ALEXANDRA. [OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1195, 24 February 1880, Page 2

ALEXANDRA. [OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

At the Resident Magistrates Court, held here on Friday last, the Magistrate, H. W. Northcroft, Esq. sat for the first time in the new Courthouse, which is, although small, a great improvement on the old building, which lias hitherto done duty for that purpose. There was only one case for his Worship to adjudicate upon, that of Conn v. Kelly, a, serious ease of assault, in which the defendant pleaded "guilty under aggravating circumstances. " The parties are female neighbours residing on the Awamutu Road. Fioni the defendants own state- | ment the plaintiff (Mrs Conn) came to her place to make some enquiries regarding her children, and seeing a tin can, claimed it as her property, on which defendant at once took hold of the can and slung the Mater it contained over the plaintiff, and then struck her with it over the head, saying "take your old can, who wants your can, " the force of the blow causing u serious wound, scalping the plaintiff four inches in length. Dr Blunden stated that plaintiff had lost a great quantity of blood, her clothes being completely saturated with it. The blow must have been a serious one, and might have had a serious terminatio. The Court severely admonished the defendant for her behaviour, which avouUl, if taken to a higher court, in all probability incurred her a sentence of imprisonment. She would be fined £o and the costs I*4 4s or two months imprisonmeiit. Defendant's husband, in a rather disrespectful manner, applied for time for payment, which the Court refused. The fine was subsequently paid, the defendant apparently firmly con* vinced that justice had not been meted her, but that she had acted perfectly right under the circumstances.

THE LATE BUSH FIRE. The fire at Hikm.ingi, on Wednesday last was a serious one to Tawhiao's peoj^le, They have for some time past been felling bush for cultivations ot great extent. Tawhiao, uhen lie left for Kawhia, on Monday last, gave orders it was not to bo burned oit until all the crops had been gathered in, but a man named Martin, thinking it was a favourable opportunity, set it on lire without notice. 80 far did the flames travel that a large number of the natives who were digging out potatoes found themselves almost surrounded with the fire, many of them getting seriously burnt. One woman and child were with great difficulty rescued, but so severely burnt that neither are likely to survive the injuries they received.

>,ATIVK NEW*. The old man, Ngakai, who committed suicide at Kopua, did so in a most dotermined manner by sitting down in hiss a\ hare and strangling himself with a rope. Ah is often the case with very old people amongst the natives, he was greatly neglected by his family, and so took this means to end a life that was only a misery to him. One result of Tawhiao's anil Rewi's late meeting at Kopua is that thq Wciikato' and the Ng'itinuuiiuputo aru tv

U> uu>vv tivmly united than ever. To \\\vl\anui, a chief at least equal in rank to Row i, w ith all his followevs at To Kuti and surrounding settlements having detvi mined to leave their own settlements and go and reside with Tawhiao and his t»eopU> i\t Hikuvangi, they avo now deposing of their cattle, for which at present there is no food at the King's place, so Tawhiao %s% s ambition of making his favourite settlement the largest in the inland, is in a fair way of being realized. Our iwsout (Jovernment apparently have oyory confidence in theiv pacific intentions as although we have such a large Wily of natives m our immediate vicinity our military force in command of the t^ttltttntmt consists of three men. A tiro occurred last week on the farm of Mr Thomas Goodfellow at Paterangi. A labourvr in his employ with his wife occupying an out-house were awoke about I lAilock in the morning by the building Wiug in flames. Gilkinson and his wife had? great difficulty in escaping in their night clothes. Gilkinson returned to save a box containing some nine pounds in money, which he succeeded in doing, ptting very badly burnt in the face and hands, which •will incapacitate him for wovk for some time to come. He estimates his loss at some £50, a severe loss for a man in his position.