CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 26

CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

Invercahgill, September 21.

The criminal sitting was opened to d*y before Mr Justice Denaiston, Mr Justice Williams beii-g about to be engaged in Arbitration Court business on the West Coast. The calendar is a light one. Francis Rodg^rs pleaded guilty to atealiag a £10 note, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment ; Ellen M'Leod and Marjory Fraher pleaded guilty to stealing £39 from a man, and were sentenced to three months each ; and Ellen Swanson, for violently assaulting Aanie O'Shanuassey, was sentenced to threa months' imprisonment.

Afc4 a.m. on Tuesday Milne's Horse Bazaar a*. Wyndham was burnt. Mr W. J. Gurrie, the lesßee of the premises and of a sadoler's shop attached, got the horses ou 1 ", but losb his stock of saddlery and livery harness, mail oacb, and trap. Me Milne had £150 on the premises in the Standard office, and )o'e* £150; Mr Carrie had £250 on his stably and plant and £200 on bis saddlery, both in the' New Zi.-alaud office, but loses considerably ; while a, hawker who h.id a horsa and trap in the bizaar for the night lost the latter and h ; s stock intrade, valued at £50. There have been several mysteries of this kind in Wyndham within a short space of time, and Mr Cucrie has had the spokes of his vehicles sawn through.

The Southern Standard reports tlisfc on Saturday night a four-roomed cottage at Mataura, belonging to Mr James LintoD, was destroyed by fire; How the firs or'g'n'ated 5s a. mystery, and likely to remain so. The cottage had biea occupied by a tenant up to 5 o'clock tbab evenicg, when the key was delivered up. Mr H. W. Stewart waß the first to notice tha burning building at about 11 30 p.m. Ha at once gave the alarm at the police camp, and then proceeded to the scene of the fire. On bursting op^u the door, ho found the end of tho hoir.e facing the dairy factory enveloped in flames_, which were issuing through the roof. Nothing could b9 done, and the building was quickly burnt to the ground.

At last week's meeting of the Hospital Board, the Chairman of the Medical Staff of the BalUrat Hospital wrote that on a recent visit to Dunedin in connection with the Medic-tl Congress he was impressed with the system of heating the wards in the Dunedin Hospital, and the ventilation and sanitary arrangement?. He requested that particular* of these principles should be forwarded him, and also particulars of anything else that had been tried and found valuable 111 nospital construction.— Tha secretary \Y&s instructed to forward the information.