The Coroner : Another repetition of the old warning', "Be sure your sins will bird you out.”-—The jury returned a verdict of "‘Natural death ( AMERICAN EPISC OPAL! AN CHURCH AND DIVORCE. . . NEW YORK, Nor. 15. Recent divorce 'scandals in American society have led to an important- step on the part of- the - American Protest-ant Episcopal CLuxcui one which may • be followed- by other religious demoninations in this country. The special committee appointed by the Episcopal Convention of 1898 to 'consider th© subject of divorce held a meeting here yesterday, and unanimously adopted a. canon fotoiciaing Episcopal clergymen to marry either the guilty or innocent party to a divorce while the former husband or wife is living. Another canon was also adopted excluding from- the Sacraments of the Church any divorced/ -person who remarries in defiance- of the new rule. This, however, does not- apply to the innocent person when the divorce has been obtained on the ground of misconduct. The committee wilil recommend the immediate adoption of these canons at the next general __ convention, which meets in San Francisco next October. The general opinion among clergy is that they will -be unanimously -approved and become the law of the Church. While the proposed canon does not Ignore the right of the civil authorities -bo- grant divorces, it prohibits re-mar-riage in an Episcopal church, and provides a method of ex-communication for those who g;u through the civil rite or marry in another church. No provision is made for special dispensation, and in this respect the proposed rule is even-more radical than that of the Church, of Rome. STRANGE- LUNACY INQUIRY. An inquiry was'opened 1 on November 24 at the Royal Court of Justice, before Mr Ambrose, Q.C., and a; jury, info the state of mind' of Mrs Maud Mary Routh, a' widow. • lately an inmate o-f White House, Isle worth. —-Mr ' Horace A vary appeared for the petitioner ; the -Official- Solicitor and Mr Cava nagh repre_ seated; the respondent,—Mr Avery, in opening the case, said the lady had undoubtedly been of unsound mind and’ was confined in a lunatic asylum, but it cam© to the knowledge of the Lunacy •commissioners that her property and income were not being applied to her benefit, and so the inquiry was ordered. Mrs Maud Mary ■ Routh v the” respondent,was called before the Master and examined by him. She denied that' she was even under the c'are of Dr Murchison. Dr F. Murchison, late medical superintendent -of Pecklarn House Asylum, and proprietor of- White House Asylum, Isle-worth, stated that he had twenty-five years’ experience in the treatment of Lunatics. In November, 1898, Mrs Routh was an inmate of his asylum. She was under the delusion that Dr Duncan and his daughter were under the floor of the room. She heard voices, refused all food, and had to be fed artificially.—Counsel read a letter, written . by Mrs Routh on March 13 last, while she was in- the asylum, in which she said she had been wanting to leave for months.—-He had sued Mrs Routh for £258, but the action was stopped, as ■witness was told that the Lunacy commissioners did not think it was a proper thing to bring an action against a patient. He wais also aware that Mrs Routh had! brought an action against him for illegal detention. He had not received a penny for the keep of Mrs Ron tit si»AO January 2,. 1899. On March

16 last she wrote the following letter to witness:- —I‘lf you don’t tell me the foundation of Nancy and the captain, either take m-e out or bring in the Rev. W. Why was I taken out of that court and brought in below stairs ? 1 have tried to solve the mystery and have succeeded. How is your poor feet, and where is my eyeball? Get me a piece of shamrock to-morrow, and _ with kindest regards on the opposite .side, and kisses for the little ones.—Yours truly. Maud Routh.”—The reading of this letter caused much laughter, in which the respondUent joined. Dr W. G. Coonibe. late resident medical officer of Normanswortli asylum and acting medical officer of the White House asylum ; Dr George Andrew Gunton. of Sloane-court; and David Terrier of Cavendish-square, also gave evidence. Mr Cavanagh,- in. opening the case for the respondent, said the question was did! the lady suffer' from illusions or delusions? illusions affected‘the,senses, and delusions the judgment of a person. The jury would scarcely credit it, but it was a fact that once persons had a detention order made against them they were perfectly helpless to bring about an inquiry for their release. Dr E. B. Lewis, of Springfield jhouse, •St. Leonards.; Dr G. Lock, of "Wellington square, Hastings ; and Dr J. Hooker, of Rothesay bank, Hastings, expressed the opinion that- Mrs Routh was absolutely sane. On Tuesday Mrs Maud Mary Routh was examined by the Master, who asked. ‘•Do you remember how long you were in the (asylum Respondent : From January. 1398, until September last. For nearly seven months I was unconscious. In the first place I drove up in 'a cab to a place which was supposed- to be an hotel. I asked for a heel for the night, and it was understood that my servant was to call for me the next day. I was packed into a room and the next morning I found my rings and purse had been taken. I -had _been to Paris, and the first night after 1 came home I stayed at a small hotel in. Vauxhall. You were being taken into Yvyke house for one night- only?—Yes. Do you know what property you have ? —Yes; about £6OOO. I have two houses at- Lewisham. Have you ever .said you were of Royal descent ? —I have never said so ; that is all nonsense. Dr Murchison told me that- if I complained to the police he would lock them up the same as he had locked me up. They accused me of being a thief. The Master, in summing up, said that if the jury found the lady was capable of managing herself, and was not dangerous to others, she would be free, but her property would he managed by a committee appointed by the commissioners for that purpose. After a consultation in private for ten minutes the jury returned! into court. Their verdict was that “Mrs Maud Mary Routh is sane, and able to* manage her own affairs.’’ A FRENCH DUEL. A few weeks ago M. Ferrette, the deputy for the town of Bar-le-duc, and M. Marlier, a municipal councillor of the same town, who had been friends from youth, quarrelled over some political question, fought a duel, and in the duel M. Marlier was killed. M. Ferrette has just been tried, and, of course, acquitted by the courts. And now comes a strange . piece or the irony of history, of that curious and sometimes horrible entangle, meat of humhn affairs which seems to send men to their doom contrary to all sense, all expectation, against the will of every person concerned, and in obedience to some stupid and cruel law which everybody at once ridicules and - dreads and obeys. “I consider duelling useless and ridiculous, too,” said M. Ferrette in his evidence on the trial, “but our friend declared that- we must fight, and fight we did.” The secret of the fatal result was twofold; first, that the duel was fought with swords; and, secondly, that the two combatants were almost equally inexperienced. M. Ferrette took his first fencing lesson the night before the duel. M. Marlier had taken almost as little instruction. Here is a translation from a French paper of the evidence which followed, and the manner in which it was received: “After M. Ferrette had been heard, one or two unimportant witnesses gave evidence, aqd. a letter was read from M. Marlier to one of the seconds, in which the deceased expressed his wish to fight with pistols. “This was also my wish,” said M. Magnant, who had stage-managed the duel, “•because I could so- have arranged matters that- neither skill nor accident could have brought about a fatal result,” and here the court began to titter.

The tittering broke into open laughter when M. Daniel Cloutier (better known, perhaps, as Charles Roger, a writer on the staff of the “Xntransigeant,” and an expert in all forms of duels), calmly stat_ ed that if the conditions of tli.e duel had been strictly adhered to by both parties, neither of them could have suffered more than a scratch, and honour would have been satisfied 1 without much clanger. M. Cloutier explained the modus operand! of political duels in some detail, and as he made each point, he was

received with shouts of laughter. It- wa* his answer to a question put by the judge, however, as to the relative danger of duels with sword's and duels with pistols, which brought down the house. "Do you consider a duel with pistols more dafigerous than a duel with swords?” asked the presiding judge. “No,” replied the witness. “In duels with swords it is usual, if the duel be fought on political grounds, to arrange th© preliminaries in such a manner that the combatants cannot hurt one another to any great extent,- but the combatants to not always, as in the present case, adhere to the conditions imposed. In this duel, for instance, close conflict was prohibited, and flhe first scratch should have ended the fight, but M. Marlier was angry, and rushed on to his adversary’s weapon. If. on the other handy the dual had been fought with pistols, no fatal result need "have been apprehended.” “Why?” asked the judge. “Because,” answered the witness, amid a perfect hurricane of intermingled laughter and applause, “seconds who are experienced in these matters load the pistols in such a way that no danger whatsoever is to be apprehended from them.” It is said that ridicule kjlls in France; wo 'shall see whether the duel will survive this exposure of its greenroom secrets. NEW LIGHT ON BANK COLBURN. (By Andrew Lang.) There is not. and cannot be, any doubt that, in official phrase, the battle of Bannockburn was “an unfortunate accident.” The English certainly were not victorious. .But Scottish patriots may not he exactly enchanted by the recent discoveries of Mr Neiison, in his “John Bam hour, Poet ancf Translator” (Paul. Trench, Trubner and Co.) There are many .contemporary accounts of the. battle, ancl Barbour’s account, in his poem, “The- Bruce,” is not contemporary. “The Bruce” was finished some 60 years after the date cf the fight, in or about 1376. -But it is the most copious and picturesque version : It was used by Scott, in “The Lord of the Isles,” and despite the efforts of sceptical critics, many of Barbour’s details find their way into sober histories. Among those de-' tails are Bruce’s speech 'to his army, and the breaking of his battle-axe on the head of Sir Henry Bohun. Now Mr Neiison proves -that part of the speech and much of the description of the slaying of Bohun are practically identical, even in language., with portions of an early Scots translation of the old French romance of Alexander the Great. Whoever wrote “The Bruce” (and Barbour’s claim is established beyond reasonable scepticism) had certainly access to the recollections of men who fought under the hero. But, as certainly, he helped himself from the French romance. Mr Neiison argues, no doubt rightly, that Barbour wrote both “The Bruce” and the old Scots translation of the Alexander romance. But it is a little disconcerting to find that Brace, in his preparations for Bannockburn, closely follows the Alexander of the French romance; the very same lines occur in both poems. In “Alexander” the King breaks his sword on his foe; in “The Bruce” he breaks his axe. Bruce probably did cut down somebody, but -Sir Thomas Gray (whose father was a prisoner in the Scottish camp) makes that somebody not Sir Henry Bohun, but quite a different gentleman. Th© part of Bruce’s speech as to abstaining from plunder till the battle is over occurs in the French romance and in the'Scots translation. The battle and pursuit have identical passages. The “parallels,” especially as to Bohun, are, in Mr Neils on’s phrase, “somewhat un.. comfortable.’ 1 ’ To -be sure, the early printed edition of the Scots version of “Alexander” (from a lost manuscript) bears a colophon dating 1438. If that were so, still Barbour might ba,ve translated from the French, and his versions might have been borrowed by the of 1438. It is infinitely more probable that this dates is a misprint, or refers to the time when the MS was merely recopied. One thing is certain—-the author of “The Bruce” helped! himself freely from the French versified romance.—“ Daily News.” THE PLAGIARISM OF FACT, Life steals ideas from literature oftener than many people imagine. The little boy of 8 who hanged himself at Leeds justified not only Mr Hardy in “Jude the Obscure,” but Miss Marie Corelli in “The Mighcy Atom,” which has often been condemned on the ground; that the manner of the death of little Lionel Valliscourt was absurdly impossible. The same thing is constantly happening. Mr Hall Caine, in “The Scapegoat,” made bis heroine, a blind, deaf and dumb girl, the subject of a, recovery absolutely unknown to medical science, restoring her lost seiYses. The story was ridiculed on that account, but not many months ’had elapsed when a remarkable plagiarism of fact came to light in Cumberland, where a deaf and dumb girl had her senses restored in precisely the same way as Mr Hall Caine’s heroine.

Mr Gladstone once called attention to an Irish novel, “KUgroom,” by Mr J. A. Steuart, of "which a similar story of the the plagiarism cf fact is told. The author imagined an incident which had never occurred in the whole course of the Irish troubles—the arrest of a priest- in the pulpit, and the book was hardly out of the press when an arrest of this kind was made. Nature, as a matter of fact, is always stealing ideas. Everybody knows that *‘Enoch Arden” has been realised in real life again and again. Those who have read Pierre Loti’s hook, “Pechuer dYslande,” will remember that' the author makes his hero. Yann, die by drowning—a fate which actually befell the original of the character, Guillaume Fleury, last year. THE. NEWFOUNDLAND ELECTIONS. ST. JOHN’S (Newfoundland), N0v.13. Mr Bond has won thirty-two seats out of a tc-tal of thirty-six by immense majorities. .* Mr Morine and his two colleagues have been returned for Bonavista, while his only other supporter is the member for Rngus. The Opposition total is thus only four. The result was unexpected. The It©id contract was the. sole issue on which theelections were fought.—Reuter. Mr Robert Reid, the “Czar of Newfoundland” as he was called, is -wholly responsible for the total defeat of the Newfoundland Opposition. It will be recalled that in March 1893 this shrewd Scotchman, then a millionaire railway contractor, obtained from the then Cabinet a contract, in virtue of which he was to operate the Newfoundland railways. telegraphs, and decks for a-period of fifteen years.’ In return he was to pay a million -dollars, and to be given two or three million acres of uncleared land, which, however, were reported to be literally built on copper, and thus immensely valuable. A strong party in trie island, was opposed to the contract, and the general election has now resulted in the practical annihilation of the Reid party and the triumph of the Liberals under Mr Bond. SALSOU’S SENTEXCE. PARIS, Nov. 11. Salsou, the Anarchist- who made an attempt last August to shoot the SLah was sentenced to penal servitude for life by the Seine Assizes yesterday. During bis trial he said that he had no accomplices and no personal grudge against the- Shah. He wanted to shoot him, but not to offend his personal dignity, and was glad the attempt had produced a moral effect without bloodshed'. Salsou was a day labourer, and it was stated in court that he had intended, to take the life of M. de Rothschild in 1594, and last July he was going to assassinate M. Casimir Perier. WHALE-BACKS. Writing in “Pearson’s Magazine,” Mr Waldon Fawcett gives a graphic description of the wonderful “whaleback” ships that ply on the great lakes of Northern America. “A whaleback on the great lakes must not be confounded with the bv-hale-backs’ known to British shippers. The American whaleback consists of a vessel whose deck or decks are completely covered in by a, steel roof, shaped much iilcef the back of a whale, and having a general form much resembling a cigar. This steel roof has several advantages; for one reason the rolling seas cannot hurt the cargo in a storm: instead, the boat cuts right through the mountains of water without the least harm to cargo, boat or crew. “In the second place, a whaleba-ck of the same size as an ordinary boat can bo packed more snugly, and holds a much larger cargo, and by reason, of the air beneath the sheltered decks in a. storm, a, whaleback has infinitely more buoyancy than an ordinary • boat. Then there is the greater speed at which these vessels can go or be drawn. In short, there is as much difference between a whaleback and an old-fashioned beat as there is between a hunk of wood and a life-buoy of th© same dimensions. “In whalebacks intended for freight purposes only, there is a small platform outside, and on top of the curved deck for the crew to walk or stand on during fine weather; while upon whalebacks used for passenger purposes there is above the steel deck a. regulation promenade where the passengers can enjoy the view when the weather is favourable, while they can quickly descend to comfort and safety the moment a storm appears on the horizon. “There is not anywhere a more picturesque fleet of vessels than the; ‘Whalebacks,’ almost all of which were a months ago purchased outright by America’s richest citizen., John D. Rockefeller. For this fleet th© multi-million-aire paid more than half a. million pounds; but the- price was moderate, for once in possession of these vessels Mr Rockefeller became, to a great extent, _ the master of the commerce- of America’s vast fresh water seas.”

OXFORD FARM TRAGEDY. Mr Robinson and a jury were occupied nearly five hours on Nov. 19 at an' eV-io uirv into the death of Mr \\ illiaxn Savage, of PatJsrnoster farm, Yarn- . ten, Oxfordshire, who died from a serious gunshot wound at his farmhouse on Friday, Nov. 16. His adopted sen, Richard Hopcroft, aged 29, is in custody upon the charge of wilful murder The deceased’s daughter, Mrs Sarah Green, stated that Hopcroft was employed on the farm, and was allowed 6s a week for pocket-money. Mr Savage and Ins adopted son were frequently on bad terms, Hopercft being of a quarrelsome disposition, especially when lie had been drinking. She had seen him throw the shovel, the tongs and a hammer at Mr Savage, and on one occasion he attacked him with a. chair, which was smashed into three pieces. On Friday, Nov. 16. she heard Hopcroft and the master ■quarrelling, and she left the house. When she returned two hours later she fell over the body - of ‘ Mr Savage on the floor in the kitchen. She had seen Hopcroft place his hands round his own throat and say to Mr Savage with' an oath, “X shall have the rope for you.” The reason that Mr Savage did not prosecute Hopcroft was that he -promised his wife on her deathbed that he would never turn on him, and always said he would try and bear with it. ITopcrofs frqeuently took poultry and eggs from the farm and sold them, and this was no* doubt a* cause of t-iie* disturbance. Inspector Smith, of the Oxfordshire constabulary, stated that on Friday evening. Nov. 16, Hopcroft entered the county police-station and said he had killed «•■ man. He saw that he was the worse for drink, and asked him to sit down and collect himself. After a few minutes Hopcroft stated that he was putting a gun together, when it accidentally went off, and it must have hit his uncle, Williaml Savage, because he saw him fall upon thd ground. He declared that he had had no unpleasantness with his uncle, and that lie -had come straight to the police to tell them what had occurred’. Police-constable Hawes said, that he met Mr Savage in Oxford on the Friday afternoon. The old man told him t-hat-he was greatly upset because “our Dick,” meaning Hopcroft, “is going to shoot me when I get home. He' lias threatened me, and I am afraid he will cto it. He has run me out of the house with a gun more than once. He has taken to drink and bad women.” Tears were running down the 1 old man’s face whilst he was speaking. The jury returned a verdict of “Wilful murder.” Richard Hopcroft was charged, at Woodstock sessions, on Tuesday, with the wilful murder of William Savage, at Yarnton. —After formal evidence of arrest had been given, the] prisoner was remanded. AN AMBASSADOR KILLED IN A RAILWAY ACCIDENT. A terrible railway accident occurred in France on November 23rd. The Southern express from Madrid for Pans, travelling at high speed, about noon fed over an embankment near Dax, at a point where the "line curves sharply. The catastrophe happened when the passengers were at luncheon in ,the restaurant car, tlie train being then close to St. Vincent de Tirosse, in the department of the Landes, between Bordeaux and Dax. One of the first victims identified was the Duke of Canevaro, brother of Admiral Canevaro, exItalian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He had been sent by the Peruvian Government on a special mission to Madrid. He was accredited to four European Governments —those of France, Spain, Great Britain and Italy,. He lived at hotels in the different countries he went to stay in, until wanted in some other. The duchess and two attaches were travelling with him. She was frightfully ' lacerated. The Duke was accredited to the French Republic in 1893. His nephew, Senor Alfred Elster, who was acting as his secretary, was killed sitting beside him in the restaurant car. All the fatalities-save two occurred in that .part of the train. Others who lost their lives were : Andre Landes, a Frenchman ; Mine. Maria Valacialo, the Duchess de Oanevaro’s maid; Camille Blanchard a Belgian engineer; Senor de Artaga, travelling from Madrid; Eduardo Levy, also* travelling from Madrid; M. F. Laclcche, a Biarritz jeweller ; Madame Dombrowski, the wife of a Russian engineer; Albert Standye, a British subject; and Andre Cabeau, a servant of the waggon company. Another body was seen to b© that of a lady, about forty years of age, having a gold watch in her pocket, and wearing four rings on the third finger of her left hand. Another was. that of a man about thirty, with curly auburn hair. His pocketha ndkerchief bore the initial “H,” and the number 6403. Save .the stoker, engine-driver, and a chambermaid, all the killed or injured were firstclass passengers. There was one Englishman in the restaurant car when the catastrophe happened, Mr McEweu Aismes, who resided in Paris. He was badly shaken, hut not otherwise hurt. Senor de Goyeneche, a Spanish Artillery .officer, who was in the restaurant car, and escaped almost miraculously

with nothing but slight injuries,- said : After the accident Viscount Truest- and I examined the scene of the accident, The line there consists of a rather sharp curve, and we were struck by the fact that only a portion of the sleepers were covered: hvith ballast. Viscount Truest called the attention of a person be supposed to be a. railway official to that fact, and received the answer that a- trial was being made. What this trial is I do not know, but it is astonishing; that trials, which may cost the lives of so many passengers, can he permitted. What is even more serious is that the engine-driver of the Southern Express made tlie following declaration to us : “As for me, I- am "free from all responsibility. Only two* days ago I called attention to the bad state of the line.’ ” The first confused reports of the railway catastrophe caused a sensation in Madrid, because it was stated that General Oanera, the Special Envoy of the King of Italy, sent to the Spanish Court to announce the accession of Victor Emmanuel to the throne, was among the victims of the disaster, though this proved to be unfounded. Among the victims was a. German merchant named Levy, the agent who provided Spain with the Mauser rifles for the Colonial wars during the last 45 years. He made a large fortune in twenty years in Spain. Tie recently made his will and insured Ins life for £20,000. The Duchess de Canevaro’s bag of jewels was lost in the wreckage, but itwas found, curiously enough, by the Magistrate charged to- investigate the causes of the Dax catastrophe. He discovered it under .a. heap of broken plate.?, glasses and other Rubbish. A . " * THE; OLDEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD. The “Daily Telegraph” gives an interesting account of the lady whom the f ‘Westmin-ster” a, few days ago described “as the oldest woman in the world.” She dwells in a pretty house in Guernsey. Mu that charming little island, renowned for its natural beauties, its soft, balmy air, and its remoteness from the storm and stress, of modern life, there dwells,” says the “Telegraph,” “aa old lady who, if Fate spares her to earth for a few more weeks, will have lived in three centuries. She was born upon May 18, 1792, when George 111 had been King of England for more than thirty years, and she has thus passed her 108th birthday. Mrs Margaret Ann Neve — for such is her full name —is no doubtful centenarian. Her baptismal certificate is there to refute- the ungailant sceptic. The earliest definite recollection which she has concerning herself was going to school as a girl of about ten or so to Bristol, a- journey which had to be made by sailing boat. Here she received her education under the Misses Cottle, sisters of Amos and Joseph Cottle, both of whom were poets of some vogue in their day, while the latter was closely associated with the publication -of several of Coleridge’s, Southey’s and De Quincey’s best-remembered works ; and Mrs Neve might have conversed with such famous. persons as Hannah More, William Hazlitt, and Charles Lamb. They must be few indeed who* have heard the pious Hannah speak words, of moral edification, listened to the criticisms of the rather testy Hazlitt, and waited for Charles Lamb o finish a stuttering sentence. In her habits of life Mrs Neve has always been extremely careful, and to this ,she herself attributes the preservation of her Health and strength. She is no an absainr, but taks a glass and a half of old sherry at her midday dinner, and! a little weak whisky and water at supper. In diet she does not greatly restrict herself, but she has always objected to eating or drinking between the regular hours of meals, and even afternoon tea has been rigidly excluded from her household programme. She has always been an. early riser, and has never permitted! herself any ‘coddling’ or self-indulgence, but has shown a somewhat Spartan strength of will in refusing them. Her constitution has very sound, and she l has scarcely ever known illness.” Mrs Elizabeth Alsopp, who has just celebrated her hundredth birthday at Bramley, near Guilford!, was in the service of one family for 74 years. THE MOST NOTORIOUS FIGURE IN ITALY. Some 300 Carabineers, policemen, and .soldiers have been patrolling for several weeks past the mountains behind Reggio, in Calabria,, in the hope of catching Hie brigand Musolino. A price of £2OOO has been set on. Musolino’s head, but though the Calabrian peasants and mountaineers are the poorest of the poor, they refuse to betray their hero. The history of this mar. is more romantic than that of many brigands who have taken to the mountains. A few years ago iu a. Calabrian wineshop a quarrel arose between Musolino and one of his acquaintances, in the course of which Mu.olino received a, box on the ears. Three days later the acquaintance was severely wounded, but not killed, by two shots from a double-barrelled gun. At once arrested, Musolino was tried fop attempted murder, and condemned to 22

rears’ penal servitude. As- the witnesses were leaving the Court one of them passed near the kind of cage in which prisoners in Italy are confined, and the brigand gave him a tremendous kick, which earned away part of the witness’s scalp. Musolino- further threat- - rued Iris judges and all those who had gi', en evidence against hull with with an inexorable vendetta if lie should manage to- escape from prison. After a. few months, lie did escape, and took to the mountains, armed with a splendid American rifle, which by some means he had managed to procure. One bv one he shot the seven witnesses, the Mayor of Aspronionte, his native town and seven other persons against- whom lie had a vendetta. The presiding Magistrate alone escaped because he was transferred to- Bologna. Two or three Carabineers who had attempted to catch him were also shot.- Ever since the series of vendettas began the police have been trying to lay hands on the brigand. Once they nearly, succeeded, but Musolino managed to escape- in the darkness across a mountain side where the Carabineers were unable to follow him. Occasionally he- writes letters to newspapers declaring his innocence, expressing regret for the death of the Carabineers he has killed, explaining that he lias only one more vendetta to accomplish, and that then he will emigrate. Meanwhile he has placed the Government in a very embarrassing position, and lias the satisfaction of knowing himself to be for the moment the most notorious figure in Italy. LIB'S IN THE LATIN QUARTER. A Haytian student of ebony blackness, M. Isidore Mendoza, aged 25, recently arrived to study in the Latin quarter of Paris. On Monday ho ventured into a cafe in accordance with custom in the gay quarter- Hardly was he seated when a neatly-attired, blonde young, person, seemingly attired with grief, sat down beside him, and sobbed, silently into a lace handkerchief. The pity of the compassionate coloured gentleman lad him to inquire the reason of his neighbour’s .sorrow. Reluctantly she confessed all dearth of seamstress’s work, a- merciless landlord, the contemplation of suicide as a deliverance. The conversation was long, and at its conclusion Mdlle Jeanne C-harly’s tears were dried, and she and M. Isidore lunched copiously together. After luncheon the benevolent negro lent her a 5001 T. note. It- was also arranged that lie should call on the; merciless landlord in the afternoon and reassure him as to the future financial standing of his lodger, for a solid friendship now united tiie wev acquaintances. The- studentkept the appointment. He found awaiting him not only Mile. Jeanne but a. man of rough exterior, who knocked him down and! relieved him of his valuables. The assailant- even tried on M. Isidore’s overcoat before liis ej-es, and finding it fitted him concluded to keep it. The Haytian was left tied up and gagged on the floor, and was only set at liberty three hours later. Mile. Jeanne was arrested in the course of the evening. A ROGUE’S COMEDY. YANKEE METHODIST MINISTER DECAMPS WITH £57,500. . How an American Methodist minister, named Joseph Hamilton Brother-ton, and another ingenious may-; named J. C. Kemp Van Ee, netted nearly £60,000 by means of a most audacious company promoting swindle was told on November 30 in the London Sheriff’s Court. It was* there that the case against Brofjherton, which was a claim for £57,000 made by the London and Westminster Contract Corporation, having been remitted from the High Court, came up for assessment of damages. The story of the swindle was told by Mr A. H. Spokes, who appeared forth© Official Liquidator. He said that Van Ee, though scarcely able to* read and write, had been very clever at company promoting. The modus operandi of Brother ton and Van Ee was first to form, a company called the Debenture and Share Trust Syndicate, Ltd. The company, which consisted of the two conspirators and five clerks, carried on its business in Bi&hopsgate street. The clever pair promoted no fewer than eight companies, which rejoiced in such names as the City of London Joint Stock Trust and the Miners 5 Dream Gold Mines. Having accomplished that much the partners next promoted; the London and Westminster Contract Corporation, Ltd., and four men of honour, but not- of business, were induced to become directors. The worthless shares v ere then sold to the company by a clerk for the sum of £55,000, the whole of which went into the pockets of Brother-ton and Van Ee. Another transaction resulted in the couple swindling the company of £2500. The various cheques paid to the shandlers were cashed at different banks, where accounts were kept under aliases. Having thus obtained £57.500. Brotherton and Van Ee decamped to America. The amount realised by the sale

of the shares for which £55,000 had been paid was only £223. After listening to this remarkable story of fraud the jury gave a verdict for the plaintiffs for £57,500 and 4 percent. interest for four years, or a total of £66,441. SEA-SICKNESS A BLESSING. TORONTO, Nov. 15. While Canada, has been stirred to its depths by the storm of a general election, Professor Goldwin Smith, calmly seated in his study in Toronto, has meditated on the effect, of sea-sickness on the welfare of nations. He has published his conclusions in this week’s “Weekly. Sun,” “Were it not for the fear of’ sea-sickness,” he says, “absenteeism, of which there is fax too much already 5 would probably increase. The rich people of this continent would all be having their mansions in Europe, and the continent would be reduced to a vast community of labourers maintaining a plutocracy on the other side of the Atlantic.” “RING UP MARSEILLES.” OSTEND, Nor. 15. Long-distance telephony is-now sharing attention with wireless telegraphy, and Ostend is again a centre of experiments. Trials between Ostend and various French towns, such as Rhcims, Dijon, and Epernay, to a -distance of. over 400 miles, have been made with satisfactory results. Communications with Lyons and Marseilles have also been made, but so lar not with complete success. There are already telephone lines between Antwerp and Brussels and such far ppints as Frankfort, Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin, and London will soon be added to the list. Recent trials between vystend and London, via Paris, have been successful. STRANGLER SENTENCED TO DEATH. At Northumberland assizes, held at Newcastle on November 19, Oscar Mattson. aged 26, a- Russian fireman, was charged with the wilful murder of Mary Arm Maguire, 19, at- North Shields. The prisoner was in the habit of going to North Shields in his ship, and made the acquaintance of the girl about four years ago. He frequently expressed a desire to marry her, in spite of the fact that she had fallen into evil ways. They passed the night together on August 12, and the following morning the deceased was found strangled, with a black silk handkerchief, which accused had bought, tied tightly round her neck.—Prisoner gave evidence in his own behalf, and declared that the girl drugged and robbed him. She told liim to go away, and: strangle or drown himself. He asked her to explain the meaning of the word “strangle,” and she placed the handkerchief round her neck to show him. She spat in his face, and in a moment all that she ha clclone to him in years pastcam© into* liis mind, and he gave the handkerchief a jerk and pushed her from him. —Accused was found “guilty,” and sentenced to death. CLEVER JEWEL ROBBERY. NEW YORK, November 9. Erie, a busy manufacturing city in Pennsylvania, was the scene of an' extraordinary robbery yesterday. A local jeweller displayed! a showcase filled with a dazzling assortment of diamond earrings and brooches, jewelled Watches, and other costly wares. The shop window was brilliantly illuminated* with electric lights and attracted a large crowd. During the afternoon a watch repairer at work only two feet from the show case suddenly noticed that half the contents had mysteriously disappeared. He gave the alarm, and an investigation disclosed that the thief had gained access to the cellar under ,the shop, and mounting a pile of boxes had drilled a hole through the cellar roof, cut a hole in the shop window, made an aperture in the bottom of the* case, and quietly removed the plunder. It is believed he had several accomplices crowded outside the shop, who kept other persons away while the* robbery was in progress. Over £6OO worth of valuable were taken, and! the police have no clue to aid them in the discovery of the robbers.