HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1831, 10 April 1907, Page 18

HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS

CURIOUS SEQUEL TO EARTHQUAKE. IDENTIFICATION OF AN ITALIAN CRIMINAL. Among the innumerable inquiries after the safety of friends in San Francisco made after the earthquake there by anxious relatives in Italy through the. Consular authorities was one concerning a certain Olinto Riccomi, a native of Chiesino, near Lucca. Tho Consulate experienced no trouble in supplying the

information needed, for Riccomi, who was safe and sound, was a wealthy citizen of San Francisco. Later, however, the judicial authorities in Florence began to manifest extraordinary interest in Riccomi, whose presence they desired in Italy. Riccomi, it is alleged, belonged to a gang of assassins who killed a couple of Car-

binieri in 1881. He escaped the „ country, but was found guilty, and condemned in his absence to penal servitude for life. During his quarter of a century’s sojourn in the Uni&pd States, from which the Italian Government is now demanding his extradition, Riccomi made a large forttune.

DISASTROUS COLLISION OFF THE AMERICAN COAST. 150 FROZEN OR DROWNED.

The following is a telegraphic account of the loss of the steamer Larchmont off Long Island, which appeared in an English paper of Feb. 13:— A terrible story of death, suffering, and freezing at sea comes to-day (Feb. 12) from Block Island, that bleak outpost and sentinel of Long Island Sound. The steamer Larchmont, belonging to the Joy Steamship Company, running between Boston, Providence, and New York through the Sound, collided last night in bitter weather, and sank at the entrance of the Sound. It is believed that she carried 150 of her passengers and crew to the bottom with her, though the loss of life cannot yet be accurately stated. Two of her lifeboats, commanded by her captain, Mr MacVay, reached Block Island this morning. Of the twenty occupants in the two boats, twelve were frozen to death, and the others were so benumbed by the cold that the lighthouse people and life-savers were obliged to take them out of the boats and wrap them in warm blankets, as they could not assist themselves. Twenty bodies have been washed ashore at Fisher's Island and on the Connecticut coast between Watch Hill and Stonington, but no news has at present come to hand about the rest of the Larehmont’s human freight, and it is feared that they have all perished . There is no list of the passengers, as on these Sound boats the passengers pay their fare on board, and no list is ever kept of their names. There wore, however, about 150 passengers and a crew of forty. The survivors state that the Larehmont left Providence, Rhodes Island, at about eight o’clock in the evening, and that li e accident happened at midnight, when the vessel had reached a point midway between Block Island and Fisher’s Island, at the entrance of Long Island Sound .

Without any warning or ' utcry, the Larehmont suddenly crashed n to a large sailing vessel, which is n, w known to be the three-masted schooner Harry Knowlton.

a The bow of the Larchmont was torn away by the collision, and the water poured in at a rapid rate, - and though the bulkheads held for a little, they presently gave way, and the ship was in a sinking condition. Captain MacVay immediately termed his boat, and headed her for Pluck Island,-hoping to be able to beach her before she sank. The captain stowed on the bridge and did all he ecu id ,to save his vessel, but the wreck was i-<o complete, and she. floated but a ffw minutes.

The passengers, panic-stricken v ith fear, rushed from their state-rooms on to the deck, clad in the lightest of garments, only a few'being thoughif.il enough to snatch blankets from their berths :with, which to face the litter wind and freezing, weather. They stormed the ship’s boats which the crew were hastily lowering, and it is doubtful if any, beyond the two which arrived at Block Island, were successfully floated.

The whole affair was over in so short a time that t he survivors have but a blurred recollection of what happened. At the last moment, as they felt the ship sinking under them, many wildly jumped into the sea and perished in the cold waters before even an attempt could bo made at rescue. Tile ship went down head foremost, cariyiug with her dozens w ho were still left on her ; decks. The Harry Knowlton was so badly injured that her'teaptairi had i;o Itirn, his attention to Biskhwh' vessel; and apparently was

unable to give any assistance. Being of wood, however, and lightly laden, she kept afloat, and a few hours later was beached on the Connecticut shore. She suffered no loss of life.

The long night was bitter in the extreme for those in the two open boats, especially for those who had little or no clothing to protect them from the weather. They presented a pitiful sight indeed when they reached Block Island this morning, with twelve of their occupants frozen stiff and stark and the others so benumbed as to be almost helpless ; According to an estimate made at two o’clock this afternoon, only nineteen of the passengers and crew of the Larehmont survived the disaster. Of those saved, eight were passengers, six being men and two women. The rest were members of the crew, among them being the captain.

Four more bodies had been washed ashore by noon. By three o’clock five boats and four rafts, carrying nineteen survivors and the bodies of eleven dead, managed to reach Block Island after frightful experiences in high seas and a strong gale. The fishing schooner Clara E. Claim put into port this afternoon with seven bodies picked up from a raft from the Larehmont.—Reuter.

NEWFOUNDLAND’S ANGER, SIR ROBERT BOND ATTACKS THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT.

Sir Robert Bond, the Premier', made a five hours’ speech on the evening of Feb. 12 in the House of Assembly on the modus vivendi regarding the fishing disputes with the United States.

In the course of his oration the Premier severely attacked the Imperial Government, charging it with sacrificing the colony. He asserted that the Imperial Government was in possession of the Colonial Ministrys views ten months before the modus vivendi was concluded, and endorsed those views in despatches to the American Government. It then proceeded to abandon the colony, and agreed to the modus vivendi, which granted to Americans more than the United States claimed, and which also undertook, to abrogate the statute law of the colony in order to do so.

Sir Robert Bond declared that responsible government would be a farce if this were tolerated. No colony, he continued, would be safe, however important its enactments, if the Imperial Government arrogated to itself authority to suspend such enactments. He quoted the best constitutional authorities to show that such a power only rested with the Imperial Governemnt.

ATONING FOR THE PAST. A MAN WITH A CONSCIENCE. When a well-dressed Jew was ushered into the dock at Clerkenwell Sessions on Feb. 8, a story-book romance in real life reached its final chapter. Henry Leon Levine was the prisoner’s name.

His own confession brought the tale to light, and it was narrated by his counsel, Mr Charles Matthews. Six years ago Leon Levine fell in love with a young and pretty girl of his own nation, but his family, who are well-to-do, and had extensive dealings with Messrs Samuel Bowman, Limited, the wholesale jewellers of Goswell road, offered such strong opposition to his romance that the young man determined to run away. To obtain the funds for his purpose he went to Messrs Bowman, and easily obtained £ll2 worth of jewellery for two cheques on the London and County Bank. The cheques were worthless, but by the time this fact was discovered Levine was far away.

The warrant issued for his apprehension never found him, but his conscience did. He was haunted by the knowledge of his crime, and, after three years had passed, he returned home. The fatted calf was killed ; his family withdrew their ban upon his marriage, and the young people, parted for so long, were united. With marriage, however, conscience became only the more active. He obtained a post with his brother-in-law at Blackpool, and saved £122, which he eventually paid the jewellers back for,the trinkets of which he had defrauded them. Then he and his wife agreed that lie ought to give himself up, and answer also to the law for his offence.

He obeyed this decision last month. Messrs Bowman yesterday recommended ■, him to mercy. Addressing him, Mr Wallace, K.C., his judge, remarked that he had probably suffered more than if lie had stood his trial six years ago. ‘-Go back,” said the judge, “ami retrieve the past.” Levine was bound over. A MISER’S WILL. RELIEVING OFFICER THE. BENEFICIARY. Known for many years as a tramp, going about dirty* and ill rags, and living upon charity, the late Mrs Char-

lotte Spiers amassed a sum of £1213, which she deposited in two banks. She died last December at the age of seven-ty-five, under circumstances which necessitated an inquest. In her pocket was found 11s 7d, and yet it was proved that she died of starvation.

Two claimants to her money have come forward, and the rival claims were discussed on Feb. 8 in the London Probate Court. The plaintiff claims to be a nephew, and asks that the money left by his aunt shall be handed over to him. Against this claim Mr Edward English, a relieving officer, sets up a will dated January 25; 1905, by which everything is left to liim, in return for the kindness he had shown towards the testatrix.

The miser and the relieving officer first met “on the road” at Alton, in Hampshire. She had all the appearance of a tramp, and she appealed to the officer to give her a lift in his trap. Despite the old woman’s dirty appearance, English took her into the trap, and drove her as far as she wanted to go. From this time the two frequently met on the road, and English on several occasions gave the woman relief, for which she appeared very grateful.

Illness drove her to the workhouse infirmary, where she used to talk of English’s kindness, and say she would repay him for all he had done- for her. The other inmates were not a little amused by the promise of a bequest from a woman they believed to be penniless. In January, 1905, she went to English, and, at her request, he drew up the will now in dispute. She left the infirmary, and apparently the will was forgotten. On December 5 in the same year she was found dead in bed, and the doctor who was called in was satisfied that she had died of starvation. Three weeks later it was found that she had two banking accounts, and in her name stood the sums of £724 and £389. Mr English gave evidence as to the drawing up of the will. In reply to counsel, he said he paid the funeral expenses of the woman. He was not aware that she was eccentric or peculiar. She lived in a building known as the old chapel. Was not that eccentric?—She was living there rent free. (Laughter.) Continuing, the witness said that when the will was signed, Mrs Spiers insisted that he should keep it, and he did so. He never expected to reap any benefit from it. He thought the old woman might have a pound or two, just enough to bury her, hut no more. When the will was drawn, witness suggested that the magistrate’s clerk should be called in to assist, but Mrs Spiers would not consent. She made him promise lie would see her “buried decently.” The following letter h.v Mrs Spiers was read:— “I have made a will in favour of Mr English, in consideration of the many acts of kindness I have received at his hands, and on the understanding that he will se6 me properly buried.”

In cross-examination, Mr English said he supposed it was improper for him to draw up a will in his own favour, hut he did it as much to ple i.se tho old woman as anything else. When she lived in the old chapel she had one corner of the building curtained ofF. Finally she was turned out, and went to live in a cottage. The hearing was adjourned. '

RE'IGX OF TERROR. FRENCH CRIMINAL GANGS. The police lately arrested forty-five members of a surprisingly well-organ-ised gang of criminals which for the last two years has terrorised the North of France. The chief of the gang, Abel Pellet-,, bis brother August, and an assistant called Canut, are among those in custody. The gang, which has a branch in Belgium, is known to have been implicated in over a thousand robberies and several murders. Villages ha\e been (literaliy Backed, and peasants murdered. The gang appears to have commenced operations in January, 1005, by attempting, to pillage a railway station at- Oalanne-sur-1 e-Ly s, a little town in the department of the Nord. Since then -.-several robberies have been reported daily to the police authorities of the Department of the Nord and the neighbouring county. ■ln less than two months the gang was responsible for over 200 robberies with violence. Detachments of this crime trust ue-sc-ended simultaneously on several villages. In this way twenty, thirty, or even fifty, robberies were committed in one day. Private houses, workshops, factories, farms were plundered in turn by these. modern brigands. At the same time the police were informed of several murders and attempted murders committed with, the purpose of robbery. The juge d’insxrueti-on of Botlnme, in the department Pas de Calais, a town which -has,suffered'lieaviiy from the attentions of the gang, used every means in his power to 'capture the ringleaders, but th<? few: geuda rnes and Gardes Chamnetre "at his disposition

weir© inadequate for such a task. He therefor© asked the Director of the Surete at Paris to send down some of his best men. ■ After a week’s investigations they sticoeeded in running to earth the chief and forty-five of his associates. -

It.is believed that the gang numbers over a hundred members.

PEERS v. PEOPLE. ATTORNEY-GENEE A L ON THE : COMING CONFLICT. The Attorney-General (Sir John Lawson Walton, K. 0.), speaking on the night of February 9th at a dinner at the Leeds and County Liberal Club, referred to the construction which had been put on his previous speech on the House of Lords, ;

It was almost impossible, he said, to make a commonplace remark in politics without some startling misconstruction. The other night, when he thought all the reporters had ’ gone, he made a few unpremeditated observations in regard to the House of Lords. Unfortunately '-there was .a member of a newspaper staff present, who put down in black and white a lew remarks he had thought might be made, confidentially to liis - constituents. He had described the present; position of the House of Lords as 'a crumbling network of the British Constitution, holding a somewhat precarious existence much in need of repair with the rising tide of democracy all round. It seemed to him a not unappropriate figure of speech, not very novel, not very striking. He had heard Lord Rosebery, as leader of the most moderate spirit in the Liberal party, make a very similar remark, and use a very similar metaphor. Ho wished to point out that the struggle between the people and the Peei;s could have only one result. There were many metaphors by which an idea could be impressed upon a popular audience, and the metaphor he used was “building upon tiie sands." And when the floods came, and the winds rose, and the rain descended, they knew what happened to the house. He had been severely criticised for saying that the House of Lords could not have its constitution changed, and that its authority could not be abrogated without its own consent. That was perfectly true. He supposed that if they wanted to appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, they must get Philip to reverse the earlier judgment. It would he so when they appealed from the House of Lords having a healthy infusion of new peers, who were prepared to give effect to liberal legislation. They would then get tho consent under the more sober condition i that the change brought about. He did not thiiiK any observation fell from him that would be construed into any opinion except his own; but, fortunately or unfortunately, they lived in a period of a highly sensitive Press observation and a highly sensitive public opinion. He discovered the next day, to his astonishment, that lie was supposed to have made a pronouncement on the House of Lords on behalf of the Government, and secondly that he had announced somewhat very startling propositions in reference to this question. He was taken aback by the startling headlines in the London evening papers.-'. It was idle for the House of Lords to seriously contend that they occupied a judicial position. The progress of public reform could not be stopped by an overwhelming Tory majority in an hereditary Upper Chamber. It would be found that no self-respecting Government could serve a people under; such conditions. (Cheers.) The Government would do their best to do their duty in the way of measures which received the approval of the people, but they expected to be treated with respect by the Upper Chamber. He was perfectly satisfied that such a situation as the present could not be indefinitely protracted. A solution must come before long. •