ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4174, 5 July 1875, Page 2

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

■ ; ■ ■ ■ ; . ■ —;';♦ .. : . ;,. ' . ,• ' - ' , There, have been remarkably few accidents during the inorith, and not a single necessity, lot a Coroner's inquest. Unfortunately, we have had to record; a com- J parative! superabundance of crime, since | our last. ■' •• ■' • ■■;■• ' -'^ /." , •■ ■ ■:,7 > .'. But for the promptness of ex-Detective Farirell, a serious conflagration, probably fatal in its results, would have occurred at the Australasian Hotel, Maclaggan street, ou the morning of the 7th ult.. Mr Farrell, who lodges at the hotel,, was. aroused by a smell of something burning, and after searching about, he observed the dining-room ceiling to be on fire. The alarm was at once given,' and further damage avoided. The fire, it appeared, had:been caused by .some lighted embera rolling out of a grate on to the floor of the dining-room, .which wa3 occupied by the Fakir of Oolu. The house is insured for £1000, and furniture for: £500; the damage being nominal. :• A small house, situated in a block of wooden buildings at the head of Maclaggan, narrowly escaped being , burnt down on Sunday morning, the ,7th ult. The occupier, Janet Johnston, left.a lighted candle on her toilet-table, which ignited the window-blind; and fortunately, the blaze was observed in tim«j to be extinguished by a bucket of water. The engineer,of the ship Rangitikei met with a painful accident on the Bth ult.,' which involved the loss of the little finger of his right ; hand. The engine was lifting ballast into the ship at. the time, and by some mischance the engineer's hand was caught between the cogs of the wheels and his little finger shattered to the second joint. Surgical assistance was procured at once, and .the finger amputated at the joint. A narrow escape from drowning occurred to one of two men who were making for Portobello from Port Chalmers in a dingy on Monday night, the Bth ult. They were both more or less tipsy, and when the boat was in the tide rip off Observation Point one of them managed to fall overboard. The air confined in his garments kept him afloat but a little while, his head, however, being under water, and his companion was powerless to help him. The result would not have been long in doubt but for the opportune arrival of waterman. Dunbar's boat. Dunbar was conveying a " fare" to Portobello, and seeing the danger of the: man backed down upon him and pulled him into the boat. He was nearly insensible.

About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 11th ult., a fire broke out at Cunningham's store, Deborah Bay, and in a very short time reduced the structure and its contents to ashes. The origin of the fire is unexplained. The building was insured for £200 in the Norwich Union.

Our Lawrence correspondent telegraphed, on the 19th ult., that about 11 o'clock in the forenoon Jeremiah O'Leary, of Blue Spur, miner, met with a severe accident. He was at work on the top of his claim when a large portion of ground gave way and carried O'Leary to the bottom. He has since been removed; to the hospital, and his left leg is. broken near the knee. He has a wife and a large family. The leg will require to be amputated.

Joseph M'Donald, a respectable-looking man, was severally charged at. the City

Police Court, on the Bth ult., with fraudulently obtaining by means of false pretences, 103 6d .from Ellen Robertson, 10a >fr6m Wilsbii? 10a from Julia £2 10s frem Mary M'Farlane. — Prisoner, in" pleading Guilty, stated that he had been driven to tha crime in order to "Wake up a deficiency,. Jionestly incurred, tp his employer. It was his intention to" refund the moneys when inf a position to do so.—John Njven, bookmaker who had employed accused.: as hi* '■' traveller, expressed an. opinion that h& never would have committed the crime had he not been driven, to it by drink.—The Bench, though inclined to deal leniently with the prisoner,,, could:n6t overlook the offence, and sentenced him to seven days' impriaonmeafc on each charge. .>..•-. <•■ .-» The . Wainiate ; Tribune -of the 9th ulfc. ■•:■■• says :—A most daring: robbery of jewellery was committed in. Wainiate on Satur- _... day. night 'last; It;appears that^?Al£v.. Yioung, watchmaker and jeweller^-tume^i* out the lights hi' His "shop abou|fyweftis«&j'; minutes to ten o'clock;- went out for"* " short time, and on h.is; return founds..»•••■■ pane; of glass in a back window of Ms pre- ,:- mises broken." Thisnattirally'caus^dhini'r;.! . s<jme uneasiness,Vafidjindii^ed' hin^ to, g»'■ V< into his.shop^ whenhe discovered that a," '■■ glass!case;' containing £30'worth^^ of jewel-' ; leiry, had'bean gtblen..., Oh.Sunday, the 13th, about noon, the-case (uninjured) was found by a .-little-boy^.in-'a ■■ paddocks belonging to MrDidasafaj'some^'diatanba'; ; from the seene1 bf ih& robbery;; ''• "i:i • !!; • i Joseph Fleming; Express-driver, wa» charged with stealing from; the Eattray Wharf Shed a sack ?of Pats; valued-; ,at Its.—Mr Joyce defeffded. Mr. G. F^„ Rbid,J shipping q,geht|;^;Mpd;that' a,g;re^^:. ajhburil.pf, piifering'rhad'iiately been.'caiff j" •ried on at'the fiattray Street-Jetty. 'Dur^,j j ing the past year, goods—to the value o£ £'30 had been stolen, and it was hia belief that tKora.. wj»b.-.• a; syetomatio manner o£ « taking them.—James Baxter,,wharf clerk to; the last,witness,.4epPßed to seeing ac^^Jl cused take a way!,the bag, foi:. which. ' h&f^^ gave him iato custody. Prisoner-waa-sentenced' Ito seven days^ imprisoamtot§?s with; hard: labour." t-'; ■":.';;-' '■■[ „.•; '■ v,... f;::^ :^";'rjS>^ :

'A^melai^'chblyirlppkirig'' fellow ; natna^^f,; John Riley was, charged t at;'the:':Policttr -~ Courton the 23rd ult. with stealing ahorse^ saddle, and bridlepthe valu'e'lof £30; sAs a fear was entertained that .accused waa_ ~ non compos mentis, he was remanded for s.medical examination, and on Drs Browa ?anid Fergxisson certifying to,his sanity, the .-.■:: richiirge was proceeded with. The casewaa one cf bailing up, prisoiifer 'having stuck up; a boy named M'Donald, at MosgieL .early on ,the .morning .of.. the 19th, ana under a threatto-kilirhim^tookcaway Urn t* *hbrse.he. wm.priding,, ,The. Bench cpra-r, r - mitted him to the Supreme Court criminal sfessidhs for "trial, and oh li "firfther ctiaxgai* ' !of istealing some clothes^ .sentenced Mmto^ three months' f ijnprispjiment.; 1 A promising yoiing woman, named Catheriria1 Amelia■ ChayibttafWindsor was; charged at the Police Court on the 24tk ult, ; wji.th, committing, bistamys by .marrying :: one MichaelDryden^ henfonnerihusbandi; Louis Schmidt,,. be^ing.ihen .alive.. ,Th©., „ evidence waa yery conclusive; and wheiL rcommitted'for^ irialj; ac'cused'.rtbserved--— " I say this much^: that J^Kchael Drydea knew me to be a married woman at the time of my marriage. "He knew that my husband waS/UviiigS.tifitfe me; iiTsChjrisrfr .( church at'the:time^' "'UiP ;-;'■•;; • -r...