A COLONIAL RIVAL TO ARCHIBALD FORBES.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3137, 23 April 1883, Page 3

A COLONIAL RIVAL TO ARCHIBALD FORBES.

"Ita New Zealand correspondent of «n Australian journal, thinks Forbes a i pretentions snob and avers that othor have done quite as bi;g things in another branch of the profession as ever Mr Forbes has done m his." He quotes the following cases with others. There was in my day poorTerry,for the’Tort Philip Gazette," who, while examining a olaim_ at tfae Bald Hill, Ballarat,, had his head smashed in from the fall of a lamp of quartz. The diggers round about made vp sixty ounces of gold for bis widow , *and children. There was young Boyd, * tn at the “Argos" as brave a fellow as ever .; flold CodW>tMtda»r< who, with a boly

of police, were attacked by a mob of miners, got both his legs broken, an d yet in his great agony wrote a graphic account of it to the paper he representedi There was Clarke, of the “Geelong Advertiser,” who rode a draught horse from Creswick Creek into Geelong, a distance of seventy-six miles, in eight hours and a halt. He did the greater part of the distance on a dark moonless night. His saddle was a folded cornsack, his stirrup a piece of rope looped, and thrown across the horse’s b-ck. He got to the office about five o’clock-then about break of day—and was able to give a detailed account ef a new rush in time for the morning’s issue. There was poor btnckland, with as much descriptive talent as ever fell to the lot of a war correspondent, went out one dark night at r nar s Cieek to follow a party who be was informed bad discovered a “ pile claim in a wattle-tree gully. He fell into a deep hole, and was found with his spine broken, his grasp holding on to a ginger-beer bottle, filled with brandy unhappily his ruling passion, strong in death. There was Sandy Paramour, ot the “Chronicle,” left his tent one afternoon to deliver bis “ copy’ to the camp to be forwarded on to Melbourne, when he was stuck up by three men and bludgeoned. He received a terrific blow on the hip, which disabled him from walking, and in defending himself from the ruffians had his left arm broken. Paramour, suffering tomble agonies, crawled by the aid of his krm® and- right band until he reached the camp, a distance of nearly a mile and a half. Then he gave in his despatch, with instructions to have it forwarder! on. and then fell back in a dead swoon. I don’t know of any war correspondent that has done anything much better than this in the interest of his employers. Old Marsden, who was killed in a drive aii the Thames, was correspondent to the “Cross”—l think it was the “[Southern Cross.” He was told-that it would be dangerous to go in. He said ha had got his report to send away, and h a must go in and see for himself. He entered the drive, but never came back until drawn out some six hours afterwards a mangled and horribly disfigured corpse. A portion of the drive which had been left without the proper supports, bad suddenly caved in.