PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6294, 15 February 1892, Page 2

PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING

'THE CHARGE OF CATTLE STEALING. Tins case has nob had so satisfactory an ending a 8 may seem to the casual reader of the evidence. Had the charge been preferred by a European of any standing, Mr Black could look for. ward to obtaining some amends for the outrage inflicted upon him, for his arrest on a serious and foundationlcss chargo. was nothing short of an outrage. But the prosecutor was a Native, and a man \ of straw, so redress is out of the questionMr Black has already lost so much time and money over the business, that he is not disposed to go to further expense and trouble in the pursuit of justice. By taking further action he would simply be inflicting additional injury on himself. As for the Native who instigated the wrongful prosecution, he probably did not care a rush for possible after consequences. Such a thing as an action for malicious prosecution most likely never entered his mind when he laid the charge. The accused has beeu an extensive buyer of cattle in this district for several years past, and of the hundred of settlers who are well acquainted with him, and with whom he had business dealings, there was not one among them who believed that lie was guilty of the charge preferred against him. But for all that the right course was taken on Saturday in refusing the application of the Maori's counsel for the withdrawal of the charge. The case for the prosecution utterly broke down without there being any necessity to call evidence for the defence. The heaving of the evidence tendered by the Crown will have the effect of completely clearing Mr Black's character in the eyes of strangers. The Resident Magistrate immediately detected that the beast was branded when full grown, and not when a calf as sworn to by the Native witnesses. The evidence of any number of experts could have been obtained to confirm Mr Booth's opinion. If all the circumstances of the case had been entered into, most likely there would have been shown prima facie grounds for a more grave charge than that of malicious persecution. We learn that Mr Black had four witnesses present to prove that he had purchased up the Coast the cow and calf which formed the subject of the prosecution, and that in the mob of cattle which were being driven to Napier, there were over a score of animals branded in the same manner as the cow which Ereatera claimed us bejou

ing to hiia. tfotvever tho charge turned out so baseless that it would be useless to refer at any length to the evidence which the defence had at its disposal. It is quite possible that the Maori who laid the information was only mistaken in his alleged facts ; but a white man in the same position would most likely be made to pay dearly for a mistake of the kind. The unfortunate proceedings have entailed a loss of about LSO upon Mr Black, to say nothing of the deep annoyance of the thing. That he came out of feho Court with his character untarnished, is by no means full compensation, but, unluckily, it is fche only consolation obtainable under the circumstances.

Mr Kay, fellmonger, has recommonced business, and his cart will go the usual rounds.

The meeting of the creditors of the bankrupt James Hall will be held to-morrow afternoon at 2.30.

The annual general meeting of the Gas Company will be held at the office at the works at 7.30 this evening.

The s.s. Mararoa is to resume running on this coast next week, reaching here on Monday. She takes Lord and Lady Onslow and party from Auckland to Sydney.

Waitiri Tikitiki was this morning at the Police Court fined 10s and 2s costs for drunkenness. A man from Ormond, named Fox, on a charge of lunacy, was remanded for medical treatment.

Complaints have been made to-day of a nauseating stench coming from a certain shop in Gladstone road between Peel and Bright streets. The Inspector of Nuisances should see to the matter at once.

General John Chute, who took a few glasses of drink yesterday for his constitiition, was fined 10s and costs at the Police Court this morning, and on his own application the Magistrate issued an order prohibiting the sale of drink to him for 12 months.

Misses Barker (2) and Messrs Barker (2) returned this morning from a trip to the West Coast Sounds in the s.s. Tarawera. They testify that the Sounds excursion is a magnificent one, which proved thoroughly enjoyable to all those who took passage by the Tarawera.

The following crews of the Turanganui Rowing Club (Juniors) have been picked to row for medals : — R. Jones (stroke), F. Henderson (3), C. Piesse (2), W. Morrell (bow);J. Morroll (stroke), P. Reed (3), H. Sandlant (2), W. Steele (bow) ; H. Johnston (stroke), F. Miller (3), W. Taylor (2), H. Smith (bow). The races will be rowed in about a month's time.

The Napier Borough Council has taken a leaf out of a former Colonial Treasurer's book by appropriating its sinking fund, set apart for the redemption of the £70,000 loan, to the construction of the new road to the breakwater. Of course, there is no real necessity for the sinking fund, as the borough could re-borrow the £70,000 on the expiration of the term of the loan. — Post.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company has received the following London market cablegram dated Feb. 12vh : — Tallow : Fine mutton tallow is worth 27s 6d per cwt., good beef 25s 3d per cwi. Frozen meat : Market firm. Price of mutton has advanced Jd per lb. Beef, N.Z., hindquarters is worth ncl per lb nominal value. Other quotations unchanged.

A number of people here will remember a curly-haired individual who resided in Gisborne for a few months at the latter end of last year and professed to teach music. Here "is his last record: — Herbert Cecil St. John, alias Charles Lyndon, alias Herbert Cyril Maklin Judd, was on Friday, at Ashburton, sentenced to six months' imprisonment for larceny of music from a boardinghouse and the contents of the mission boxes from the Baptist Church. The prisoner pretended to be travelling as a theatrical agent.

The Secretary of the Gisborne Racing Club is in receipt of the following telegram :— " Disqualification of Bacchus or 'Hookas endorsed and wait further developments re others.— W. Percival, Secretary Auckland Racing Club." It will be ve.nembered that at the recent Summer meeting of the Gisborne Racing Club a disput? arose as to the identity of a horse running as Booka3 with that of a somewhat well known performer elsewhere known as Bacchus. The evidence obtained has been so far satisfactory that the partial result is as above stated. As to the latter portion of the telegram more Mill possibly be forthcoming.

We have heard it rumored that the Union Company intend placing on the trade between Napier, Gisborne, Coast ports, and Auckland their fine steamer Kauieri, now lying in Wellington harbor. The Kanieri willfif she comes here, be a favorite boat with travellers, for she is handsomely equipped, being a miniature Mararoa. She has a large and pretty saloon, and is a very comfortable boat to travel in. The Kauieri was constructed for the Blenheim trade, and hits a good cargo-carrying capacity on a light draught, and at a rapid speed. She would be able to come into the river and work from Gisborne wharf.

As there is a good deal of sickness in < !i«borne just now, the Salvationists might be a little considerate, and dispense witli their drum beating. The man who works the drumsticks has a very strong muscle, and his enthusiasm carries him away, the result being that the Army music seems to be one big drum solo. This was particularly noticeable on Saturday evening last, when people about town had the opportunity of judging between the admirable music provided by the City Band and the discordant strains coming from the Army. When people are sick let them moderate their noise. Complaints has'c been made and we are sure that the otlieer in charge will need only to be told of this to repress t he drum thumping.

James Rowland was brought up on remand at the Police Court this morning on a charge of stealing 21bs of bacon and a loaf, the property of T. C. Christensen. Sergt.Major Moore prosecuted. Informant gave evidence that while he was away at work someone had broken into his house by bursting the lock of the back door aud had tampered with things. He afterwards found accused "' planting " some of his bacon and a loaf of bread which he had stolen; A man name:l Gumming save evidence that he had seen accused loitering in the neighborhood of Christensen's house. Accused said that he was waiting about for the Turakina, on board of which he was to have worked frozen mutton for three weeks. He admitted that he went to Christensen's for a drink of water. but said he never took anything from the house. He was sent to gaol for seven days.

The New Zealand Bowling Association meeting at Dunedin was concluded on Friday evening, OUlgo beating Canterbury by lb" points. Oamaru, won the rink fours, beating all other clubs. In the single championship the final ties resulted as follows : — Carlton beat South, of Napier, Carswellbeat Carlton, Taylor beat Huuter, and Carswell beat Taylor easily at the final. The meeting was highly successful, there being about 300 competitors contesting the various games, and many have promised to attend the Napier meeting in April next.

Amongst the many instances of bravery displayed dining the flood in the Kakanui river that of Mr W. J. Muldrew deserves tn be more than mentioned. Mr Muldrew, during the night, observing that the rising waters jeopardised the lives of a number of men camped on a bit of rising ground near the Island Stream, went to warn them of their danger. He found the Island Stream in high flood, but procuring a rope, he boldly swam across to the camp, and one by one assisted to bring them to a place of safety, making four trips. He also rescued a cropper from another part of the flat. These men, in a very great measure, owe their lives to Mr Muldrew's bravery. The river in the day time was fearsome enough, but it required a stout heart to tackle it on a wild stormy night. — Times.

The Weather. — Weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. to-day : Wind between noith-east and north and west at all places northward of Blenheim and Nelson, and be tween north and east and south-east at all other places. Barometer fall again everywhere soon. Sea heavy on both coasts. Warnings for gales and rain have been sent to all places. Synopsis of last 24 hours : Throughout the colony the barometer continued to fall steadily uutil about 8 p.m. on Saturday, aud since then it has continued to rise slowly. Northerly winds with rain have been prevalent, and the weather has been generally very unsettled,.— R. »V JJdwij.'.

ObitUAry 1 Mrs Mfcrttti, wife of tile Hoii lohn Martin, M.L.C.

We have the manner of voting of ten School Committes for the Education Board vacancies, the result of which is so far — Ormond 8, Russell 4, Dillon 6, Gilberd 4, Cohen 3, and Edwards 2.— Telegraph.

The citizens of Timaru, expecting that the Governor would be on the train going north yesterday, began to cheer as the train from Oamaru aurived at the station. There was a hearty laugh when the exuberant populace found that the carriages were empty.

A farmer on the Kakanui river, whose wheat sheaves began to float about as the river rose, employed men to recover aa many of them as possible. Before the flood he reckoned that his yield would bo about 50 bushels to the acre. The exertions of the men, however, agreebly surprised him as to the yield, for he now estimates it at about 120 bushels to the acre. The wheat, too, is not all of the same variety. He thinks his wheat must have got mixed with someone else's.

The Union Steamship Company has added a new steamer to its already extensive fleet. Latest English advices mention that the new steamer, the Upolu — a compliment to Samoa — has been completed on the Clyde. She is 220 ft by 30ft beam and 24ft depth, and is specially designed to suit the passenger traffic and the fruit carrying trade between the Islands and New Zealand. On her trial she made a mean speed of 1 1 '6 knots. She is now on her way out to this colony to take up the trade between Auckland, Tonga, and Samoa.

Messrs Freeman R. Jackson and Co. held a very successful ram fair at Wanganui on Thursday. The highest price was received by J. M. Baker Fordell, who got 42 guineas for one ram from Fred Sutton, of Invercargill. Mr Baker's average for the two days for flocks was the highest at £8 Us 6d each. There were 550 rams offered singly in five hours, and 509 were sold. This is Mr Jackson's most rapid sale on record. Buyers attended from all parts of the colony, and the bidding was spirited to the end.

In the breach of promise case just concluded at Invercargill, to which reference is made in the telegrams to-day, plaintiff Valentine (rather appropriate name at this season) claimed £200. The engagement between the parties was admitted, nut it was sought to be shown that the plaintiff was of loose morals. Letters were produced (in which compromising statements were made) which were alleged to have been written by the phvntiff to a former lover, but she (the plaintiff) denied that she wrote them, and asserted that her writing had been imitated.

A special reporter of the Press who travelled across the Canterbury Plains on Monday during the disastrous Sjorin, writes : — As we flew across the water-logged plains at a steady rate of thirty to thirtyfive miles an hour, it was melancholy to notice the hundreds and thousands of acres of corn cut, standing in stook aud drenched and sodden with wet. For miles and miles these flooded and stook-dotted fields extended, presenting a peculiarly desolate and saddening spectacle. It is just possible that, should a cold dry wind spring up aud quickly dry the sheaves, the mischief at present apprehended may be lessened. The weather has been warm and muggy, as well as wet, and this is the most fatal combination possible for harvest time.

The Ohaupo correspondent of the Auckland Herald wired on Wednesday : — Never was such a lot of sheep collected together in Waikato as theve was to-day for sale by Mr J. McNicol. The attendance of buyers was very large, not only from every part of the Waikato district, but from aU parts of the North, from the East Coast, and from Hawke's Bay. 3500 breeding ewes, store wether and ewe wether lambs were yarded, the rams being held over till tomorrow, which will be specially devoted to their sale, when 700 Lincoln, Leicester, Romneys, Shropshires, Southdown, and merino rams will be offered in small lots. The sale to-day commenced at noon, the prices realised being : — Two-tooth long wool ewes, 12s to 14s ; long wool lambs, 7s 6d to 9s 6d ; two and four-tooth wethers, 1 0s to 13s ; two-tooth Lincoln, 12s to 15s ; full mouth long wool ewes, 7s to 12s 6d ; merino ewes, 9s 3d to 13s ; half-bred lambs, 6s 3d to •Ss 9d : three-quarter bred two-tooth e\ves, lls Gd to 15s ; cross-bred lambs, 6s 6d to 9s ; oross-bred ewes, 6s 6d to 10s ; two-tooth wethers, lls 6d to 14s 6d ; Southdown ewes, 7s 2d to lls 6d ; Southdown lambs, 5s Id to 8s Gd ; cross-bred lambs, 6s 9d to 10s 6d ; Romney Merino hoggets, 7s 6cl to 9s 6d ; long wool ewe lambs, 6s 9d to 9s 6d. A pen of 300 long wool ewes, sound-mouthed, sold at 7s Od ; 750 long wool ewes sold at 5s lid to 6s 2d. Nine out of every ten lots were disposed of, thus making one of the most successful and largest sheep fairs ever held in any part of the colony.