OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 21

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

(Fhom Oub Own Correspondent.) Melbourne, December 2, A CLERICAL SCANDAL.

The particulars have been published in Melbourne of what would seem a fraud on the parb of a Wesleyan minister who recently left Victoria for New Zealand. The Rev. J. B. Johnson was for some time in charge of the United Methodist Free Church in South street, Ballarat. His wife died at the end of 1892, and he shortly afterwards obtained leave of absence to visit New Zealand. He went to Auckland, and was appointed to take charge of the Helping Hands Mission in that city. He asked for a clearance from this colony, but certain rumours prejudicial to his character had got abroad, and atter his case had been investigated by a committee of ministers the clearance was refused. Mr Johnsou thereupon came back and married a second wife in Ballarat. He returned to New Zealand with his new partner, but the only "form of credential" which he could get from the Victorian church was as follows :—: —

The Rev. Mr Johnson having made application for his credentials, it was resolved that the following form of credential be given :—: — That Mr Johnson has been 7} years in our ministry, that he resigned of his own accord, that his resignation was duly received and accepted, and that this committee regrets that it cannot recommend him to any other religious body. " G. W. Harrison, President." This was in March last. He continued in his new field of work in Auckland till October, by which time the Ballarat rumours had reached Auckland, and his appointment was reviewed at a conference at Onehunga. To this conference Mr Johnson produced on different days two separate clearances from Victoria — one declaring that "he carries with him the best wishes of all the brethren in the connexion for his future welfare." The secretary of the New Zealand Conference (Mr H. Bull) has therefore written to the president here (Mr Harrison) for information, and that gentleman has enlightened him as to the nature of the only clearance supplied to Mr Johnson. The other two which he produced were evidently manufactured. Mr Johnson will probably therefore be compelled to seek pasUires new. THE BRUNSWICK CHILD MURDERS.

Mrs Knorr, alias Thwaites, has been found guilty in Melbourne of the murder of a baby, which was found in the back yard of a house she had inhabited in Brunswick. The trial has been most sensational, while the evidence generally would go to show that in social as in commercial immorality Melbourne can at least hold its own against Dunedin. Mrs Knorr elected in her own defence to do what is now permissible under Victorian law — namely, enter the box and make a statement, and to undergo crossexamination. She had three charges of murder hanging over her — one in regard to a body found in Moreland road, and two in regard to two bodies found in Davis street. One of those found in Davis street was undoubtedly murdered, as it had a cord bound round its neck. Mrs Knorr's statement in brief was that she buried two of the bodies herself, but that the infants died of natural causes. As to the third, which had the cord round its neck, she asserted that a man with whom she lived, named "Ted" Thompson, murdered it and buried it, or at any rate that he took it away, did not bring it back, and told her he had put it away where it would never more trouble her. Thompson is a fishmonger, who made Mrs Kuorr's acquaintance while her husband, Rudolph Knorr, who was a waiter, was in gaol. They lived together as man and wife. Her accouut of their relations is as follows: — "I lived with Thompson iv Canning street, Carlton, for threo days. Previously I lived in South Melbourne, where Thompson was keeping me. I stayed at South Melbourne about threo weeks, and then went to George street, Fitzroy. Thompson was then maintaining me ; and he and his brother came to live with me in a house in Canning street. Thompson then took a house in Pigdon street, and with his parents' consent he lived with me — and his brother a'so lived in the same house — until he and I went to Adelaide. The parents and I used to exchange visits frequently. In Adelaide Thompson and I had a few words and we parted. I took a situation to earn my faro over, and returned to Melbourne nearly a fortnight after Thompson, near the end of January of this year." It is only righb to say that Thompson's mother declared she only "vi3ited" Mrs Knorr to get her son away. A complication in the case was afforded by a letter which Mrs Knorr wrote to Thompson during the inquest, and in wbich she gave him information about how to manufacture evidence which would help to get her off. This letter was produced at the trial, but a passage in it was so blotted out with black chalk (it was written in pencil) that no efforts, even cf analytical chemi=ts, can restore it or properly decipher it. Mrs Kuorr declared that the obliterated passage read — " Ted, you know you are guilty of what lam charged with. If you look after my two children I will never reveal, so help me God. I will bear the blame." Thompson and his mother, who between them were responsible for the obliteration, swore, on the contrary, that they struck out the words because they were "fhttering" to Thomjisou — something, they said, to the effect that she was fonder of him than of her husband. This letter and other letters also contained other "flattering" words, however, and these were not struck out. So the matter remained until Mr Justice HoJroyd tried his hand on the obliterated words. He was only able to make out, by holding the paper up in strong sunlight, a few letters, but they favoured Thompson's interpretation rather than Mrs Knorr's, and this went strongly against her. Besides, his Honor pointed oub that if Mrs Kuorr knew nothing of what Thompson had done with the child, as fche said, it was strange that the one she admitted burying herself was placed so close to the other as almost to touch ib. Thompfou denied very positively that he had anything to do with getting rid of the babies. Mrs Knorr'o statement made big demands also upon credulity by references to a man "Wilson," and a "Mrs Charlton" who had something to do with the infants, bub of whom she can give no particulars except their names, and of whom the police can find no trace in the flesh. In the end the jury found her guilty — a verdict which, although it could not have been unexpected, seemed to give the prisoner a great shock. She swayed about in the dock tor a moment or two, and then, bursting into tears, sank down on the seat with her head bent nearly to her knees. Loudly sobbing as she left the dock and was conducted, or rather supported, out of the court, she turned to the galley vflore Thompson was sitting and exclaimed, " God furgivo your 6ins, Ted." Her last audible words as she disappeared from

view were, "God help my poor mother ; God help my poor baby." Knorr (her husband) is to be tried as an accomplice with his wife for the murder of one of the other babies.

A BUTTER RING.

For some days past there have been reports (originating in Sydney) that private cable messages had been received prophesying a speedy and substantial fall in the London butter market. It was declared that these cables predicted that in a fortnight or so the price of factory butter would, owing to the impending glut, fall from 125s per cwt to 80s, and that not more than 60s or thereabout, would bs obtained for dairy-made butter. The press cable messages said nothing about this impending fall, but were reassuring in tone. The publication of the private news, however, created uneasiness, and in some cases advances against shipments were reduced from 8d or 9d to 6d per Ib. It appears now that these private cable messages are part of the plan of operations of a riDg which is endeavouring to ' ' bear " the market. The statement is that some leading merchants, both in London and Australia, who lost by making too liberal advances last year are now endeavouring to recoup themselves by "bearing" the local market. It is part of their plan to influence the London market by exaggerating the production of butter in Australia this season, and to declare that the quantity shipped is greater than is officially stated to be the case. By this means it is hoped to cause a temporary collap&e in the prices in London, and in that way confirm the predictions cabled to Australia. It is alleged that operations were begun in New South Wales and South Australia. The output in those colonies is not as large as in Victoria, and it would therefore be easier to affect those markets than the Victorian. Although it is expected that the export of butter from these colonies this season will be nearly double what it was last year, this increase, when compared with the consumption of Great Britain during the winter months, will be so small that experbs declare that it cannot appreciably affect the prices in the London market. The ring, theretore, by having its scheme exposed, will no doubt fail in its object.

EXECUTION OP GLASSON.

Edwin Hubert Glasson, the Carcoar murderer, was executed in the Gaol on Wednesday, protesting to the last his innocence of the murder of Mr J. W. Phillips and Miss Kavacagh, of which he had been convicted. The most pathetic side of the tragedy is the position of Glasson's devoted wife. On the tabie in hfc cell he always kept two of her photographs before him. Early on the morning of the execution the Rev. Mr Livingstone, Church of England chaplain, visited him, and engaged in devotions with him. Glasson expressed himself ready to die, and said that he had no confession to make, as he was unconscious of having committed any crime. On the scaffold he spoke as follows :—": — " I am leaving a world ot sorrow. All who know me need not grieve. I am going to a happier sphere. I am not sorry, because I shall soon be in a brighter and better home, whose glory you have never experienced. I have to say, as I am about to Btand before my Creator, that I die an innocent man, suffering for other people's sins. I admit that the evidence was strong against me, but there were facts which should have come before the public. The defence ss.fc up on my behalf was none of my seeking. Ido not, however, blame anybody. Everything that could be done under the circumstances was done. At the same time, there were statements which should be made, and if these had come out in evidence the case might have gone differently. As I say, I am a dying man, and will soon pass away. My thoughts are of my Maker, and my last words arc that I think of my beloved wife." He adhered to the last to his story that he was sent into the bank by two men whose names ho could not give, but there is no doubt that this was a pure fabiication. It is said that his wife's father has lost his reason through the affair. The directors of the City Bank of Sydney, of which Mr J. W. Phillips, who was murdered by Glasson, was branch manager at Carcoar, have decided to allow Mrs Phillips, the wife of the murdered man, £100 a year for 15 years. MISCELLANEOUS. Mr Purves finished his sross-examination of Mr Speight, which had lasted six days, in tte great libel action on Wednesday. Mr Duffy (Mr Speight's counsel) created quite a sensation by confining his re-examination to two questions only :—": — " In your management of this department did you ever keep secret, or attempt to hide any of your dealings or negotiations?" "No." "Did you ever conceal or destroy any document or letter, or did you leave them on the file, where they have been found since ?" "I have always lef 0 them on the file." Such a commentary on Mr Purves's long and laboured cross-examination was very striking, and is everywhere characterised as a brilliant piece of tactics which must have a good effect on the jury. Mr Speight was a magnificent witness and stood Mr Purves's strong, and often offensive, bombardment with undisturbed composure. Mr Purves never in all his long career as a cross-examiner made less impression on a witness. The judge's summing up is now awaited with anxiety. The betting is all iv favour of Mr Speight's success at present In a recent letter under the heading of " Commercial Immorality " I gave particulars of the evidence brought out in court concerning fche firm of Black and Cummins, coachbuilders. The business man of the firm was William George Black. Much of the business of the firm waa done on the "hire-purchase" or timepayment system, i c , the buyer of a vehicle would pay partly in cash and partly by a bill. These bills would then be endorsed by the firm, and discounted at the bank. Black in his evidence could only swear to the genuineness of three out of 252 promissory notes said to have been received by him in respect to vehicles sold on the hire-purchase system, and he also admitted that many of the vehicles which were supposed to have been sold ou hire-purchase were privately disposed of by auction, while the moneys received for them were paid into his own private account without the knowledge of Mr Cummins Black has now been arrested on four charges of forging names to these bills, and the firm's accountant has also been arrested for übtering the bills so forged. The Martini-Henry cartridges manufactured by the Colonial Ammunition Company^ of Melbourne, were effectively tested by the shooting during the late V.R.A. meeting at Williamstown. Such splendid shooting has never before been seen on the range, and the fact that three men in a single match were able to get scoics of 48 out of a possible 50, coupled with the splendid shooting in the last stage o£ the Queen's Prize, stamps the colonial ammunition as at least not inferior in any way to the best Imperial cartridges. The Colonial Ammunition Company has a branch at Auckland, where, however, for want of machinery they are only able to manufacture Snider cartridges. The New Zealand Government has therefore been ordering Martini-Henry cartridges from the company in Melbourne, which sent about 70,000 a week or two ago.

A seueational finil hag been made at Egan's reel, Hannau's, Coolgardie. Theyjhave Btiuck a rich shoot of gold 3ft wide, and as rkh aa

anything on Coolgardie. A shoot 2f b wide has also been traced 18ft in length up to the present. A singular practical joke has been perpetrated at the expense of two of the Roman Catholic clergy in Tasmania. Ib was reported that Dean Woods had resigned, and that Father O'Callaghan had been appointed his successor, Father Mary to succeed the latter at Emu Bay. The clergymen named received letters from the archbishop making the transfers, and replied accepting them and thanking him. Ife afterwards transpired that the signature was a forgery. The letters are to be handed to the police.

A miner named James M'Mahon was fatally Stabbed by his wife at Croydon, in Queensland. He was illtreating her, and she used a knife to protect herself and her children. The woman i 3 now in custody. The Van Diemen's Land Bank in Tasmania has made arrangements to carry out a huge lottery of its properties for realisation. It has engaged Mr Adams, who carried on the Tattersall's sweeps in Sydney for so many years, to manage the affair.

A very extraordinary accident has occurred afc Creswick, in Victoria. James Cannon, aged 56 years, a gatekeeper on the railway line, opened the gates to allow the train to pass through, when a dog, attempting to cross the line, was caught by the locomotive and hurled with great force against Cannon, who was knocked face downwards on to some rough blue metal, which cut him so severely about the forehead that he is in a critical condition in the hospital. The list of new insolvents for the week in Melbourne contains the following : — Thomas Bingham Muntz, of Winter street, Malvern, civil engineer (and director of the Mercantile Bank). Approximate schedule : Liabilities, £38,936 ; assets, £14,492; deficiency, £24,444.— J0hn Dougharty and Theophilus Henry Parker, lately carrying on business as Dougharty and Parker, of 451 Collins street, stock and station agents. Complete schedule : Liabilities, £21,250 6a 8d ; assets, £21,178 9s ; deficiency, £71 18s Bd.— Jacob Abraham Cantor, of Elizabeth and Bourke streets, tailor and clothier. Compulsory sequestration. Causes of insolvency : Losses in land investments, depression in business, excessive renb, aud losses by bad debts. Liabilities, £15,157 33 9i ; assets, £3040 2s Id ; deficiency, £12,117 Is Bd.— James Warnock. Causes of insolvency : Depreciation in value of investment stocks, the failure of a largo number of companies aud societies in •which he is a shareholder, aud inability to continue to pay calls on shares. Tho liabilities arc set down at £64,122 Os 7d, and the aspota at £20,803 7s 7d, leaving a deficiency of £43,318 13s.