Comments on Passing Events.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2029, 11 February 1887, Page 2

Comments on Passing Events.

Wellington, Feb 9. Cattbey and Penn. This is another case which shows that public feeling is gradually turning against capital punishment, as is shown by tbe recommendation to mercy ou tbe part of tbe jury. For my own part I consider the sympathy is somewhat misplaced. However, over a thousand people could be found in Auckland to plead for their eeutence of death to be commuted to imprisonment for life. This case puts one in mind of an incident in one of Marryat’s novels, or rather tbe pleading of tbe lawyers, was similar—each wishing to prove the other guilty and their own man innocent—but they wore not so philosophical as Midshipman Easy. Those who have read the novel will remember that on one occasion Midshipman Easy and bis friend had a half dead prisoner in their boat and wished to get rid of him at once. So they pbilosophied in this manner : If they killed him outright it weuld be murder, so it was suggested by one that they should throw him overboard together ; he being half dead it weald only be quarter murder for each. This appears to have been the idea that the lawyers bad in fllw ahnvo hnf di,l rrrrf rlafino <.«

clearly—the lawyers apparently wished to assert that Caffrey and Penn killed Taylor together, and were therefore only guilty of half murder each. The recommendation to mercy by the jury is certainly a puzzle, seeing that the charge of murder was so clear against the prisoners, and can only be accounted for from the (act that the feeling against capital punishment is growing so strong that it will have to be abolished or a less barbarous system to hanging adopted. Cricket. It is certainly a matter for regret that a combined Wairarapa team of cricketers cannot come to Wellington to play a match, and I presume that it is only the railway management that stands in the way of such an event taking place. It is the only way in which the country teams can judge as to the standard at which they have arrived by playing with a town team, which has every advantage of being the stronger. If you have good bowlers I am inclined to think that a Wairarapa combined team would stand a good show with a Wellington one, but if not, I am afiatd it would be all in favour of the latter. I was on the Besetve on Saturday week and witnessed the cup match, Wellington C.C. versus Phoenix C.C., and Dr Collins made !U for the former and Motley 48 for the latter in one innings. This will give an idea of what the Wairarapa men would have to play against if their bowling was not really first class.

I Jam Making. I There is a certain amount of science in ievery celling, ami when any one has obtained la knowledge of the science of any particular ■avocation or business, he is pretty sure to be nuccessfnl. In the manufacture of jam even, ■here is a scientific kuowledgrc required as so the resemblance of certain vegetables with certain fruits. A jam maker has to ascertain the similarity ol taste. However, I had a lot of jam utiered me at a cheap rate the other day, and concluded to take half a dozen tins, which were labelled “ black currant,” and the name of the maker belonged to that race of people who have a national preference to “ mountain dew ” When a tin was opened I came across some very large seed and innocently thought that the black cur! rants they came out of must have been ol a gigantic size and went into calculations on the question. I had read ol scientific men telling the size of an animal and its nature and habits, only having its shin bone or any other part of the skeleton to work on ; so from the seeds I found in the jam I worked out the fact that the black cun ants they came out ol were of that gigantic kind known to scientific men, and possibly to vegetarians also, as “ pumpkins.” Colonial.