SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 28

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Fkom Our Own Ci>ruffcsro.\M>ENT.) October 1. During tha pa-t week Southland has baen in a jtate of gunerul exciteiuout throuKh the tri.il of John Keown for the murder of Hugh Stewart, and now the trial is over tho matter for suunise is whether tho higher authorities will take any notice of the jury's recommendation to mercy. Mr Hanlon informs me that iv response to a request from a large number of Southland residents he has prepared a petition praying that Kcowti'B sentenca be commuted to imprisonment for life in pl*ce of the death sentence. The weather during the past week has been veiy threatening, and severnl times rain has fallen in Binall quantities, but ha* always blown ovtv toward-s the coast. Yesterday morning snow fell at Wyndham and in surrounding districts, tmt ttoe weather cleared away again in the afternoon. F\>h haalieen a very scarce commodity in Inverc:\rj?ill during the past month or &ix weeks. During the whole of that time deep-tea fish have not been procurable for love or money, and flounders and tnullot have not been too plentiful. The river fish, however, are now comiDg into season . Several of our anglers were away betimes this morning, but up till noon I Lave heard of no catches. The Oreti, Mataura, and Aparima were reported to be ia good condition for the opening day. The Gore Agricultural and Pastoral Society's annual meeting on Saturday passed ofF most successfully. A profit of nearly £100 is not to be laughed at these times. Mr J. S. Millar is the new president, and a stroiig comnjittee wore elected. On Thursday afternoon, while Mr and Mrs Yule, Bliba Yule, arc! Miss Flora Yule were drnirg down the hill near tlu-ir residence, the horse got too much way on, aud on Itnr r iing at the bottom of the hill the buggy paitially capß - <z;d and all were thrown out. 'ihe Indies are all more or less injured, but Dr Henr.ry thinks no boned are broken. A consignment of about 30 trucks of fat sheep pas'c 4 tbroupli Invercaipill from Kne» v '?Li9sfetae Ocean iteach Freezing Works on TSri^fej^jbga special etock train, 'ihe price is etftt«d to r isW9 & ( fcuen 17s 6d per head.

The aB. A*ranei tak<>B about 12,000 carcases ftoz-n mutton, BUO bsles wnol, 3O'I ca^ku tallow, 1 and 121)0 tons coal, aud sails for London direct about Thurs 'ay. The National Mortgage aud Agency Company have decided upon opening a biauch of their burfin-ss at Gore. Mr Arch A. MicGibbon has been n]jp.rin ed mauigcr, and assumes control on 0,-tobui- 1. The company (lemark* the Kn»i«n) hns always done good business in the district, aud the ptesence of a manager ou tho spot will no doubt had (0 its exfen«ion. ! Wo understand that there is a probability of the mllk-condcnsing factory at Walla cWwn starting again, as negotiations are ou foot which, if successful, wo_ld put the concern on a permanent !wh!s Another meetinj? of Kusuantors of the Southland Frozen Meat Company was held on Saturday, I when it was reported that arrnnßomonts with the Bank of New Zealand were making satibfuctory progress. A Gore cono'pondent says: — "The roan at the 1 coruer appears to think thficha building boom on among us at present, but this is an exaggeration. Thtre is", how. vcv, a boom on iv gold-rain-in« s-o far as pro-pcefcm i< c ncrtrned. Not only : tho Mx taunt, but al-o ihe Waimumu and l.iida I adjouiinK are q'.iu- aVive with prospectors, who i &n said to >H3 making a liviuß in the meautinie, and exp»ct to make s^inc great discovery one day goon, it is paying better than labbitinK." Nine unemployisd men have left the Bluff to work up n the beoward Bmh railway. Oo'.<l news cjiitinues to come to hand from the Mouiiug Shir eUim. The HiiiemoiL brought rouii'l ■ nkeofgi.ld rnnt.nning over Ollnz, thereI huH t>f ifi days' cru&hing. It i« r<-p >rt.d that the stone sLo.vs iudicatiouß of better retinas than ! thi". i Ki^ht dnnlging claim 3 have, the Southern Standard reports, have betn taken up on the MatauiM ! Au event of considerable interest in loc>il volunteer ciii'lts took place in the Volunteer Hall on Tue-diy evening last week. This wjs a gun drill cojnp tition, iniliitid and carried tliroiuh in a v> vy successful jiiamicr by the G B,it r »-ry, N.Z It. A,- Between 300 and 400 people wer« present, an<l thnMairis 'ti Band wns also iuattenrlance, tbeir playing being much appreciated. Tho ie uus — fun' in number, each iiiideranon-coiumi^flione'l oflicei — put thpiiKhthe cont st separately. The ie«ultc, with point* sond. wcra aft follows : — Mixiimun, lt'o. N<'. 2{j"S (Quartermaster Kergcant Lennie), 5)3 point-* ; Mo. 1 gun (Sergeantnnjor Hughe*), 85 points ; No. 3 aim (-Sergeant Jaciir.y). 81 points ; No. 4 gun (Sergeant O'To-'H SO points. By L-xpre<9 the City Guards' lisudleft for the north to tike part in tha br»88 b nd contest iv Tini.iru. which commence to d;vy. Th>' liand acknorfl-nKe roceipt of the sum of £27 4s C<l, kindly collected by his Worship the M-iyor (Mr W. B. ScandieLt) and Mr Joseph H-»tch. This hi'lj) \>fts nerc?->i»ry to ennblo them to j>i octed to Tim iru, the tJovernmenl having lufiiH^d to i-.suei -.sue flee pi'-so'i, although the members are all <:inolled Hn vulnnUiors. Mr J. J. Meikle has left for Well ; ngK>non bnsiness connected with his petition to raili.inienfe for emu en ation for wrongful imprisonment. _Mr Mtikle'n claim fora refund of co-its in connection With the prosecution of William Lambert has not yet beensat^fied. At the final rehexraal of the Orchestral Union for t> nif.'})t's concest, a little break in the proceedings was taken advantage of to make a prewnUtion to the conductor, Mr Charles Gray, 'the hon. aecivtaiy, in a few appropriate rtma'ka, handed to Mr Gray an cnlaig-.d photogiaphic group of tho members of the society, ou which •was inscribed tlie following : "Presented to Mr Cbarlea Gray in alight acknowledgment of his untiring exertions on behalf of the pociety." The reiMpi*n*, suitably replied, thankiug the members for • Loir ldndueps, which he highly appreciated, nni r"in .iking thai in years to come he would look l>ak with gratified freliugs to the many pie ••, .nt houts spent with the Invercargill Orchtsir»l Union. Tli". telephone line is to be at once extended from Bxlfour to Lumsden. This is due to the exertions of Mr James Mackintosh, M H R. I A thorough Re*«ch was made by the Government s 8. Hinemoft for castaways on the SviartH, aud I<nding3 were made at, two places, but no trcce of anything that would indicate sMpwicck wa'- fou id. C<mbi<ierablc anxiety was felt ia town and ihe Bluff fur the safety of the V S S. Company's Waihoia until she put in an appearance early on Thimd.xy morning, over two duy/3 late. HVr captain repoits having met very divly weather, the vessel being hove-to tit 42 hours. AU the deck cargo waa washed overboard. A meeting was held in town^tbe other evening to arrange for givii'g Mr J. W. Kelly, M 11 11., a reception on his return. It was decided to present him with an illuminated address at the railway station, and entertain him at a social in the evening. I The sitting of the Distiict Court yesterdiy before Judge Ward lasted only a quarter of an hour. This whs due to the fact that the only opposed applications in bankruptcy were adjourned by consent of the parties, and the solitary civil case set down for luaring was undefended The cricket season 'will be opened to-morrow in Inveivargill by all the clubs. The Invercarsill aud Star Clubs play sides choseu by theprc-idents and vice-pre idents, and the Southern Cro3B aud Gladstone Clubs play scratch matches. The ceremony of re-opening St. Peter's R.C. Church, after being greatly enlarged, took place ou Sunday (says the Southland Times), when there were no»rly 500 people present. Pontifical High Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Father Vereker (of Invercargill), aviated by the Rev. Fathera Lynch, O'Ltary, Wftleh, Kienan, O'DoniioM, and Newport, and the Rev. IV. Burke (of Queenstown) preached the sermon. A colltction wan made, and over £120 was received. Th's sum more ttian liquidates the balance of the debt, fo that tbc ••hurch, which has cost altogether about £700, is entirely free of dubb. iNVEHCAKfJirx, September 29. On Sunday, 15ib icsK, three miner* left Cronißrty, Preservation lulet, for C)a\ Is'and, which lies at the entranca. The boat was email, arid a Swede who was one of the party took a turn of the Bluet round his leg, and when a puff of wind cwne the boab filled. All th<* m'n lasted for a good while in the water, bi-'M became exhausted by the contioual rolling of the boat. Tbe first to sink wus Thomas Leslie, aged 55, long a resident of Sfewart Island, aud s^id to loave a brother in Wellington. John Kyellitrcm wns also drowucd. He vraa a Swede, aged about 34-. A boat put oft' and re^cufd John Thomson, the third man. Up to the Hii etnoa's leaving the inlet neither body had bteu found. The miners there run great risks, as paities being small they enn only handle very frail craft such as they can carry to aud from the water. September 30. Mr Poynton, S.M., gave judgment to-day in the BiuiF ease in which one fii 'Donald sued Dale, a storekeeper, For £50 as I'cC 'mper.se for being worried by a dog in defendant's yard. Judgment wasigiven for plaintiff for £11, and coats (£5 15s 6d). The dtfence was that the dog waa never owned by Dale, bat belonged to an employee, who had been told to remove it from Dale's premises as complAiiits had been made about ib by other people. The sH pendiary magistrate held tbafc Dale wns liab'e on the strength of lord '!'• n't i<l<-j.V. ilm'siiii in M'Kopc v. YVbjd, wlst-n- i'j v,:ts iitld t!.-.t t'e di f( 1 da-nt W. 13 respens bio for tie r.ctiou of a Oog not his own if ho allowed it Lo harbour about the premises. Au appeal will probably be made. Hugh M'Alister, licensee of the Shamrock Hotel, was to-day charged with Eundiy trading Tbe defence was that the two rcen supplied, who are firemen on the Hiv.emoa, had represented themselves as travellers, aud on this tgxouud the or.se was dismissed. j 3 <&tet tlie dismiss*! of tha ease against tho

lief:u r .ce of the Shamrock Hotel, Linoo, a fireman of the Hinemoa, who had been served with liquor on the representation that he was a fcrnVfiJer, was charged before the bench of ju"iicoß with fraudulent misrepresentation. Lin^.s ftduiitted tliafc he told the landlord that he had come from tha Buff, pud honestly lx'lit;v« d fhr.t he was eutit!t-(l to rrf^eNhm«ut9, all hough he arrived in town the previous night. The Beuch acospted his statement and dismißEcd the case.