A Remarkable Beggar Women.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5577, 24 September 1889, Page 4

A Remarkable Beggar Women.

A M'KTM's seen* watt pv«iot;ted &ti t,h<3 Dublin Police Court the other day of a stalwart oonst&bie struggling to vmhq to the bench ft hamper whion taxed his strength, for it contained 4 j | stone of silvor and copper coin, and this «'c%s only ft part of the treasure which the female .searchers found in the tattered garments of a woman arrested the previous evening for begging. Among other unconsidured trifles stowed away among her rags were about half a stone of potatoes, a quart of peas, and a miscellaneous collection of other articles. But the hamper of coin was only a fraction of the mendicant's wealth. There were found upon her, besides L 283 iv gold, L 390 in notes, a Bank deposit receipt for LXX), and two shares in the Monarch Building Society for LlO ;md Ll4. As she stood when arrested she carried money and securities to the amount of nearly LBOO. How she walked under such a weight is almost incomprehensible. Her name is Annie Cooley ; she is about 45 years of age, but looks much older, with dishevelled iron grey hoir. Her account of herself, confirmed by a brother, a respectable artisan, is that her father was a butcher, and grazed in Lucan, and the money was left to her by him. At one time she had most of it invested iv United States bonds, but they were called iv and paid off, and since then, for fear of being robbed, she carried all her treasure about her, disposed of so ingeniously in her wretched clothing that it took the searchers * and police officers many hours to bring it all to light. She occupied a room in Poolbeg-street, and, it was stated, had not undressed for six years. She denied the charge of begging, but a constable deposed that he had seen her ask several persons for alms. A certain Mightiness of demeanor had also for some time attracted the attention of the police to her, and when arrested she became very violent and hysserical. It was stated that she was about to go to America with a brother-in-law, now in Paris, and pending his arrival she was remanded, in order that she might be under the surveillance of the prison doctor, the police being directed to take charge of her room.

A hailstorm in Villafranca, Piedmont, was of such enormous stones that move than one hundred persons were badly hurt and a boy and a girl had their skulls fractured. The weight of some hailstones was estimated at two pounds. William Irvine, son of the head-teacher of the Emu State School, Ballarat, was fatally shot by a comrade while on a shooting expedition. Irvine and a young man named Niven ran a rabbit into a log, and afterwards caught it, during which time the gun was laid on the ground. The rabbit, however again escaped, and Niven picking up the gun suddenly discharged it, the full contents of the charge entering one of Irvine'slegs. Niven rode to Dunolly, a distance of 15 miles, for medical attendance, but Irvine expired from loss of blood about five minutes before the doctor arrived. The annual report of the Commissioner of Police, London, has just been issued, and it is not satisfactory reading at. all. " Crime," says the Commissioner, "has, during the year, shown a decided tendency to increase." He declares that the police have not in any way relaxed their efforts for detection of crime, but the force is insufficient and over-worked. A force numbering 14, 000 men appears large, but afterdeducting men employed on special duties, as at dock yards and public buildings, and those on leave and sick list, this number is reduced to 5)000 available men for duty in the streets, and whilst the jjopulation aud area of buildings are rapidly increasing, the number of police remains stationary. It is evident, therefore, that there is need Lqv a. conttitlui'attln augmenLitioLi. The adjourned meeting of creditors of Adam Laybourn, merchant, was held at Auckland on Thursday. The Official Assignee read the sworn statement of N. Cuthberson, bookkeeper to the debtor, who had been examined in some details as to the state of the books. He said that one of the entries had been made by him without any reason, except that of balancing the accounts, and because Mr Lewis, the accountant required certain entries to be made. Referring to another item, L 1739 os yd, he knew that this entry should have been made previously, and he put down these figures because that was the amount which should have been credited. He did not ascertain the amount, and it was an estimate upon the knowledge that the account was square. There were two other i'-ems, L 1053 7s (id and L 720 0s Bd, making a total of L 3512 13s lid. He knew Lewis's account ought to be debited with this amount and ho entered it accordingly, having nothing to guide him but the knowledge that the account was square. It was resolved that an exhaustive investigation be made into the state of the books from January, 1888. There is reason to believe that an impudent fraud has been perpetrated on the Australian Mutual Provident .Society. In November, 1887, a surveyor named '\V. (I. < ieddes was reported to have beon drowned at Caboolture (Queensland), having a short time previously insured his life with the society for L2,5(X), which he left by will to his mother. A claim was made on the society for the amount of the policy, and the evidence of death being apparently satisfactory, the amount was paid. Suspicion however, was aroused by the fact that the body was never found, and every effort was made by the society to trace the missing man, but without result. Within the last few days information has been received from Adelaide stating that a man under the name of Louis Brennan, an inmate of a lunatic asylum there, was supposed to be Mr Geddes, and photographs sent confirm the suspicion. The Australian Mutual Provident Society will probably take some action in the matter.