AMERICA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 5, 4 August 1909, Page 8

AMERICA.

Police “Grafter*.’’ The trial of a police inspector and a detective-sergeant is proceeding in Chicago. The detective received £lBOO sterling in a month from unfortunates, the amount being mostly distributed among higher oflicials. The police inspector received £350 in a single payment. It is estimated that gamblers, opium dealers, and others distribute between them £60,000 and £140,000 sterling annually within two police districts. Murdered in Court. Parker Willis, a well-known politician of Arkansas, recently divorced his wife, and then instituted proceedings to recover the custody of the daughter by the marriage. During the hearing of the case, Ellis, co respondent in the divorce suit, drew a revolver and shot Willis dead in open court, despite the judge's endeavours to stop the shooting. I • Disaster in Mexico. ( ' Messages from Mexico report a tremendous earthquake, over 1000 square miles of country being shaken on Friday. i Five hundred lives have been lost, and j both the towns of Chilpanzingo and Chilapa destroyed. I The earthquake shocks in Mexico lasted i for fourteen hours, and were renewed * yesterday. All the churches at Acupulco and also the mildings on the water front collapsed on Friday. A great tidal wave simultaneous with ! the earthquake sweeping away the inI the earthquake swept away the inmates pf many of the buildings. |’f Chilpanzingo stands 120 miles W.S.W. from Mexico City, on the road from ’Acapulco. Its population is about 7000. Chilapa, which is close to Chilpanzingo, has a population of about 6000. W’right's Official Tests. |l !' Orville Wright, with a passenger, aeroplaned a straight five miles across country and back in 14m 40s, fulfilling a test imposed by the Washington Government prior to the purchase of the machine.