Pars About PEOPLE

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 949, 6 March 1897, Page 18

Pars About PEOPLE

Evebyone who knows George Gilmer waa grieved and pained to hear of the trouble in which he has got himself involved. With the merits of the prosecution we have nothing to do. Bat, so far as he is personally concerned, he was the last man one wonld have expected to have heard of in such a connection. Goodnatured and generous to a fault, it has often been said of him that his worst fault was his voice, which was a trifle assertive, but in his dealings with others he has hitherto been -found honourable and trustworthy. This affair iB attributed by those who know him best to overspeculation in mining, and we are afraid that many a headache, and worse, will occur from the same cause "When it was known that George Gilmer was gone, the general belief was that he had got away by the Chili, but when it was known that he had been arrested at Dargaville nobody could understand why he should have gone by a route where he was well known, and where his arrest was almost certain. As it was, the detectives were laid on to him by an anonymous letter from one of his own friends, and when he was arrested Gilmer had his moustache and beard shaved off.

John Henry Smith, the amiable individual who deserted his wife and five children in Auckland, and then married a well-

known young lady of the Thames, whom he took to Adelaide for her honeymoon, has been brought back and committed for trial on the charge of desertion, which is now a serious offence in the eyes of the law. John Henry is evidently an amorous individual, and much given to marrying, as there is now some talk of a third wife in Auckland. But, alas, with him and his wives it will not " be a case of the more the merrier.

Mr T. Nicholas, of the "Wanganui telegraph office, has left the wires to wire in to farming up the Waikato. There'B more money, they say, in raising tnrnips for yourself than in jerking lightning for other people.

Mrs Jewell (nee Lake), whose husband was the victim of the recent acid-throwing episode at Paeroa, called upon us the other day and took exception to a paragraph in our last issue concerning herself and Mr Carroll. She says it was not a fact that she went to Australia with Carroll.. She had known him in Dnnedin, and subsequently was barmaid at Power's Hotel in King-street, Sydney, for some months before he went across there. She also says it. was not true that he was anxious at that time to marry her.

Mr David Craig has been appointed General Manager of the New Zealand Insurance Company. He has held the position temporarily for some time past, bat the directors have now made the appointment a permanent one, and in their policy they have studied the best interesta of the company. Mr Craig has established, himself firmly in popular favour since his return to Auckland, and this popularity is pronounced amongst the clients and staff of the company. , Another change just made is the transfer of Mr Parsons, son of Mr E. B. Parsons, of the Auckland Gas Company, from Wanganui to the managership a^Christchnrch, while Mr Burton goes from Auckland to take charge at Wanganui.

It is stated that David Parker,' of Ponsonby bus fame, has sold out his business for £1100. David will be much, missed on the road, and especially so by the pretty girls of the western suburb, who doted on David and his old gold hair, and who were wont to say there was a world of music in the dulcet tones of his voice as he cried • Alboard f 'r Ponsawnby ' after the opera. Notwithstanding the careful attention of the Traffic Inspector, and untoward circumstances, Mr Parker worked up a very good connection in opposition to the tramways One was always sure of a Beat in his bus, and that was where he got the pull upon the established service.

Much sympathy is felt for the Ponsonby young lady who met with an accident of an awkward and embarrassing nature a few nights since when returning from thecity by tram. On rising from her seat and carrying, as was- supposed, her violin and case, the spring of the caße, by some unfortunate means, gave way, when, to the surprise of her fellow passengers and to their no small amubement, a fair-sized parcel, in place of violin, fell out ana exposed to view three fine-sized smoked schnapper. The young lady did not wait or trouble to collect the toothsome delicacy, consequently, on the following morning, for breakfast, the gentlemen boarders were treated to eggs and bacon instead.

Mr Albert Folljameß, the winner of the Haake piano in our recent gift distribution, ha 9 forwarded ns the following graceful little acknowledgment : — Clifton House, Tuakau, 2nd March, 1897: Dear Sirs— l was very agreeably surprised on receipt of the wire you so kindly sent last Wednesday, informing me that I had been successful in drawing the first prize in your gift distribution. I was still more gratified on taking delivery of the very handsome and valuable Haake piano, which is quite what it waß represented, and more costly than I expected to find. Accept my sincere thanks for this valuable gift and best wishes for the future sncceßS of the Obsebveb. Yours faithfnlly, Albebt Fulljames.

Cruel suggestion of a Southern paper concerning the newly-fledged M.L.C.. Mr Pinkerton : — ' As he ia understood to be now travelling in the interests of a Dunedin brewery, hia free pass will come in particularly handy.' Come to think of it, there are plenty of other M.L.C's and M;H.B's to whom the watch-pendant that awes the railway guards must come in pretty handy in buainess wayß. Perhaps the Treasury will some day profit from conscience-money paid in by members and ex-members who feel they have had unfair advantage in trade over competitors at the expense of the public.

An enterprising Jap has dropped down from the skies upon the Empire City, and has electrified the people of big blows with the intelligence that ne has come, not so much to make a profit from trade as to ' spy out the land and report on its suitableness for Japanese workers.' .Reminded of the £100 poll-tax on Asiatics, he airily replied : ' Bless you, we don't intend to pay £100 each. New Zealand is the daughter of Great Britain. Thirty years ago we opened our ports to your honorable nation. Queen "Victoria made a treaty that if we allowed her subjects to enter Japan she would do likewise. We have never broken that treaty, and, so far, we have taken little or no advantage of it. We can land in England, and we are coming here. We do not consult .^ew Zealand about that ; you are too young to know much yet. We shall speak to your aged mother,' who will not go back from her agreement. We are coming when our time arrives. It may mean that we shall force our way in a manner unpleasant to' the people of this colony.' As Japan has apparently fixed the matter up with our ' aged mother,' we suppose there's nothing more for us to do than to Bwallow our medicine and pretend we like it.

Mr J. P. Ward has been translated from Corofnandel, where he has been acting as Assistant Clerk of Court, to Marlborongh, where he is to act as Clerk of the Court -and bailiff. We wish hinv good lack and another mining boom.

It is the Wellington correspondent of a Hawke's Bay paper that says a •divorce suit of a particularly piquant character is pending, and that rumour has fixed upon a leading politician as the co-respondent. And we are also told that if the case does really get as far as the Courts, it will have a very serious bearing on the future of the political parties. [Everyone is now guessing at the misaing names.

Miss Mary (Polly) Boss, eldest daughter of the lady who now runs the famous McNab's Gardens at the Hutt, and herself ■a prominent amateur vocalist, was to be married on the Ist March to Mr T. J. Oakes, conductor of St. Mary of the Angels' Choir, Wellington, and secretary of the North Island Brass Bands' Association.

Somerville and Collins — aing bey ! the .gallant Majors that they are — started for home on Monday last. What a tinfe they did have to be sure crossing the bar ! Major Collins had all his war paint rubbed off and dropped rather more than a few tears over the side as he tried to hide his emotions. But the other Major saw him safely through the ordeal and brought him out of action in -fine military style.

M.H.R. O'Began is a member of tht Westport Harbour Board, and a wheedling Applicant for work approached him the other day on halting feet, as follows : —

•O'Began, in your hours of ease, Do try and please. The application has been 'filed for reference,' with a memorandum that unless the writer is handier with his pick and shovel than with his verse-building he had better be left to seek elsewhere.

Take it quietly and absorb it slowly, so that it may sink down gradually. The wonderful news — of which we have all been in densest ignorance -up here in Auckland — is published in a Taranaki paper, that the Hon. Bill Jennings, M.L.G. has been elected President of the Auckland branch of the Now Zealaud Journal ist's Institute, and that he gave a harbour excursion by steamer in honour of Mr CooDer.editor of the Scotsman. But when did the Hon. William join the Journalists' Institute ? When did his harbour excursion come off ? Who elected him president ? On these points we are still in the dark up here in Auckland. Still, a3 the news comsß from Taranaki, there must be somethiag in» it. Perhaps the Hon. William dreamt it all.

A N.S.W athlete, visiting Maoriland, writes enthusiastically to his friends of the fascinations of the women in the cities of both islands. ' Most of them are pretty, though they crop their hair Bhort and dress in tweed bags. They don't expect you to wait on them, and they take their turn in shouting their male friends long beers.' After this, the next N.S.W athlete, who visits New Zealand had better conceal his identity if he wants to have a good time.

Tragedian Boothman received a eenuine tribute to the downright manner in which he acts the out-and-out villain iD the 1 Wageß of Sin ' during the performance of the piece in Wellington. At one of his most thrilling situations, when the heroine was cowering before his persecutions, a man from the pit yelled out threats to him as to what would happen if he didn't cease, and also words of encouragement to the threa tened maiden. Oh yes, you will say it was 4 a put-up thing ' — but the man's indigna tion waß too genuine for that, and he interlarded his exclamations with ' blankety blanks ' that were no doubt very shocking to the refined folk in the audience, but which at any rate no suborned claquer would have used.

Carl Hertz, the prince of conjurors, has a ' fish story ' to relate which simply knocks the stuffing out of all the other big things that have been heard of this season. He says that once upon a time (which is the correct way of beginning a fairy tale) he chanced to be one of a yachting party with some well-known people who, to while away the time, suggested that he should amuse them with a little conjuring Accordingly, Mr Hertz obtained from one of the gentlemen available a watch, which, to the horror of the owner, he immediately threw overboard. He then procured a fishing-rod and line, and sat down with the air of an experienced angler, with his legs dangling over the side or the yacht. Presently he got a ' bite,' and hauled his capture — a good sized fish — on board, which, on being cat open, disclosed the gentleman's watch in all its pristine beauty, and undamaged. Bat Carl might improve- his yarn if he would only ; say the enraged owner of the watch threw him into the sea, that he emerged from his bath clutching the fish by its tail, and that he promptly, cut.it open and produced the watch. A few details like these merely serve to impart verisimilitude to a bald and unconvincing narrative.

The Hon. James Carroll finds opportunity to snatch time from his Ministerial duties for an occasional game at bowls. At Dnnedin, the other day, there was a single rink match, North v. South, in which the North was represented by the Hon. James as skip, supported- by three Aucklanders— Dr F. W: King and Messrs A. Rhodes and J. Frater. The Southern champions (who won by two points) were the Hon. Thos. Fergus, and Messrs H. Morrison, A. McDiarmid,.and T. Callender (skip). ;

Mr. Alfred Saunders, ex M H.R. and Nestor of the House, has been painting the portraits of our political celebrities of the past in his ' History of New Zealand ' Here is the way in which he sketches Sir >George Grey: — 'He was slow to make enemies, but when he did make them they were there for life, and might expect something less than justice from him for the future. He could defy any depth of crossexamination, and could reply to a direct question a hundred times without giving a direct answer, and without revealing more than he wished to reveal. 1 Another portrait by-the same artißt is that of the Hon. James Macandrew (once Superintendent of Otago), and this is how Mr. Alfred Saunders hands him down to fame : — ' As an orthodox Presbyterian he could rise to the level of Dr. Burns. As a placid consumer of whisky toddy he was quite at home with E. Jernig ham Wakefield.

The deaths of Captains Bewicke and Brannd 60 closely together is followed now, after a very brief interval, by the death of Captain Richard MacKay, who passed quietly away oa Sunday last at his residence in Grahame street, where he had lived for the past 40 years. Old neighbours all, and worthy pioneers, who did yeoman service in building up the maritime in dnstries of Auckland, they have passed over to the preat majority within a few weeks of each other. Captain MacKay, like Cip tains Bewicke and Brannd, never courted any participation in public Affairs. He was a man of retiring disposition, devoted to his family, of singularly upright character and blameless life. He was also a man of indomitable energy, and patient, plodding effort. Many a staunch and trim vessel has been turned out from his ship-building yard. It will suffice to mention the schooners Joanna and Sbrathnever, the brigantines Matchless and Defianca, and the barque Northern Chief, which for years past has been trading in and out of this port under the .command of the deceased gentleman's third son, Capb. John MacKay, Capt. Richard MacKay was one of the oldett members of St.. James's Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, and a family of five sons and four daughters.