LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Western Star, Issue 1292, 27 February 1897, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Clerk's Delusions —In spite of sobriety and steadiness of life, Henry Alexander Curtis, a young clerk, said to be the grandson of a titled banker, suffered from delusions. He was employed by the London and County Banking Company, and resided at 179, St James road, Croydon. On December 10th his dead body was found in the garden. At the inquest the following letter found near the body was read—" Rough statement. For two years I have been under suspicion of theft. To-night I take my life because I can no longer stand the strain. For days and weeks I have been under detectives’ supervision. On Friday morning I challenged the bank manager to prove it, and he denied ail knowledge of it.”

Photography —Mr A Martin, a Wanganui photographer, has discovered a process by which the pictures are made to stand out in high relief, giving the subject a remarkably life-like appearance. The invention has been patented in New Zealand, and already a prominent Wellington firm has purchased his patent rights for the colony excepting Wanganui, which Mr Martin reserves for himself. Struck It— The Masterton Star states that a rather important discovery was made in Masterton on afternoon. A well was being sunk on a section in Queen street and when a depth of 6ft ©r 7ft was reached a deposit of black sand was encountered which, on being analysed, was found to contain gold and other minerals in fairly large quantities^ State Tenants The Southland Land Board will recommend the Government to make provisions in the Land Act of 1892 that no rents bo collected for the first four years from holders of bush or swamp lands, and that the rents then owing be added to the capital value of the land, on which the occupants shall pay interest, the deposit and first half year’s rent to be still eligible. The recommendation is the outcome of a petition irom settlers, who said they oonld not subsist on suoh lands on the present terms. Never Seen a Bible— The Hull magistrates were trying a man the other day on a charge of manslaughter. His daughter was called, when the following questions and answers ensued ;—She gave her age as 12, and said she could not read. She had been “offschool” a good while. Mr Shackles questioned her as to her knowledge of the Bible, with a with a view of putting her on oath. Mr Ferens :" Do you know anything of the Bible—a book called the Bible ?” The witness : " No, sir ; I have never seen the Bible.”

Gdenbrook Mukdebs —Butlor, who is under arrest for the murders at Glenbrook, New South Wales, sa.ys the weapon used by Captain Lea Weller in committing suicide was a pistol which was given him by one of tho reporters on the Bulletin, and it was found by Butler, The latter 1 says he buried the body himself.

Proclaiming Tumu lixisiiuVoL —According to tho North Otago Times, a meeting of Cheviot settlers was held in the Town Hall, M’Ketrido, recently, to consider the advisability of starting a Settlers’ Association. It was moved, That a farmers* club be formed to bo called the Cheviot Earmers Club. An amendment was moved, That a Association be formed.” Mr Meikle, President of tho Domett Cheviot Settlers’ Association, spokeof the relationship likely to exist between the two organisations. Mr Roberts, secretary of the Domett Association, explained the objects of organisations of this kind, and how the settlers would be heoofitted by having a body who would consider questions of public importance, and work in the interests of the community generally. Mr Roberts also touched on the politic Resale of the question, stating that if the 45,000 Crown settlers in New Zealand banded together they would be a considerable power, and calculated to see that the Government, stu lied their inter ests more fully' than at present. Recreation Ground Concert —Next Thursday a concert, in aid of the Riverton Recreation ground improvement, will beheld in the Victoria ball, and an excellent programme, published in this issue, has been arranged. Tickets arc out, and with an energetic man like Mr Walker at t he head of affairs we have no doubt that bo will soon change the tickets into money. Apart from the evening’s amusement, the purpose to which tho funds are to be devoted should be sufficient to ensure a bumper house.

Suicide—A report was made to tbo Lilydale (Victoria) police that a man named Wm Bunzli had committed suicide. A constable found charred remains in a trench with an old rifle lying near. The deceased had evidently lain down in the trench, and after piling wood on top and around him, had put the muzzle of the rifle in bis mouth, and, after setting fire to the wood, had pulled the trigger by means of a piece of string. The body was burned beyond recognition, the limbs and head being gone. Deceased was a decrepit, aged man, and lived oa the charity of his neighbours. Sad Accident— Mias Mary Miller, residing in North Carlton, Melbourne, was sitting on the balcony of her residence, when she was alarmed to see a little child run on the tram line and fall in front of an approaching car A grocer in an adjacent shop noticed the child’s danger, and rushing out snapped it ofi the lino just in time. While the man was rescuing the child, Miss Miller stepped to the front of the balcony and stretched over the railing to see if he was successful, and her weight coming suddenly on the balustrade, the railing broke and she was precipitated to the ground below. When picked up the unfortunate lady was found to have sustained a broken back and a broken leg, and there was only a slight hope of her recovery.

New Kailway Kates— The changes in the railway rates that will come' into force on April Ist are as follows : —Passengers will be allowed free 1121 b of luggage or goods purchased for their own nso, but these will _be conveyed at owner's risk. Excursionists travelling more than one day will also be allowed 1121 b of luggage ; work people will be allowed the same weight of tools or work to do at home. The parcels rates will be reduced and a 31b parcel will go any distance for 6d ; 7lb parcel, 50 miles for 6d, and any distance beyond for Is, and other rates in proportion, A reduction will bo made in carta and carriages where more than one are carried in the same truck. Minor alterations are made in the grain rates on small parcels. Calves, sheep, goats and pigs will be charged tonnage rates except valuable stock, which will be so much per head. The rates on scrap metal, old glass, bones, etc, pressed chaff and coke will be reduced. The farthing per mile on wool will be abolished and the excess of weight above 4cwt will be charged instead. The special charges on railways constructed under the District Railways Act will be entirely abolished and all those lines will now come under ordinary rates. The Indtan Pajitne— The following telegram has been received from the Hon. Secretary of the Famine Fund in Calcutta by Reuter’s agent, through whom the appeal for help from the colonies was lately made : “ Calcutta, Tuesday. Please thank all who have helped the fund and kindly communicate the following, just received by the Central Committee—' A local missionary reports that of 581 poor starving wretches admitted to the Jubbulpore poorhouse one in seven died from exhaustion in spite of every possible care.’ He concluded : ‘ Surely this is proof of the reality of the famine.’ Later official returns received by the committee show that at the present moment 2f millions of people are employed on relief "works.

Infant Lite Protection —The new_ regulations under the Infant Life Protection Act (Rays the Post) pertain some stringent provisions, which it -is important that persons who have children to muse should know. Any person taking a child under four years of age to nurse for more than three days must be registered, in default of which he or she is liable to a penalty of £25 or six months’ imprisonment. Applications for registration should be immediately made to the local police. Any holders of licenses under the old as well as the new act are not now al-

! lowed to part with any child in their charge without a warrant from the police. A Strange People— A sensational account of the discovery of a race of tailed men has appeared in a recent number of “ L’Anthropolopie.” M. Paul D’Bngoy, in the course of a visit to the Indo-Chinese region, between latitude lldog and 12deg, captured an individual of the Moi race, who had climbed . a tree to gather honey. In descending he applied the sole of his foot to the barb, ; climbing, in fact, like a monkey. On exam- ! ining bis captive, the French explorer and , Annamite companions were surprised to find him the possessor of a caudal appendage. M. D’Engoy saw the common dwelling of the people to which the man belonged, but the others had fled. This dwelling consisted | of a long, narrow, tunnel-like hnt, of dry leaves. The tail is not the only peculiar* ' ity of these people. All the Moi whom M. D’Engoy has seen in the settlement have very accentuated ankle-bones, looking like the spur of a cock. All the neighboring nations treat them as brutes, and destroy these remai'kable people, who aim believed by the author to have occupied primitively the whole Indo-Chinese peninsula. Spbilers— The “ spoiling ” fraternity, _ in. view of the vaoo meeting, are arriving .jin Dunedin in numbers, (says the btarkJ The public are warned against the members of this class, who make a habit of accosting people in the street and offering what they call fine serge for sale, but which ns,, nothing else than “ shoddy ” cloth. The other' day a person was “taken dona” in this way for a tidy sum. * Simple Enough— The following recipe, communicated to tho Australasian by a correspondent, is at least worth a trial for ordin. ary posts“ I discovered many years ago that wood oonld be made to last longer than iron in the ground, though tho process is so simple that it was not woll to make a stir about it. I would as soon have poplar, basswood, or ash as any other kind of timber for fence posts; I have taken out bass-wood posts after having been set seven years that were as sound when taken out as when first put in the ground. Time and weather seemed to have no effect on them. The posts can bo prepared for less than 2o apiece. This is the recipe : Take boiled linseed oil and stir pulverised coal to the consistency of paint. Put a coat of this over tho timber,_ aud there is not a man who will live to see it rot.” Robbery at Al'cklakd —An impudent robbery was committed at f o’clock on Monday morning from a private house in Vincent street, occupied as a bachelors’ hall by G J Neave (of tho Union Bank), J Millis and R Brodie (post office), C Harris (Railway department), and J. Browning. Tho thief entered by the back door, and took £4. From the trousers in one case £1 was taken, in another two sovereign oases, and a few shilling in a third. New Process— -Tho editor of tho Wanganui Herald was recently shown a forequarter of j mutton which had been treated to an altogether now preserving process, and which I had been hanging in a ve-y close oot-offic° | for the past five days. The meat was found to be perfectly sweet, aud a further test is to be made by sending a car ase as general cargo to Auckland aud back by one of the steamers leaving for that port. The fact of the high temperature of the vessel’s hold should be a good test, and tho result will be awaited with interest. Ife is stated that the cost of preserving 150 sheep would be about Gd for that number, and the lime taken between 15 and 20 minutes. Tho inventor •claims that the meat will keep perfectly fresh for seven days in the hottest weather or in the worst vent : lat<*d room it can be placed in. Fish aud all kinds of animal food can be preserved. The Late Capt.' Clare —The Bouth'and Times reports the death of a well known Southlandor, Captain Joshua Clare, lata harbourmaster, New River, who passed peacefully away on Tuesday. The deceased came nut* to Australia, as second ofllcor, of the barque Harry Smith in 1850. Ho was on the Victorian diggings in ’sl ’52, and eubsequonfy came to Southland, and sailed two vessels, tho Marion Rennie and the Aparima, one belonging to tbo late John Haro. Capt. Clare succeeded Mr Oates as pilot for the port of Invercargill, which he has so long and honorably hold till ho literally died in harness. The deceased had a family of thirteen children, twelve of whom still live. Most of them have loft tho parental roof and made homes for themselves elsewhere. Several of tho sons are, however, still in Southlaud, three of them being still at the Moko- i moko, and one, Mr J G Clare, in the l ands Department in Invercargph '

Murder and Cannibalism— The natives of 1 Aoba, in the Now Hebrides, captured a white j trader named Duncan, and tied him to a tree. I They kept him for three days for the purpose of fattening him, and he was then killed and eaten. We have been advised that Messrs Whitting and Co have dissolved partnership. The Working Bee for the improvement of the recreation ground, which was to be hf-ld next Wednesday afternoon, has been postponed to a date to be announced. A boy named Leonard Styles died in the Dunedin hospital from injuries received from a fall. Ho was cleaning windows when he fell on to the pavement—a distance of 20ft. The Wellington Post states that the general management of the Bank of N Z was offered to Mr Mitohie, manager of the Dunedin branch, and declined. It was then offered to Mr Embling, manager Christchurch branch, and ha is not unwilling to accept, lie has been approved by the directors, but the president has vetoed the appointment. WOLFE’S SCHNAPPS Is a specific against dyspepsia, indigestion, liver complaints and other troubles of a kindred nature. Buy bottles intact.