NOTES AND QUERIES

Otago Witness, Issue 1503, 4 September 1880, Page 17

NOTES AND QUERIES

J. Dbxforo, Clarendon, writes :— " Would you kindly ; inform me how the sound which is produced by a veDtnloquest is embodied, as we do not hea/it until it reaches its destination."— The art of the ventriloquist consists mainly iv taking a deep in«wil fS r brea * h ' and then allowing it to escape ™mU £ SOunds of the voice being modified and S^w., ymeans of the m «B2lesof the upper part of the throat and of the palate. It does not depend upon any peculiar structure of the organs of the voice, but upon practice and dexterity. Nkmo writes:— " Would you kindly inform me through tne medium of your paper what the 'Laocoon' represents. —In sculpture, a group representing Laocoon (the priest of Neptune or Apollo during the Trojan war) with his sons enfolded in the coils of two serpents, as described by Virgil. Observer, Kaikorai, questions the correctness of our statement that the wreck of the City of Boston took place in 1870. "Haydn's Dictionary of Dates," which is extremely unlikely to contain a misstatement, under the heading of "Wrecks," says: "City of . Boston sailed from New York; long missing: February 11th, 1870." S. E. S. asks : Will a letter with only one 'penny stamp go from one post-office to another in the same district if not over-weighted ?— Yes ; but the unfortunate receiver will be mulcted in a fine of twopence to pay for the remissness of the sender. If delivered from the same office that it is posted in, a penny would be sufficient; but not when it has to pass through a second office. G. 8., Hindon, writes that he has a number of hens, but no rooster. He, however, finds that his eggs are impregnated, and as there are pheasants in the neighbourhood, he believes the eggs are impregnated by the cock pheasants. He asks our advice as to whether or not he should set the eggs.— Certainly. We have seen a cross between the pheasant and common hen, and can recommend it as a layer. A.8., Dunedin.— The following are a few further particulars in reference to your question as to the number of innocent persons hanged since the date you quote:— The noble and learned Lord Chief Baron of England, Sir Fitzroy Kelly in his evidence before the Capital Punishment Commission, 1866 states that 22 cases had been found of capital convictions of persons for murder who had afterwards turned out to be innocent, and of these 22, he states that seven actually suffered death. In the remainder of the cases the sentence was mitigated— or upon the innocence of the parties appearing in sufficient tune they were pardoned. In another case, of a man named Chalker, who had been capitally convicted for the murder of a gamekeeper ; he was executed, and it turned out afterwards that the real murderer had appeared in India, and when dyinghad confes«ed his guilt, in 1836. The person hanged was free from guilt. In another case a person was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for murder, and would have been executed on the following Monday morning, but on the Sunday he was respited and his life saved, and he was very shortly pardoned, owing to his innocence. Charles Malet, sentenced to death in London, 1854, on apparently very clear and decisive evidence, for an atrocious assault, with robbery, on a female. He was subsequently proved entirely innocent of the offence, and received a free pardon. There is presumptive ground for believing that innocent persons have suffered death for want of influential wealthy friends to procure an investigation of their case, or to make such efforts as were succeesf ul in the instances of Keirwan, Ireland's Eye murder, Dublin, Dr Smethurst, and others. In poisoning cases, in particular, there is the greatest possible danger of the conviction, and even execution, of innocent men. In a capital case in which, after Judge Vaugftan, who passed sentence, had repeatedly refused to entertain a certain objection as valid, and left the prisoner for execution— nevertheless 11 other judges were unanimously of opinion that the objection was agood one, and the sentence was commuted. In the case of the Saffron HiU murder, London, Pellizzoni and Mogni are another instance of the danger of an irrevocable judicial mistake. In France there have been of late pears some innocent men sentenced to death— some of whom were executed, and some not. Three hawkers were condemned to death in Belgium in 1842, after being found guilty by a jury. The Court of Appeal (Cassation) concurred with the majority of the jury as to their guilt. The King commuted their sentence to one of perpetual imprisonment. It was afterwards shown that they were innocent, when the three were discharged and received an annuity for life. The Christian religion leaves open hopes of pardon to the worst of men on repentance. When a man is hanged you cut him off from power to repent The pigeonholes of Dublin i-Castle— nay, indeed the pages of Parliamentary Blue-books, are full of confidential reports exposing the rottenness of evidence m murder cases, and bevailing its sanguinary result in the ever-to-be-remembered case of the brothers Cormack, executed for the murder of Mr Ellis a magistrate, who had seduced their sister. Those wretched men were totally innocent of the crime Many sad and brutal cases in Ireland are, alas ! too well known. The unfortunate case of the highlypitted and eloquent gentlemen, the brothers Nelson, in Belfast, will be remembered till time is no more The case of the man Habron— Whalley Range murder, Manchester,— mentioned last week— Peace who W sf h^ n ,§? dinA i mlev ' Yorkshire > fortne Banner Cross (Sheffield) murder, confessed his guilt, and shortly afterwards Habron was pardoned and liberated LoviHG Polly wishes to know the cost of the verticalfeed sewing machine, and whether they are easily worked or not— We believe the price ranges from £7 10s upwards, and they are said to be as easily worked as any other machine. Mr Albert Walker, v t ' Bend you clrculars ' &c - on a P-

To CORRESPONDENTS.

Sagittarius.— Thanks for your contribution. It was received just too late for the Station column this week, but will appear in next issue A. number of poetical contributions are on the file. Several letters to the Editor are unavoidably held over •