INTERPROVINCIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 77, 23 March 1880, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Wellington, March 20. Government have sent a memo to the Secretary of the Benevolent Institution, authorising him to engage 30 men to be immediately forwarded to Murimotu Plains for the purpose of road-making. Blenheim:, March 23. A heavy rain has fallen during the last three days, overflowing the rivers, and flooding the greater part of the town to the depth of several feet. Ho church services were held yesterday except in the Roman Catholic chapel, and to-day business is almost entirely suspended. Nelson, March 22. William Stuart, photographer, who had recently been living at Motueka, was missed on Friday last, and search was made and continued till this morning, when his body was discovered near the cemetery. It appears he wrote to his mother on Friday last, intimating that he intended destroying himself. An inquest is to be held shortly. Timaku, March 20. The sheep riot cases terminated to-day by the Bench declaring they should never have been brought before the Court, and without calling for the defence, simply binding McLeish in LSO and two sureties of L 25, and Bull, the chief cudgelist, in L2O and two sureties of LlO, to keep the peace. Timarh, March 22. Narrow escapes from several fatal accidents occured tin's afternoon. The horses of an express waggon bolted down the footpath in the main street. The passengers were scattered in every direction, and a child 5 years old was pulled aside just in time to escape being driven over. A boy of 12 fell on the path and missed the wheels by rolling himself over the kirb. The new boat, built for the harbor engineer, was launched on Saturday, and the same night it broke loose, and was smashed amongst the concrete blocks. Dunedin, March 22. Burglaries are greatly on the increase here. Two were reported last night. At the Police Court this morning, Butler was charged with the murder of the Dewar family. A lot of evidence was taken, and prisoner was remanded till Monday next. Mr. Daniel Haggart, an early settler at Clutha, died suddenly, aged 80. The premises of Wong Tape, Chinese merchant, Stafford street, were broken into last night and Ll5O in notes and gold stolen. The strangest part of the affair is that fifty sovereigns and four pieces of gold in the same chest were not abstracted. The inquest concludes on Tuesday, the only witnesses being Inspector Mallard and Dr. Brown. From evidence it appears that the prisoner Butler—who had been under police surveillance since his discharge from gaol on Feb. 16 —was seen by Detective Bain on the Saturday previous to the murder. On a former occasion he said to Detective Bain after asking for work —“ I want to do well for myself this time, and would like to get work, because if I break loose again I will be one of the most desperate tigers ever let loose in a community.” Bain got him some manual work at Ravensbourne. He had previously asked to be introduced to some of the newspaper editors, as he was desirous of writing some articles for them. A cake of 443 ounces, from 400 tons of stone, was sent down from the Tipperary claim to-day.

Invercargill, March 22. Another destructive fire occurred at Guthrie and Larnach’s mill, which was burned down on the 11th inst. A heap of sawdust which had been smouldering since the last fire, burst out yesterday, and destroyed about GO,oooft. of sawn timber. The lire is still burning.