Fatal Fire at Kaniert.

Otago Witness, Issue 1506, 25 September 1880, Page 14

Fatal Fire at Kaniert.

Hokitika, September 22nd. Constable Stephenson, stationed at Kanisri, reported this morning the horrible death by burniog of Margaret Hutcheaon and her child, four months old, as follows :— David Hntoheson stated to him that his wife and child had been burned to death the previous night at their houie on Tucker's Flat, a short distance from Kanieri township. The constable visited the place, and found the remains of the body of the woman. Both legs and ona arm were burned away, and the head partly consumed. No trace of the infant cvi.M be found. Tae house consisted of tworo- .. s only. At 11 o'clock last evening David Hu onesonreturned from Kanieri and found his wif Iving.on a stretcher ia the front room, and Uiu baby in the cradle alongside the stretcher. No conversation took place between the wife and her husband, who went into the back room, where there were five children asleep. He then retired to rest, leaving his wife and baby in the front room, ia which there was a little fire, and a lighted kerosene lamp on the table. At about 3 a.m. he was awoke by the glare of light and smoke. He called to his wife but got no reply. He then rushed into the front room, and found the roof and Bide walk all ablaze. He shook his wife, but she never attempted to move. He could not get to the front door, which was burned, and he ran back to the bedroom and raided the window, and had barely time to pat out the five children who escaped. By that tinn he found it impossible to get into the front room again. The neighbours endeavoured to put- out the fire, but their efforts were unavailing. The house and contents were entirely c nsumed. An inquest will be held to-morrow morning. The Waikaia Election. The following are the latest returns to hand Those to come cannot affect the xesult : — Bastings. Morris. Tapanui .. ..11 .. 10 Waikaia .. -.36 „ 55 Roxburgh .. (j3 .. 51 Gore .. i(j .. 15 Crookston . . „ 9 - . . 0 Horseshoe Bend 12 . . 1 Dunrobin .. ..19 .. 13 Glenkenich.. ..13 .. 0 Waikaia Flat .. 5 .. i Knapdale .. ..16 .. 6 Waikaka .. ..18 .. 13 278 168 The New Zealand Gazette. The following appointments of assessors under "The Property Assessment Act, 1879," have been nude : — In the Waitaki Property Assessment District :— Gi'Di'ge Dyson, of Teniuka; Caleb Ezekiel Sherratt, of Gerakliue ; Robert Irvine, of Peel Forest ; Frederick Charles Shrimpton, Edwin Henry Lough, and Francis \V -ireester Stubbs, all of Timaru ; Andrew Carter and John Bell, both of Waimate; John Church, James B.e, and David M'Master, all of Oamaru; Gordon In'ies Millington, ofHensley; William Henry Sherwin K.berts, of Waipaht ; and George Frederick Clulee of B irke's Pass. ' Snathe Otago Property —wessinent District :— John G 1 \y, Joseph Lowe Shaw, Robert Park, William O un Ball, Peter Keam, and Cyprian Chavies Webb at of Duiiedin; William Thomas Winchester and H-nry John Guilford, both of Portobello- Andrew H> -r- ° f J { aori H ffl ; William Cowan M ! Nee and D ,'id Hemlry Miller, both of Mornington • Martin Piwce, of Caversham; Thomas King and George

Pram, both of East Taieri; William Dallas, John M'Neil, and Alexander Ironside, all of Balclutha; John M'Kenzie, of Shag Valley; Thomas Hughan, of Waihola; John Stewart Dickie, Adolphus Alexander Oliver, and George Fache, all of Clyde; Thomas Brookes, of Milton; George Byron King and Philip U'Ren, both of Lawrence; William M'Hutchison, of Naseby ; James Augustine Mooney, of Tapanui ; and Jabez Burton, of Roxburgh. In the Southland Property Assessment District :- Archibald M'Watt, William Blacklock, William Benjamin Scandrett, Charles William Brown, Lewis Longuet, Joseph Lyle, George M'Leod, John Robert Blyth, Alfred Douglas, and William Lane, all of Invercargill; Nicholas John Burrows, of Campbelltown ; Henry Boston Cassells and J«une3 Fullarton, both of Riverton ; John Scott Worthington, of Queenstown ; Ebenezer Taylor, of Woodlands; Thomas Littlewort, of Mataura; Daniel Shea Lawlor, of Waikiwi; William Bussell, of Stuarton ; lan Simson Simson, of Gore; William John Braithwaite, of Switzers; James Frederick Healey, of Arrow; John Kynaston Lea, of Winton ; and James Brown Greig, of Stewart's /Island. George Bentinck Clark has been appointed registrar of births, marriages, and deaths, and also vaccination inspector, for the district of Kaihiku. A notification appears of the appointment of Mr W. L. Simpson, K.M., to be a Resident Magistrate for the district of Dunedin, with jurisdiction to £100, vice J. Bathgate, Esq. Mr W. L. Simpson, R.M., has been appointed Chairman of the Licensing Courts for the districts of Half-way Bush, North-East Valley, Blueskin, Portobello, Peninsula, Caversham, Mornington, City of Dunedin South Ward, City of Dunedin High Ward, City of Dunedin Bell Ward, City of Dunedin Leith Ward, Roslyn, Kaikorai, and Suburban, vice Mr J. Bathgate. Mr G. W. Harvey has been appointed District Judge of the District Courts of Dunedin and of Tokomairiro nd Clutha, irice Mr J. Bathgate. ""* The Commissioner of Customs has appointed the following districts for the purpose of levying and collecting the duty imposed by " The Beer Duty Act, 1880." :— Oamaru district, comprising the boroughs of Oamaru and Hampden and the county of Waitaki. Dunedin district, comprising the boroughs of Dunedin, Dunedin South, Roslyn, Mornington, St. Kilda, Maori Hill, West Harbour, Caversham, Green Island, North-East Valley, Port Chalmers, Palmerston South, Hawksbury West, Milton, Baldutba, Lawrence, Roxburgh, Tapanui, Naueby, Alexandra, Cromwell ; and the counties ofTaieri.WaikoualtLManiototo, Vincent, Tuapeka, Bruce, Clutha.. Invercargill district, comprising the borough of Invercargill, Invercargill North, Invercargill South, Invercargill East, Gladstone, Campbelltown, Avenel, Winton, Riverton, Arrowtown, Queenstown: and the counties of Southland, Wallace, and Lake.