TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 32

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

AUCKLAND, April 24. A man, named William „ Francis Thicker. aged sixty-nine years, died! while under .chloroform during an operation ait his residence at Ellerslie. AUCKLAND, April 25. A man named-Robert Stafford, residing in Brunswick lane, off Napier street', died 'in the hospital yesterday from what the District Health Officer believes to he bubonic plague'. He was admitted on Saturday, supposed to be suffering from typhoid fever; but the circumstances, of the •death were such that the hospital authorities report eel the matter to the District,'Health Officer, and post-mortem examination and bacteriological investigation revealed the presence of what

both Dr Collins, medical superintendent at the hospital, and Dr Frengloy, District Health Officer, regard as hubomo plague bacilli. . Stafford had recently worked m*a celkr where rats are frequency seen,_ and several are said to have died recently. . , , All who have been m contact with Stafford are being confined to their homes, where they will be isolated for some days. MASTERTON, April 24. Matthew Templeton, a single man, aged fifty-five years, living m Nursery road, committed suicide this morning by taking poison. He had complained \‘os laJte that toi felt nnwelh NAPIER, April 24. ; h e iderly man named Alexander Dnnn committed suicide by hanging himself at Havelock North to-day. He : '!had been ailing for some time, having onlly recently been an inmate olf the Napier’ Hospital, and had apparently not been himself since coming out cf that institution. He was found by his bou but life was then extinct.

INVERCARGILL, April 24. Messrs W. T. Murray and Co As Underwood factory was destroyed by fire early this morning. The manufacturing plant will require reinstating, but the sticks stored! in town will meet the handle needs until operations are resulted.

The insurances amount to £12,085, ail in the New Zealand office, but reinsured as folllowis: —National, £1000; Standard, Sun, Victoria., Liverpool and London and Globe and Commercial Union, each £750; South British. North BJitish. North German, Imperial, Phoenix, North Queensland, Manchester and Yorkshire,, each £500; Australian Alliance, £400; Northern, £4so;' United, £250. Of the total, £3625 is on the store and stock, which were saved. PALMERSTON, April 24. The Borough Council sat this after-

noon, when the Finance Committee’s report recommending payment of. £SO bdi is to the late Borough - Engineer was finder discussion. The Borough Solicitor -wrote advising that the proposed! payment was legal. A motion was accordingly tabled to adopt the report, when Councillor Haydon rose to object, and proposed an amen din ent in the direction of deferring the matter. The Mayor ruled the amendment out of order. The original motion was put atnd carried!, and Councillor ; Haydon then lodged a protest against the Mayor’s ruling. The Staffs Committee’s report recommending the retirement of the present Town Clerk was deferred until after the Mayoral election. _ ' ’ ' y PALMERSTON, April 25. The police have received intimation that a man named David Burson was killed while trucking logs at Shannon on Saturday. The deceased fell from a truck, and a heavy log rolled over him. He leaves a wife and five children. GISBORNE, April. 25. The Supreme Court sessions Opened this morning before Mr Justice Edwards.

In his address to the Grand Jury his Honor briefly referred to a case of manslaughter in which the practices of the tohunga are alleged to be involved. In this case, he said, the jury needed direction in points of law. If the jury believed death was caused by the practices of accused, then it was its duty to return a true bill, although accused may have acted in ignorance and without the intention of doing any harm. In the course of the trial of four men for alleged cattle-stealing, Mr Justice Edwards intimated that it amounted to larceny to shoot a calf running with an ear-marked cow apparently wild. One of tiie witnesses admitted he had done this, and -.said ho thought ne had a right to do so. “I suppose you know you were guilty of larceny?” said his Honor. vVitneas: “No.” His Honor: "But you were.” Witness: “We killed it on our own place.” His Honor: "It doesn't matter where you killed it. You killed a calf belong-

ing to somebody else’s cow, and you are guilty.” I don’t propose to discuss the matter with you, but you had better be careful in your dealings. For the information of your neighbours, if they are so ignorant, I may say tne law won’t let you say T thought so/ although the Judge might take that into consideration. It is better for the rniblic to understand this if they are so lamentably ignorant.” CHRISTCHURCH, April 25. Alfred Taylor, an employee of the City Council, was run over this morning by a cart and killed. TIMARU.. April 25. On the 31st December last a young woman named Underhill disappeared from her home in Timaru, and was traced to the Ranigitata Railway Station. On Sunday a farmer named Waller found the remains of a woman on the Eangitata river-bed, and to-day the father of Miss Underhill identified the clothing as that "of his daughter. DUNEDIN, April 25. Two fisheriiien named Samuel Andrews and Henry Sampson were making their way to a cutter at Port Chalmers late on Saturday night, when the former fell between the cutter and a coal hulk. Sampson promptly rescued his companion, but life was extinct. The deceased was fifty

years of age and was well connected in the Old Country. He formerly command* j ed several large steamers. - The Rugby Union Committee has again I considered the complaints as to the conI duet of the teams who travelled to Christj church at Easier. A report was received, from the Traffic Manager at Christchurch as to the shocking state of the railway carriages, and it was resolved to call upon ! the managers of the Alhambra and j Union teams to bring witnesses in supj port of reports made by them as to ) good conduct of the teams, also to ask I the Traffic Manager at Dunedin for ceri tain information as to the acconunoda- ' tion provided for the travelling footballers. '

WHANGAEEI, April 25., The Council of the Whangarei Acclimatisation Society has passed the following resolution:—"This society urges the Colonial Secretary to give effect to the | recommendation of the society proposing

a close season for all game this year, the same being favoured to a majority ot land-owners in the district. HOKITIKA, April 25. The position of the steamer lorganten remains unchanged. The vessel isi no damaged. The cargo of timber is being stacked on the beach. GISBORNE, April 20. The need of a separate Education Board for Gisborne was advocated at most of the householders’- meeting tomßht' new PLYMOUTH, AprjU 25. At a meeting of the battalion and company officers and veteran officers to-night, it was decided to entertain Lord Ranfurly, the members of the Ministry, the officers of the Antarctic ship Discovery, the visiting military officers, Bishop Neligan and Archdeacon Walsh, at a luncheon on Thursday, the date of the unveiling of the hatchments commemorative of the regiments which fought in tlie Maori war in Taranaki.