AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1812, 15 July 1891, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

political, $ Simultaneously the parliaments of Victoria and South Australia will enter upon the consideration of the Federation question, notices of motion in connection with it having been given in eaoh legislators for this afternoon. A motion, approving generally of the Draft Bill adopted by the Sydney Convention, will be discussed in the first place, and, if this be carried, the parliaments will be asked to consider the details of the measure. Tbe Victorian Premier has declared himself in favor of a referendum to the people of the Bill as finally approved by the Legislature. What course will be proposed by the Premier of South Australia has not yet been indicated. It is anticipated that there will be a large majority of tbe Victorian members of Parliament in favor of the Bill, but there is likely to be considerable difference of opinion as to what course should be adopted in consulting the electors. Mr Gillies wants the federal cause to be made portion of the Government programme at the ensuing general election, and he doubtless will have a large following. The redoubtable Sir Bryan O'Logblen took the earliest opportunity of declaring his opposition to federation in the Victorian Assembly by moving an amendment on the Addresa-in-Reply to the Governor's speech. The amendment, which was lengthy and involved like the speech which the hon. member made, asserted that the House had no authority from the people to. barter away their privileges — that it declined to sanction any scheme of federation which took away from it the exclusive rights of imposing taxes and making grants, and did not guarantee the present protective system. This was virtually a motion of want of confidence, but the Premier, with a view of Baying time, shut Mb eyes to that fact, and, after Sir Bryan had had his say, the Address was carried without any trouble, the Opposition having decided to wait for the Government measures. Sir Bryan's speech was a spiritless tirade from the narrow point of view of the provincialist, and excited little interest. Members recognised that he was bringing forward his case at the wrong time, and they also felt that he did not add strength to it by his long harangue. This federation business ,has been to the member for Port Fairy like a red rag to a bull. Although he lent all his weight to the present Ministry in putting the Gillies- Deakin coalition out of office, no sooner did he learn the Government's intentions in regard to federation than he crossed the floor of the House. Though in opposition, he is entirely out of sympathy -with his associates on tbat aide, and he occupies' a unique position in the House. He is allied with no party ; he is a leader without any following, and his hope is a forlorn one. Mr Hancock, the labor representative who has lately been elected for Collingwood, moved tbe Address-in-Reply, and made a remarkable speech, which he is likely to regret before the session is out. It was a ranting oration, suggestive alike of the stump orator and the pothouse politician. It waa the maiden effort of a man who forgot where he was, and spoke at random. He railed at existing institutions in a senseless manner, and indicated an affection for the very worst form of Socialism, if not anarchy. His great complaint was against the last Government for employing the military to maintain order during the late shipping strike. He objected to such a display of force as there had been, and sarcastically remarked that a parade might in future be looked for when there waa a dog fight. When he tried to work on tbe feelings of his audience by suggesting that the skill which the Victorian Rifles had shown at the British military tournament in cutting lemons might be exercised on the heads of harmless trades unionists he made a great mistake, for he was immediately assailed with cries of "bunkum" and " boßh." A rather disturbing interjection in regard to " cutting bridges," ie reference to what has taken place in Queensland, might have been made at this point, and that such an opportunity was missed must be attributea to the absence of the best wits from the House on the opening day. Afterwards, the chosen of the Labor party talked incoherently as to the necessity of shutting up the banks, as the country was overridden by them, and the seizure of private land to provide for the unemployed. The last brilliant idea was suggested rather than openly stated. When he broached the subject of placing the unemployed on the land, he was informed by an interjector that the land of the colony was all taken up. "If that be so," rejoined Mr Hancock, "the sooner it is taken irom the people who hold it the better. Everything is possible in a democratic country." This ridiculous talk waa greeted with shouts of laughter. If the three leading ideas of Mr Hancock's speech are to be taken as the basis of the new liberaism which is to be propounded by the Labor party, the sooner the reasonaoleminded men of the colony combine to keep strike-lead ers and professional labor candidates out of Parliament the better. lam inclined to think that before long Mr Hancock will soon feel the necessity of mellowing his Radical notions somewhat, unless he wishes to be laughed at every tjme he opens his mouth. It is astonishing how soon a socalled labor leader changes his tune when he has to address a critical assembly of men who take him at his word. Mr Trenwith is a changed man since he entered the House. So will Mr Hancoek be before long. Balderdash may do for the Trades Hall and open air meetings, but not for a House of Parliament. SENTENCED TO DEATH FOE MALPRACTICE. The trial of Mrs Taylor, the notorious Melbourne midwife, for the murder of Ellen Carter, was concluded hefore Mr Justice A'Beckett in the Criminal Court yesterday, and resulted in a verdict of guilty against the prisoner and a sentence of death. The case for tbe Crown was that the accused performed an illegal operation on deceased in Richmond, on the 4th May, which produced the death of the latter on. the 22nd of tbe same month. Mrs Carter was the licensee of the Railway Hotel, Ballan, and was there visited by the accused on the Bth, 13 oh, and 16 h May. Mrs Carter had been a widow for two years, and during eighteen months had carried on the hotel in which she died. She became ill on her return from Melbourne on the sth May, and took to her bed altogether on the 16th. Mrs Taylor visited tbe deceased under the assumed name of Mrs Brown, informing the servants and others tbat she had an hotel in Bendigo, and intended purchasing that of the deceased. On one occasion Mrs Carter addressed accused as Mrs Taylor in the presence of a domestic. Prisoner replied : " No ; don't call me that — I'm not tbat woman." Dr Marr, the local practitioner, was called in on the 16th May, accused keeping out of his way; He found Mrs Carter suffering severely from the effects of blood poisoning, and attended her until her death. Dr Woinarski, of Ballarat, was called in in consultation on the 19 eh May, and agreed there was no hope of the patient's recovery. About ten o'clock on the night of the 21st May Mrs Carter made a dying declaration

before a magistrate, a senior constable, and other witnesses, and at two next morning she died. A post mortem was held on the 23rd May, when the cause of death waß found to be blood poisoning. The jury returned a verdict of " guilty of murder," with a strong reoommendation to mercy. Counsel for the defence asked the Court to reserve for the Full Court the question whether the statement of deceased was admissible in evidence, seeing it was the statement of an accomplice, and therefore required corroboration. His Honor consented to state a case. When the accused heard the verdict she sank into her seat in a Btate of collapse, and had to be revived with a glass of water. She continued moaning at intervals, and when asked if she had anything to say why sentence should not be passed upon her according to law replied : " I never murdered her. I never hurt her." His Honor, in passing sentence, said : — " The offence you have been convicted of is of a kind fraught with danger to the community. Its dangers are so obvious that it is unnecessary for me to enlarge upon them. We have here an instance of a woman suffering an agonising death, resulting from something you did for gain against the law. The jury have discharged a very painful duty. They have found you guilty of an offence which the law characterises as murder, and to whioh the punishment of death is accorded as for all kinds of murder, though murders vary in degree. Some call for punishment beyond all question ; as to < others, doubt may arise as to whether the I punishment should be inflicted. The jury have recommended yon to mercy, seeing fully the distinction between your case and that of ordinary murder, which every intelligent man must at once perceive. It is not for me to say what effect the recommendation and the difference between your case and other murders in the popular sense of the term will have when your case comes to be considered by the Executive. It merely remains to me to carry out my duty, which is to pronounce the sentence that attaches to murder. The sentence of the Court is that you be taken from where you now stand to the Melbourne Gaol, and that you be there hanged by the neck until you be dead, and may God have mercy upon your soul." The accused appeared to be utterly prostrated, and had to be almost carried out of the dock. As she was led from the Court, between a pair of constables, Bhe could be beard moaning : "Oh, what will become of me ? What will become of me ? " AN ADELAIDE SCANDAL. A scandal which has come to light is just now the talk of Adelaide. Some time ago a young man named Laurence M. Davidson was introduced to a number of good families principally connected with the church which he had joined, and of which he showed himself a zealous member. Among them was the family of Mr Q. H. Ayliffe, who has for many years held a good position under Government Davidson was a handsome fellow, with pleasing manners, and he made himself particu arly agreeable to Mr Ayliffe's two daughters, both of whom were under twenty. He soon proposed to the elder gitl, and married her, although her parents were much oppoaed to the match, aa he had no fixed means of subsistence, and merely earned something now and then as a canvasser for several publishing offices. He spoke in an airy way, however, about his expectations from an uncle at Home, and induced the girl to become his wife. They set up house, and for some time lived with a daßh which astonished all their acquaintances, who could only surmise that the unknown uncle must have done something handsome. Davidson still continued a frequent visitor at his father-in-law's house, and was very fond of playing lawn tennis with the younger sister. A few days ago both were missing, and tbe parents are horror-stricken, and the young wife heartbroken, to learn that Davidson eloped with his little sister-in-law by the German liner Hohenzollern. It has further transpired that he has been raising money of late by means of valneleßS cheques, of which he is said to have succeeded in passing a number on credulous tradespeople. The German steamers do not touch at Western Australia, so that he could only be brought back from Colombo, and it is said the victims do not feel inclined to bear the heavy cost of this, even if it be legally possible to arrest him there. The unhappy girl who fled with him bad just turned eighteen, so that Davidson cannot be charged with abduction,