TIMARU.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1211, 4 March 1880, Page 2

TIMARU.

[from our own correspondent.l March 2.

Inquests, are the order of the day. Some men meet their death by accident, otherß by suicide. Another cause of inquest was the death of an unfortunate youth near Albury on the excessively hot day a fortnight . ago. While walking home to his father's house he was struck to the ground, and was found lying on the road in an unconscious state, in which he remained till he died. The medical testimony satisfied the jury that death had resulted from sunstroke. Yet another enquiry is, now going on, and one of a rather extraordinary kind. So peculiar is it that the inquest seems as far from being ended as when it began. It appears that the garden and orchard of the late W. K. M'Donald, of Orari,j,h,ad been let to one Wheelband, who, to prevent his fruit being stolen A engaged a man named Dober to watch., Instead of fulfilling his mission in a legitimate manner, the man, armed.himself with a gun and repaired to the garden, where he hid himself among the foliage, apparently intending to shoot anyone who dared to go. within the fence. Shortly he heard, footsteps, when he sprang from his hiding place and saw two men,\one of whom: was Hatoer, a shepj. herd' on the station!,. When he (Hamer) land his companion, Webster, by name, saw Dober coming, .out,with the weapon in ;his hand, they took to their heels, but had riot gone Dober called "I know you, shepherd, you • d,evijl," and, without any ceremony discharged hip gun, , 'the contents lodging in Hamer's. thighs! and lo'iqsj a, shjall sprinkling between the/shoulders..' The wo.unded man/hamediately fell, v to, the ground, exclaiming' " You've ahflt me," whiltfhis comrade made tracks, Dober then went to the manager's house and told • him what had ocourred when Mr. Telton: sprang out of bed, and, quickly dressing, proceeded to'the spot, and had the sufferer removed to his whare. What could have been the object sought in thus levelling a deadly 1 weapon ,at a fellow-creature, for the paltry offence of pilfering fruit, 1 it is x\oi easy'.to con-, ceive. Rather \q% u| 'appose that it• was done by assertion have.some coloring of truth, for it ; was elioited at the inquest that the gun was liable to go off at any time," with the slightest movement, so weak was the trigger. I think most people are.jimpressed with: the idea that there was no intention of killing ojf wounding, .while .there are, QD\jU?"ae, the Uncharitable, dent-esqepvwheu' they themselves are On the whole; I should say ! that the most charitableiand proper oanstructicm ; is that the gun beyag bad* and the watchman in a state, q£ it must have gone, of| by accjdient, Thia is the fajfegfc t& take it, until the enquiry combes, to,an that '.ajjjy. existed between Dober and. hia the. case will, of course, appear, from, another standpoint, and the woqW-be assassin should be taught that the sin of stealing apples ia hot yet, by our laws, punishable with death. Until the existence of malice is shown, however, we may fairly conclude that Dober is more worthy of pity than. prosec,u,4ion, for should he be innocent of any desire to inflict the wounds; his own inward feelings will: be ample punishment, to, him. The wounded man s?' at present in the hospital iri.a. very weak state, but beyond -danger, ,''. ; " • " '" ' '''-■■■ '■;••■'•■■■ *.j ; 'The District opened yesterday! before Judge Ward, for the. despatch of criminal business., Mr. White being laid aside by illness, the : prosecutions are being cohdupied by Mir. X>uncan, of All the prisoners tried yestWday. - Tyere found -guilty,; namely, ! Wni. Tafe, indecent assault on two children ;VWm, Halford,,wif ; H. N: Chamberlain, laroariy ; and 'F.'A. Sims, ialso larceny, ■ In,each case sentence was .deferred.till to-day. The trial of .th,e rioters of Boxing Day notoriety; pro-, loee'dihg.'" ; "" v i . The 18-feet section of the. bi;eajcwajieir I was p% last, and

there seems to be no obstruction, whatever in the way of further success. Thediver's report of the bottom i 3 all that could be desired, the basis on which the blocks will be laid being composed of stiff blue clay, which is considered Al by competent judges. Much difficulty is experienced by the contractors in preventing the visits of juvenile fishermen and inquisitive .people during prohibited hours, for although it has been decreed that no person shall be seen upon the structure, save only the ; workman, while daily operations are going on, there are many who persist in paying their visits, and in going to places'where they are not wanted, thus hindering the work. If these ininquistive folks will not take the hint, so often offered, it will become necesssry to' resort to something more efficacious than words. I hear that while the diver was down the other day an " intelligent " young man took up a position on the airpipe. ~ An observant correspondent of ono of the local papers. draws the attention of the marine authorities to the. "threemasted telescopes " lying in the roadstead.. These are large vessels, whose sterns were' buried : in the sea, while their bowsprits aim straight at fcho moon. The"" telescopes " certainly look very to say nothing of the danger, which also is great, for, should an easterly gale 'suddenly spring up, bringing in with it a heavy rolling sea, the-vessels could not possibly escape being beached. Our poor civic fathers are in a fix. The Municipal coffers are empty, and means, must be found of' replenishing thorn.. Most.of us are tolerably conversant with; the "city bye-laws," and we are not. ignorant of the fact that a small fine ip.; the penalty for allowing a harmless! horsoor cow to stray within the sacred precincts of the borough. So wide awake are we to these things that comparatively few are ever invited to meet the beak' for offences against the bye-laws. How, iheb, are our venerable fathers to provide for us? How can they keep the rflaro going without the wherewithal! They have tried all sorts of things, in the hope' of tripping us up, and causing us ta'put. our foot into it sometimes, but all to nopurpose. But they have hit the nail on: the head..at last. The Tiraaru Borough. Council have held a special meeting,.and', have resolved unanimously to catch the> unwary, and compel them ;to contribute; to the maintenance of dry rubbish depots,, dusty streets, and noxious drains," by/ altering the bye-laws in such a manner asi to make them unknown to all.