AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4407, 13 July 1901, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

At Nathalia a little girl, daughter of a fanner named Lonergan, was badly burnt through her flannelette nigntgown catching fire. Tho curious sight of a kangaroo beset by two foxes was beheld by Mr Fulford, of Alurrindindi. The kangaroo was very much exhausted, and must soon have been overcome, but Air Pulford, who had his rifle with him, despatched the foxes. Tho son, aged 10, of Mr Alawson, farmer, at Violet Town, was jumping over a gate with the assistance of a stick when it slipped from under him, causing him to fall heavily on the point of a picket which entered his abdomen to a depth of several inches, causing serious internal injuries. A surgical operation has been performed with a view of saving the boy’s life. A little girl named Bethune, aged seven, the eldest daughter of Air J. Bethune, of Yallock, met with a sad death just after returning from school. She was standing in front of the fire warming herself when her dress caught alight, arid she rushed outside to her mother, with the result that tlm flames enveloped her. She lived about twelve hours after the accident. A miner named Hoskens, residing in Ophil street, Golden square, Bendigo, met with a serious accident on 21st ult. He was working in the centre country ivinze in the New Chum Railway mine, when a piece of stone fell on him, inflicting severe wounds on the head and shoulder. Aledical assistance was summoned, and a number of stitches had to be inserted. The injured man also suffered from concussion of the brain.

A painful accident happened to Air P. Clark, manager of the business of Mr 'G. Pruden, butcher, of Sale. He was cleaning the sausage machine attached to a horse works', when the horse moved on and Clark’s hand was caught and crushed to a pulp. He is now at the hospital, under the oare of Dr. Hagenauer, who holds out faint hopes of saving the hand.' Clark states that ho would rather die than submit to amputation. He is a married man with a family. A fatal accident happened at Stawell to a man named Richard Bushick, who was employed cutting firewood with a circular saw at Johnstone’s store, Patrick street. He was caught iri the belting arid hurled through the roof of the shed. At the hospital it was found that, although no bones had been broken, he was injured internally. Ho lingered until the evening, when he succumbed to his injuries. Bushick some years ago was the best lorig distance runnet- in the State.

Air James Rogers, proprietor of the Copper Aline Hotel, on the Moc-Wal-halla road, met with a serious accident while working in ari, old tunnel on the Thomson River, about four miles from Walhalla. He arid two mates' were putting in a set when a huge stone fell from the roof of the tunnel, arid; striking Rogers on the shoulder, knocked him to the ground, with the result that he sustained facture of the spine; the lower part of his body being paralysed. Great sympathy is expressed for Mr Rogers, whb has it wife arid large family to provide for. A strange discovery has been made iri the stables at the Royal Hotel, Wangaratta. Just below the surface a headstone was found, arid the following inscription was plainly deciphered: —“Sacred to the memory, of George Gray, ■who departed this life on loth June, 1853, aged 97 years and 10 mouths.” Old residents still remember th© man referred to as the occupier of , property bn the Oxley Flats known as “The Pelican,” and the strange discovery is accounted for by th© fact that his relatives were occupants of the hotel (which was first used by Dr; Gamble as a private hospital) in 1853. James Hanrahan, aged 67, was found dead in his bed, at Cohen’s Grand Hotel, Lydiard street, Ballarat. Deceased, who appears to be a respectable man, has left a will, showing that he had over £IBO in two of the Ballarat banks. He leaves £2O each to the .local hospital and benevolent asylum, £SO to Richard Looker, who acted as his nurse; £2O for the ©rection of a headstone at his grave, and the balance to the Roman Catholic Church for charitable purposes, and for thb celebration of masses for the repose of his soul. Hanrahan had rio relatives in Australia. Mr Shoppee, at the fortnightly meeting of the Ballarat city corporation, drew attention to the fact that Ist September next would be the fiftieth anniversary of.tbo discovery of gold in Ballarat—at Golden Point—and fie thought that the residents of Ballarat and district should hold a demonstration in honour of the event. Of course, gold was found a few days earlier near Buniriyong by Hiscox, hut }i© was speaking of Ballarat. Air brioppee Moved that a public meeting be called to consider the best means of celebrating the anniversary, and the motiori was seconded by Mr Barker and carried. 'Ellen Curtis, a girl of about 12 years of age, who had been arrested on a, charge of wilfully setting fir© to a dwelling house at Golden, square, Bendigo, was brought before the city bench.. Dr J. AI. Eadie, the Government medical officer, informed the magistrates that ho had had the girl under observation while, she had been in gaol; and he was of opiriiori that she was of weak intellect. The charge was then withdrawn, and one of being a child without pro-

per control substituted. The bench committed her to the care of the Department for neglected children, and ordered the mother, who is a widow, to pay 2s 6d per week towards her maintenance. A little boy of eight years, a son of Mr D. Ryan. was drowned in the Broken River. The littie fellow, with two schoolmates, was playing “fox and hounds, ’’ Ryan acting as the fox, and in order to escape from the hounds he took off his clothes and plunged into the river, with the result that he was carried away hy the current and drowned. His dead body was found soon afterwards, about fifty years from where he entered the water. Dr. Barrington, who was soon on the spot, pronounced life to be extinct. Mucn sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents, especially as the mother of the child is in a dying condition. A shocking fatality happened at Corop, about 10 miles from Rochester, when Mrs Costelloe, 82 years of age, was burned to death. The discovery was made by a neighbour, who, on visiting tho old lady, found her lying face downwards in the fire, quite dead, and charred beyond recognition, the chest being burnt to the bone and the left arm burnt off as far as the elbow. Mrs Costelloe had been a resident of Corop for about twenty-six years- and lived by herself in a hut in the township, being in receipt of an old age pension. A dastardly act was committed at the foundry of Mr J. Lonie, Ballarat East, when a person, supposed to be an-ex-employee, scaled the high fence and turned on the tap of the big water main, and also several small taps at different points of the premises. The intruder also raised the damper and allowed a large quantity of ivater to flow under the boiler. The whole, of the taps were running all night, and the men on coming to work in the morning found the workshops and surroundings deluged with water. Over two hours were lost owing to the swamping in getting up steam, and several extra tons of firewood were consumed before the machinery could be got in motion. The detectives are investigating the affair. A little girl, daughter of Mr Jii. Gullock, of Hiscocks, had a narrow escape from drowning. Dr. Longden was driving past the racecourse, when he heard screams coming from the creek which flows through the racecourse. Upon running over to the spot ho saw the dress of a little girl disappearing under the water, and promptly jumped in and caught the child. The water was twelve feet deep, and it was only after great difficulty and with assistance from his groom that the doctor and the little girl got out of the creek. The child appeared to be dead, but after some time Dr. Longden revived her by employing the methods for the recovery of the apparently drowned. The child was taken home, and is now doing well. Dr. Longden is highly commended for his action-

A rumour, which inquiries go to show is not without some foundation, is current regarding an impending law suit. A year or so ago one of the numerous comer allotments in ■ Bendigo, which form part of the, valuable estate of the late Dr. Backhaus, the pioneer Roman Catholic priest on this goldfield, ■was let on an extended building lease to a contractor, who has erected a row of shops on it. Recently, it is alleged, it was discovered that many years ago an agreement was prepared under which the land was to be occupied by a wellknown citizen, who, however, did not at the time enter into possession. A claim is now being made for the land and buildings. Proceedings have got so far that th o lawyers engaged by the parties have opened up correspondence. A distressing accident occurred at the Western railway station (Melb.) to John Johansen, a porter, aged about 19, who lives with his parents at Redan. In the ordinary course of his duties Johansen had to take a trolly loaded with parcels from the Adelaide express to the Maryborough train, on the opposite side of the station. No one actually witnessed the accident, but it _ is clear that while Johansen was crossing thd boarded way at the eastern end r>f the station ho Was run down by the engine of the express, which was shunting back on to the train. There was a terrific impact, and it was thought at first that the engine had been derailed. Johansen was found lying . on the side of the track bleeding profuse.; ly, and the stack of goods which had been on the trolly was scattered in all directions. The sufferer was removed to the hospital, and was found to have sustained a fracture of the thigh, a broken leg, and injuries to the back and side of so serious a nature that little hope of his recovery is held out. SUICIDE OR MURDER. The body of a young woman was discovered in Cock’s River, afc Marripkviile, recently, in circumstances which at first led to the conclusion that a foul and brutal murder had been committed. The corpse, when found by a ]ad named Henry Humphries, was caught on a snag, and the serious aspect of .ths' case was the fact that the throat of the unfortunate woman was literally cut from e ar to ear, the wound being fully five inches in lengh. The windpipe, however, waS not severed. No time was lost; in placing the best men of the criminal investigation branch on the job. The clothes indicated that the deceased was not in poof circumstances, but the only thing of value from the point of view of identificatioii was a gold keeper ring, bearing the name “Ida.” The hat of deceased was picked up on the river bank some yards away from where the body was found, but there was no trace of a struggle. A blood-stained razor was picked up near the spot where the hat was found. An autopsy revealed the fact that death was due to drowning, and later on the body was identified as that of Ida Fanny Coote, aged 20, who resided with her parents at Vernon street, Marrickviile. Almost simultaneously with the finding of the body a letter Was found, but it had no bearing upon her disappearance, and her parents state tbat they had absolutely no reason to suspect that their daughter contemplated suicide. The police, however, see no reason to believe that she was murdered, and hope to be able to prove as much at the coronial inquirv. The razor has been identified by deceased’s brother as belonging to him.