PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 152, 16 May 1908, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

Ex-constable Levy, .a .pioneer mounted policeman, wlio was responsible m the old days for several smart arrests, and one of the chief searchers m connection with the Maungatapu murderers, died m Nelson recently, aged. 86. ; * # ■ * Dahn Fisher will probably have cause i [ to regret his rashness m trying to' down Hislop for the mayoral election. Mayor Hislop will, it is said, give the Fisher, man a run for the central seat, and if he does, it is 'odds on "Good-bye. .Fisher." * * * In early youth, land and estate shark. A. C. Elliott used to sell milk at Kamo. Next he blossomed out as an agent m T>artnershin with young Tom Duncan(son of the Hon; T. Y. Duncan) . " whose daughter, by the way, he married. Elliott was once a telegraDh ope£»;fcor. Now, it looks as if his name is mud. * * * ' Ex-footballer Tom. Leydon narrow!.v> missed finding a fortune at Invercargill '•< the other day. He 1 picked ud a hu^e hunk of stuff, which he honestly believed to be ambergris, and totting its value up reckoned it was worth £3000. He carried it ten miles only to discover that it was a lump of candle-grease, or paraffin, and its value was a bob. * * * Amongst the passengers by the Moeraki bound for Sydney on Friday last was Mr Alex. Nicol. of Pahautanui. Both Alex, and his charming wife are lons residents of that celestial city, and both can be truly branded "white." Alex, is a true Scotchman— not the joke Scotchman who is always mean — but the real article, whose whisky is always 0.p.. and who gets angry if his guests don't drink a <rallon.

Mr Joseph Taylor, of Greymouth. received, last week, the sad intelligence of the death of his nephew. Is. H. GaskiuT who was one of the victims m thes Broome (W.A.) pearling disaster. The deceased had been engaged m this irade for the last eight years, and owned a fleet of five, and was very prosperous; indeed, m recent letters, he stated liis intention of an early run home. He /ins now gone to his last home.-.

* * * )Jerry Fail, who made enough wealth m a Christchurch fish-and-chip shop to. give £15,000 for B,aton's run at Nelson, and the odor of his late premises was mentioned reprovingly m "Truth." attended the sale on the Culver den estate, and bought most of the "gunimies" for breeding purposes at as low a price "as Is Sd a-piece. A rumor that he is to have the barren ancients filled with false teeth is 'entirely .without foundation.

Mr and Mrs Chas. Eager, of the Trafalgar Hotel. Nelson, had quite a big gathering of old friends at the opening of their hostelery on Saturday last. Being so well-known m Wellington, quite a number of visitors from this city, journeyed across the Straits and enjoyed the pood time Charlie and his wife had nrebared for tbem Among the Wellington guests was the Rev.. Percy Downes, of the perennial smile.

Teddy Knowles, who parted with Napier "Telegraph" to Auckland Brett and Geddis and Blomfield, is one of the oldest newspaper proprietors m the Dominion, and laid the foundation of his fortunes as a storekeeper, who did a big traffic with the unsuspecting aboriginals m the early days. Napier ran three daily papers for eleven years, the "Telegraph" adroirasterino- the death-blow to 'its reptile contemporary, the "Eveniag News," somewhere about 1897. The democratic "News" didn't live m vain, for Napier is now a Liberal constituency, and the hard-shell Tory "Telegraph?' was compelled to transfer its allegiance to the Government. Geddis and» Blomfield are becoming bloated newspaper monopolists, and now control Auckland "Observer," Waihi "Telegraph," Wellington "Lance," and Napier "Telegraph."

fcfapier will see a contest between three 'Government supporters next election. Rut awaka Fraser has represented the Marine Parade for nine years, and was m the habi 4 ; of giving ;the Government hell over its Native legislation as a sop to the sttons Tory element m the town. Vigor Brown, Mayor and King of Napier, and the new candidate, is a Tory who 'verted to Liberalism m deference to public opinion and the undeniable prosperity of the town caused by the cutting up of huge estates m Jlawke's Bay. Sammy Carnell, eX-Maypr and M.H R., the third candidate, sacrificed a remunerative photographic business for his Liberal principles, when Liberalism wasn'fr so popular on Scinde Island. Vigor Brown Bas got his finger mso many i>ies and controls so many, conflicting: inyterests that it is probable he will b« the new M,P. He used to travel calico for Archibald Clarke and Son..

Readers of ''Truth" will remember that about the time the Webb-Tresidder sculling; match was rowed on the Wanganui River, a good joke was uerpetrated on one J. H. James by Wellington's wag lawyer, Tom Wilford. Tom successfully tnilled James 1 leg on that occasion, and last week the* latter tried to get back home on to Tom. The lawyer man received an unsigned wire from Wanganui jntimatine; thai two duoks had been despatched to his residence. The absence of signature put Tom on the alert, and instructions were, given to examine the ouacks carefully. The quacks arrived all. right, but examination revealed thafc'^ they nad been carefully stuffed with saw The donor had evidently anticipated thj the legal liebt would have tjjg^'' cooked without examination. s Jir*~ ably pictured the look on^'lV ' he carved the toothsome..*' _^___^». lv inquiry revealed;/-**-'-' : donor, and tliejT" follows ' — "J ,-" But for t^- J "' have falV* madj»-" ; -'

Lieutenant Humphrey G. Grace, of the Indian Army, a son of Yen. Archdeacon Grace;- of -Blenheim, has been with General WUlcock's force m the operations ogainstthe Zakka Khels. *' * •* Mr John Norton, with Mrs Norton and children, Ezra and Joan, and nurse left Fremantle on April 20 en route for Europe.; Mr Norton is taking this trip under medical advice. He will probably have a six months' rest before resuming his many duties. * * * Ben Puller is a busy mam of late. Saturday last he hurried off to Christchurch and returned on Wednesday to Ret ready to go to Sydney, whither he flew (per Monowai) yesterday. Ben's quest is fresh talent, and incidentally to coax clubswinger Jack Griffiths to come across the briny to swing Tom Burrows for the world's championship. * * * Attending the aßnual meeting of the N.Z.R:u,i is Mr J. G. Hawkins, manager for Swaicson and Bevan, of Levin. "Hank 1 ? represents the Horowhenua R.TJ., and is always to be depended upon to look; : after the interests of that union. J. Ck" is a thorough sport and intends doing his '■■ utmost to further boxing interests m his 1 -' district. Good luck to him, anyhow. Genial sport', pressman, and all-round jrooA fellow, Geotfge Humphries, of thejv Press Association, has been having a rocky time of it of late. ' He has been seriously ill and has been confined to his resi-dence-at Newtown. Anyhow, George has so far recovered that lie will return to his work on Monday, and there's : not a pressman m Wellington who will not be glad to hear it.

"Flew" seems to hold thq' record m the Wellington district as a pub-keeper. First he started off as Bung at the"Ship,"Nelson, next he is Mine Host at the Clarendon, Christchurch. Then we find him controlling the destinies of the Alhambra m Wellington, then the Club pub. Now ha is licensee of the Central. If "Flew" gets to Heaven he'll have charge of tfco leading -pub there. The other place long ago carried No-tilcenstr: ■■-— -~r : * * * George H. Snazclle, so well known m Australasia, seems hard to kill. It will be remembered that he was reported as missing m tne ruins of the San Francisco earthquake, yet he came "on deck" all right. Only lately he was reported killed m a railway / accident m England, but he bobbed up serenely at the late meeting of the Gallery Club m London, on "Ladies' Night," that is. when the Masonic brethren happened along m tow, of their wives. •*■ * * It is believed that the victim, of the Blue Nile murder is Mr Colin Campbell Scott-Moncrieff. a cousin of the Rev. Cj W. Scott-Mbncrieff, warden of St. John's College, Auckland, and a son of Sir Colin Scott-Moncriefl; who occupied the position of Under-Secretary ' ot< State Public Worta, Cairo, from 1883 to. 1 842-. when he became TJnder-Secrctary lor Scotland. Mr Moncrieft was .only 3S years of age and was unmarried. He had only been m Egypt for a .yea* or. f tWO.[ '.

Celia Gilhoni, the blonde mezzo-soprano who made a small name for herself m G-ilbert-Sullivan roles, and was recently; here wrij the Blue Moon Co., leaves to trjc her fortunes m Fogland early m June. Celia seems to have fallen out .of stage life ■ somewhat lately, and was aft* sent from the last Sydney season, though appearing m Brisbane lately. It's a very melancholy fact tihat mediocre importations have elbowed the local pro-, ducts into the stage background rather, too frequently lately.

Mr Humphrey O'Leary, LL.B.. winnen of the Plunket medal for oratory and general goodfellow, made his initial appearance, m the wig and gown, m the Supreme Court, before Mr Justice Cooper, on Wednesday, and delivered a very: impressive address m support of his cli-f ent. Mr O'Leary has not long been admitted to the N.Z. bar, and already has given great uromise oE "rising rapidly m the teamed Costs trade. At present he belongs to the office of Messrs Milford and Jjevi. Anyhow. what a strong "string" of learned legal .ventlemen that! office has now. Percy Jackson looks quite a veteran, too !. _•:-,.

Jt is hard luck for a man who has car* ried his life m his hand m war and strife m different parts of the world to go back to his home and be killed m an inglorious fflotor-car accident. That, however, is the fate that befel Dr. Herbert Home. He was driving" his wife and a lady friend m his motor-car recently, and when going down a hill near Traralgon (Vie), the steering gear went wrong, the brakes would not act, and the car went to eternal smash, [the doctor being thrown out and fatally injured. The deceased medico went through the Boer War, and he won as much credit as was to be won by anyone who assisted m that outrage on a people's liberty. 'Because of his numerous wounds he was invalided home, but no sooner was he patched up again than he was off to China, where stirring events were taking place. He was appointed medical exammter to the China Mut'.ial Life Assurance Society, and once while on his rounds he and a canvasser wew by ban-^* dits. The two/* " -\iu>*' ~W-«<vb«A the fight they,,/ *** cable itemjtavin' i