George Wilcox.

Otago Witness, Issue 2849, 21 October 1908, Page 90

George Wilcox.

— "Was Always Tryin' to Do You."— "George Wilcox is the only man as I never did feel easy with, owin' to a. eensa* tion, as 'c was always tryin' "to do you out of somethink. You could never sit down peaceful with 'im and feel safe. "It was George Wilcox as got up a gco3© club, and stuffed all the worst birda with pebbles to feel 'eavy, so as the other members should choose them first and leave 'im the best. "It was George as won all the prazes at the flower show by persuadin' two other men a<3 wae in for it to water their plants with a. special fertiliser wot 'f got privately from a friend in the chemicals. 'E said as 'c felt it wouldn't be fair for 'im to use -it without grvin' them the chance of buyin' some too. And it wasn't till they complained of the ..result and took Jim in to see the dead sticks that 'c suddinly remembered as 'c ought to 'aye wardedthem to dilute it with 40 gallons of water, "It wa-3 the same- Wilcox wot trained 'is dog to find 'is way 'ome from, any' village within- 10 inilee, and then made a power o' money by sellin' 'im in torn,^ at joodicious intervals, to various old l&diea round about. ■- "And it waa similar in everyfchink 'c did. Whether it was at 'orse-dealin', which 'c did for 'is livin', or pigeon-flyin' and cards—as 'c perfessed to do for amusement— c always managed to get the best of it, and to make you feel as eome'ow or other c d got the best of you as well. "If it 'adn't bin as folks about 'ere ; are naturally slow and don't like to get mixed up with the law, and also as "Wilcox^ a<l taken the precaution to get 'is sister married to Jim Biddies; as was parish constable at the time, 1 guess as 'c would 'aye found 'iiii&oif in g^ol long ago. But Mrs Biddies was a ruiin' sorfo' woman, aijd \\otc\cr row George YVileox got into, fcbjere •Man ah\a\s somv Jcg-al flaw as led Jun,. J3kWlc-s to strongly <.d\La the parties to sett!' 1 it out of court. . "An* I all the tmic YVilcox was gowr about licaitm' of 'is cleverness, and 'oW ■<■ coukl do p«o;>lc. 1 'ato undoi'andcdnees •mself alin-^t a- much as I 'ate boastfuluc^; but wlien yo.i get the two together, as yon did in (Jeorgc — deceit and conceit— why, it rik s you mere than you can cay."— I'carsoji «= .Magazine. •

A correspondent, writing from Dover to the Daily Mail, suggests that the devastat- " ing raids on orchards -by small .birds are chiefly with the purpose of quenching their thiret. With thie idea ho left a number of boivk filled with water in the vicinity of , hi* cherry trees, and is well satisfied with • the results of his experiment. The Union Pacific Railway officials have evolved a machine for destroying weeds on. the lines. This machine consists of acftr propelled by a gasoline engine. The engine 16 aUo used to force air and gasoline to a set of bur ne /s at the back of the car. The gasoline is burned under forced draught e*ose- to tho ground, and* develops bufEucni heal to kill the weeds.