Pars About People

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 953, 3 April 1897, Page 18

Pars About People

Mb H. Eybe - Kenny (don't forget the hyphen, please), better known as ' the jedge,' had hardly settled himself down on the cnshions of the magistrate's bench at Wellington before he startled the Empire Citizens with an alarming statement. He announced that it was his custom to make orders for immediate payment of debts owing under judgment summonses, if the defendants .fail to pot in an appearance at Court. One of the local papers thereupon remarks that this- action converts the present law into an Imprisonment for Debt Act pore and simple. ' Many unfortunate debtors are already hardly dealt with, even when the law is mildly administered, but if our Stipendiary Magistrate is as good as his word, their difficulties will bb increased, and the "Wellington prison will be turned into a Fleet.' The divinity that doth hedge a Jedge — on the goldfields, for instance — is blown to the winds down at Cook Strait. They don't realise the importance of such a dignitarj .

Frank Ashman, who made an abortive attempt to poison himßelf at the Thames the other day, was unduly .anxious to become an angel. When he was taken to the Hospital, Constable McPhee told him he would soon be all right, whereupon Frank replied, with disappointment in his voice. 4 That means that I shall not see the Lord and all the little angels to-night.' He was apparently quite sure of the road he meant to travel.

Mr W. Earnßhaw, ex-M.H.E. for Danedin, who was thrown over by the Labour Party at the last election because he had the hardihood to thiDk for himself, has been interviewed in his retirement by an inqnisitive pressman. And to him Mr Earnahaw confessed that ' he was tired of the narrow and oppressive tyranny of the Labour organisations.' Mr Earnshaw has found them out too late Self is the god of the Labour organisations, and among their leaders each man plays for his own hand. When any of their number, by native merit, rises above his fellows, he is promptly hauled down and a scramble ensues among the otherß for his seat. And the man who gets it is usually the least competent.

A family divided against itself. M.H.R. Field, the elect of Otaki, is somewhat of a Sedd<<nite, and complains publicly of being slandered by political opponents. His father writes to the Wellington Post that he doesn't believe the slanders were uttered, but that the reports that have reached him are mere lies, bet on foot by some of the scum of the public plunder party, with a view to separating him from the honourable and respectable portion of the community, and attaching him to the. Seddon gang. A pretty wide divergence this.

One Wellington cyclist has met with an adventure that has made him the envied of all his wheeling chums. "While pedalling round Porirua Bay, and nearing the Rowing Club's boatshed, his attention was distracted from his front wheel by sweet and distressful cries coming from the direction of the water. With knight-like promptitude he sprang from his cycle steed, and reached in a bound or two the railway-line, where, between him and the water's edge, he discovered two crouching forms which; in his then adventurous mood, he took at first to be mermaids ; but the absence of the scaly tail rendering this theory untenable, be concluded that he had happed upon a beautiful type of previously-undiscovered amphibious native. This romantic theory was in its turn upset when, in sweet English tones, and with bewitching confusion, they explained that while they were bathing the rude north-easter had slammed-to the boat shed door, and thus interposed between themselves and their clothes a barrier which their fragile strength had been unable to overcome, though they had again and again assaulted it with their united energy. Onr knight speedily scaled the structure, and, effecting an entrance from the skids, and pasßiug their heaps of ' things ' with hurried step, slipped the recalcitrant catch and left the entrance clear. Scarce, alas, had he reached his bike when the unhappy maidens again hailed him, for the wind had repeated its trick, and his rescue operations had to be commenced anew. This time with more Buccess, however, and he proceeded on his way with an air distinctly thoughtful, and ears alert, while two dripping forms glided swiftly and stealthily through the entrance, from which a few minutes later emerged two Porirua belleß.

It is reported that Miss Louisa Seddon, eldest unmarried daughter of the Premier, will accompany hex parents to England. Editor Christie, formerly of the Thames Advertiser, having left- the Bangitihei Advocate to join the Lyttelton Times, the editorial chair of the Advocate is being filled by Mr Andrew, the proprietor. In Mr J. C. Christie the Advocate has lost and the Lyttelton Times has gained a sterling journalist.

Rifle Champion Arthur Ballinger is a man of chivalrous feeling towards his comrades. When he went back to Wellington after his big win, he was leading in a competition for a valuable trophy ,the matches for which had taken Borne months. The prize was easily his if he chose to take it, but with xare generosity he decided to stand out of the last two matches so as to give the smaller fry a chance. All honour to him.

Mr Greenalade, the Thames reporter, 'who fonnd time to make his little pile daring the mining boom, and has gone 'Ome with hiß family to rub shoulders with ' our old nobility,' has been reeling off his many experiences to the press interviewers, ' But there,' exclaimed Mr Greensladeat the end of a gorgeous four-column yarn, which read; 1 like a dream of the Arabian Nights, 'I could keep yon interested for hours with the marvellous wealth of our goldfields, for the history of Coromandel — - where the famous Hauraki Mine is situated — and also Waihi, Waiorongomai, Tairna, Waitekauri, and other districts is equally, interesting. By what I have said you will quite understand why I am so enthusiastic regarding the Hanraki Goldfields, the ?m---mense wealth of which will startle the world in the course of a couple of years, now that capital is being obtained for the development of the"ir enormous resources/ Tee, we quite understand why Mr Greeny slade is so enthusiastic on the subject of scrip.. It is not everyone who gets so far into ' the know ' as to be able to make his £30,000 out of it.

Conjnrer Carl Hertz is no respecter of persons, or if he is he rushes in to quarterswhere ordinary mortals fear to tread. At his first show in Wellington he selected Stipendary Magistrate Wardell aa the member of the audience on whom to playhis guinea-pig trick <; and the ' bsak ' looked none too pleased with the sacrifice made of his dignity while the magician plunged his hand deep under his coat collar to produce the strnggling little quadruped.

Extracts from an affecting letter from aseparated husband to his wife were read at last week's meeting of the Wellington Benevolent Trustees. One ran as following : — ' J ,my dear, write tome at once. Don't keep me waiting ' (' How nice,' was the chairman's comment). 'My dear love, my heart's broken,' the writer said in another portion. 'Do give his broken, heart a show,' said the chairman, but the wife remarked that her repentant hubby had too often promised amendment and too seldom fulfilled such promises. And as he didn't, the Trust had to help her.

Tommy Wilford, the Wellington lawyer who defended the Petone murderer,, bumped up aginst a witness the other day who was jnst a bit too smart for him. Apropos of the foot-print inside the door of Jones's house, Mr Wilford asked, ' Howmuch of the boot did you see in it?' 'I saw the whole lot of it,' was the reply. • Then why did you say in the Lower Courtsthat you saw the sole?' 'Well, what else do you call it ?' retorted the witness ; ' you don't suppose I meant the upper.' There was a burst of laughter round the Court, in which the prisoner joined. Bosher seemed to enjoy the joke as heartily as anyone in the crowd. But his lawyer didn't.

Dr. Wilkins iB not to be rubbed oat when there is a delicate surgical operation to be performed, and the other local medicos know it, too. We have just been shown a set of photos of the infant daughter of Mrs Wilkinß, of Archhill (no relation of the doctor's, by-the-way), representing the child deformed and made unsightly by a complicated donble hare-lip, the same child when partially cured, and, finally, the child aB it left Dr. Wilkins's hands with the deformity completely removed, and looking as pretty and engaging a babe as one conld wish to see. Its history is rather interesting. When it was five months old it was taken by its mother to the Hospital, where, after consultation, seven of the medical staff advised and assisted at an operation upon the little thing's jaw and lips. Unfortunately, the operation was unsuccessful, and the child was left more unsightly than ever. A second operation was tried, with no better result. A third attempt was recommended, but the mother's feelings revolted, and Bhe carried the infant off to Dr Wilkins, who has not only made perfect the separated upper jaw,, where there waß a gap an inch wide, but he has also repaired, in the neatest possible way, the two deficiencies and gaps in the upper lip. An observant person would now have to look very closely to detect any trace of the seam. The mother, of course, is delighted, and Dr Wilkins is naturally highly pleased with the entire success of his very skilful operation.

Mr Albert Dewar, formerly of Auckland, ia now resident at Rockhampton (Queensland). In his leisure from business, he devotes himself to his bees. He has no less than 70 hives, and last season they yielded him eight tons of honey. How is that for high?

Champion Rifle Shot Arthur Ballinger struck a little gold mine when he took to the rifle range. Up to date he has won £213 10a at the annual shooting meetings of the N.Z.R.A.

Garry Cooke, who has been with the Messrs Doder, of the Shore, for the last eight years, left on Monday for Whangapoua for the purpose of taking over . the Kauri Company's store in that district. Heaps of good wishes were tendered him before leaving.

Mayor Boardman deserves ranch credit for the energy with which he has organised the collection of subscriptions towards the Indian Famine Relief Fund.* Auckland's contribution of £1,000 compares most favourably with Melbourne's £2,000, Sydney's £250, Christchurch's £170 and Wellington's £32.

• • « it is an Adelaide paper that says : The J little girls ' of Pollard's Opera Company are now young women, and the ' boys are men who smoke pipes and make wagers at the races. The young bucks of Adelaide, who used to write love letters to Lily Stephens and Company, will find themselves very much looked down upon next May.

The Rev. Dr O'Callaghan has a crow to - pick with the Thames reporter, who, in reporting a recent Sunday night address, said the. preacher ' widened considerably on the subject.' The' rev. doctor thinks he is quite wide enough already to nil the pulpit with comfort to himself.

It iB believed that Mr Quong Tart, the leading Chinese merchant of Sydney, is likely to attend the Record Reign celebrations in London, disguised in a- Scotch kilt. He has heard that the Queen has a special liking for the Scotch. At any rate Quong is accustoming himself to the bagpipes, and quite recently canßed a sensation at a Sydney picnic by singing ' Comin' Through the Rye ' and ' Scots Wha Hae.'

JJi. M. Smith, ex M.H.R, of New Plymouth, being no longer authorised to ehed the light of his countenance in Parliament, is doing his best to shed light upon his benighted fellow-citizens at the foot of Mount Egmont. He has just applied to the city fathers of New Plymouth for an increase of his salary as town lamplighter.

The Premier is coming out aB a popular singer. At the banquet given last week in honour of Mr Field, M.H R. for Otaki, Mr Seddon brought down the house with 'Nancy Lee.' Of course, there was an encore, and Richard the First responded with ' Hard Times, Come Again No More.' -lhat is the favourite tune on the Stock Ex change just now.

The Eev. F. W. Isitt has been challenged by a Southern paper to say whether or not he was the author of certain parodies on the Lord' 8 Prayer and the Church Litany which appeared in the Prohibitionist last year. The Rev. Frank declines to be drawn, and says it is a piece of sheer insolence to ask a journalist if he had written any particular paragraph. He is evidently touched on the raw.

Clarke Johnstons has surrendered the local management of the Loan and Mercantile to Frank J. Bodle, and betaken himself to Wellington, where he is in future to be an inspector for the company. The Stai- aaya there ia general regret at his departure, bat outside ultra-religious circles we question if there is any regret, and even in ultra-religious .circles the sorfow is considerably tempered by the -remembrance of personal losses made by some of the unco quid in Loan and Mercantile shares, in which some of Johnstone's friends invested largely, just before the suspension, as a 'particularly' good thing.

Clarke Johnstone, by the way, did a bit : as an amateur preacher, and apropos of this the following Btory is told : — Two or three years ago, three ' old boys ' of St. James's foregathered unexpectedly, and thongh they were numbered with what is called the lapsed masses, they decided to spend a Sunday forenoon together at the 'anld kirk ' for the sake of old times, and hear the Rev. R. F. Macnicol once more. But alas ! -for their intention, it was not the Rev. Mr Macnicol who ascended the pulpit in gown and tie, but our friend Clatke Johnstone. And the cream of the joke lay in the fact -that thongh the Loan and Mercantile Agency "had suspended the week before, letting innocent people in heavily, and be was the local head of the concern, he .choße for his sermon, of all subjects in the world,,.' Commercial Morality.' . Sin was reproved all right, but the three young men ■oi the lapsed masses were not as much impressed by that seimon as they might have (been if someone else had preached it.