MAIL ITEMS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1002, 23 July 1883, Page 4

MAIL ITEMS.

Captain Webb, the champion English swimmer, undertakes to swim through the Niagara whirlpool on July 21st. Sir Alex. Galt, High Commissioner to London, has just returned to Canada with the intention of entering the Dominion Cabinet. He says the right of Canada to make their own commercial treaties had been practically conceded by England. Bismarck's health is reported as gradually growing worse. He was suffering from violent pains in his stomach on the 20th June, and his departure from Fredkverst was postponed. The floods in Silesia on June 20th and 23rd were attended by waterspouts. A large part of the town of Mirchburg was submerged, and the houses of an adjacent village were floo ed. Serious riots against the Jews have occurred in Stagell, Switzerland. On June 23rd a number of Jewish shops had been pillaged, and the police were stoned while endeavoring to stop the excesses. Soldiers were called out to quell the disturbances.

A scene took place in Court during the trial of some Jews in Vienna accused of having murdered a young Christian girl in order to obtain her blood for use in a religious- ceremony. The trial has attracted much attention. The principal witness was- twenty-four years old, and son of the chief prisoner, Joseph Scharf. After detailing the manner of the crime, etc., how they held the victim so as to lose none of the blood, the boy was crossexamined by his father, and the general character of the trial is given in a verbatim ptwsaga of this examination as contained in *»'-despatch published on June 25th:—Prisoner “Look at me in the face, scorpion.” President —“Do not Insult the witness. I understand your motive, hut behave properly before your Judge.” Prisoner—“Do you know meV Witness—“ Yes, thou art ray lather.” Prisoner—“ What didst thou tell the officer at first 1” Witness—“ Nothing ; because you had forbidden me to speak of the corpse.” Prisoner—“ Thou wretched hoy. thou dost not know what a corpse is.’* VAitness —“ Yes Ido;it is a dead body.” Prisoner—“ Then when I tell thee what thou sayest is false I tell a lie!” Witness—“ Yes; you are a liar.” Prisoner —“Thou infamous liar ! Do ! deserve on false'evidence to be hanged in the market place?” Witness—“ That is no concern of mine. Ido not wish to see thee again.” Prisoner—“ Why dost thou address me as thou art Witness—“ Do you expect me to say your Grace?” Toleration by the Court of such a scene asjhe general character of the proceedings here exhibite i has provoked the b tterest feeling among the Jews. Young Scharf is considered a lunatic by several correspondents of the London Press. Spain and Madrid are rife with rumors of a great Court scandal, which are to the effect that having ascertained the relations of the King with a lady of the Royal circle, and being unwilling to take the view of such matters usually indulged in by Royal persons, the Queen has sailed with her children from Spain, and will never return. Mr Justice Butt, Judge of the Divorce Court, has jest pronounced a decision which will be read with painful interest in New South Wales and New Zealand, where the parties to the suit were well known. Major Edward Beauchamp St. John, son-in-law of one of the most popular colonial Governors, appealed for a dissolution of his marriage, on the ground of his wife’s adultery with Major G. Newcome Stevenson. The painful dethis miserable case have not been deported at any length, but the main facts are shortly this. Major and Mrs St John were married in Ceylon on the Bth dajtof June, 1870, and there was one child of the marriage. They lived happily at various places at which the petitioner held appointments. In August, 1882, Mrs St John left her husband in Cape Colony and came to this country with her child and her mother. The respondent and her husband parted on affectionate terms, but on his arrival here last December he received a letter from her stating, that he had always treated her with kindness and consideration, but that she had long before ceased to care for him* and did not intend to return to cohabitation. Evidence was given that the - respondent and co-respondent had stayed at an hotel in this country as man and jvife. The Court pronounced a decree nisi with costs. Major E. B. St. John:having relinquished the appointment of Miitary Secretary to Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of Cape Colony, has been. succeeded by Major G. E. Boyle, of the Rifle Brigade. ■ - The trial of Dr Gallagher, Bernard •>; Gallagher, Whitehead, Curtain, Wilson, " and'Ausberg was concluded on June 14th. The Court stated that it considered the evidence against Bernard Gallagher and Ansberg sufficient to bo submitted to the jury, and Justice Grove concurred in the decision, but without expressing an opinion as to the ultimate result, though there were grave doubts as to the sufficiency of evidence against Ausberg. Mr Clarke, counsel for the defence, challenged the Crown to point to asingle syllable of evidence given at the trial, outside of the informer Lynch, which showed the intention ol the prisoners was to assail the authority of the Crown or overawe Parliament. He declared B. Gallagher's contained no evidence against anybody hut himself. Whitehead expressed a desire to address the jury himself, and his counsel therefore retired. Mr Matheson, on behalf of

Bernard Gallagher, argued there was no case against his client as he acted while under the influence of liquor, and there was nothing suspicious in the elder brother who was better off than a younger one sending money to the latter. He confidently asked for a discharge of the prisoner." Mr Matheson admitted Bernard had a general knowledge of the designs of dynamiters, but said it mu-t be remembered he was a resident of Brooklyn, .New Tork, and could not be judged by the same standard as an Englishman was. It waaa matter of common knowledge that a place existed in America for the manufacture of dynamite for use against England, almost with the connivance of the American Government. Ciarke and Row land here protested against the use of this language, and declared there was no proof that such was the case. J ustice Brett declared counsel had no right to make such a r remark. He said there was no proof cf the existence in America of plots or a connivance thereat on the part of the Government of that country. Justice Coleridge also rebuked Matheson. He Said, “ I think it only due to our friendly relation with that great Government that yon : unreservedly withdraw that statemerit.Mr Matheson said he would gladly accede to the ruling of the Court. The case for the defence closed, and the Solicitor-General replied on the part of theprosecution. Upon the conclusion of ■his remarks, Justice Coleridge began his summing up to the jury, who returned a -verdict of "Guilty "agamst Dr Gallagher, Wilson, Whitehead and Curtain, and •‘ Not Guilty ” in the case of Ausberg and Bernard Gallagher, lifelong penal servitude was the sentence for those found guilty. Dr Gallagher kissed and shook hands with his brother and Ausberg and "Whitehead. Wilson and Curtain each shopk hands with Bernard Gallagher, and 4nsberg fervently. The convicts ’^srAthen returned to Millbank Prison, the mob hissing the police escort en route.