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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 53, 19 January 1877, Page 2

A meeting of the members of the Penin-1 sula Jockey Club is advertised to take place to-morrow afternoon, at 3 o'clock, at Frank's Hotel, to arrange a programme for the meeting to be held on the 22nd February. The horse belonging to Mr. Ivcss, which had been entangled in the supplejacks for the space of eight days, died on Tuesday morning last from the effects of starvation. At a meeting of the Local Board of Health, held after the adjournment of the Borough Council on Wednesday evening last, Mr. Wagstaft" gave notice of motion —" That at next meeting of the Board the appointment of an Inspector of Nuisances be taken into consideration." In our report of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board's proceedings published in our last issue, wo stated that Mr Vangiona's tender for benching and culverting was £13, and Mr M'Kay's £10. This was an error, as both tenders were equal—£lo —but as Vangiona had named a time, one month, for the completion of the work, Mr Houghton moved its acceptance, which was carried. In writing of the dedication services of the new Knox Church, the correspondent of the North Otago Times, whose norn de plume is " Diogenes," says of its pastor :— " His homely ways are very amusing sometimes. He often mixes up the candidate for baptism, and makes mistakes about names, but on Sunday last he outdid himself by suddenly exclaiming—' Hech. what's this ? we're a man short!' and then, after a brief conference with the blushing mother, who had got separated from her husband in the church, the doctor turned round and beckoned to that worthy, who was at some distance, and called out, to the intense amusement of the people, the youngsters especially, ' Eh, Mr. So-and-Soi come awa man, come!' and so the bashful swain had to come forward, apparently with some reluctance, and take the vows. Probably no other man in Dunedin could do such a thing with such perfect naturalness and simplicity. We clip the following from the Grey River Argus :—" Although the local papers have most religiously abstained from any exaggerated account of the Kumara diggings, and have endeavoured to prevent a ' rush,' they are still liable to accusations. Some years ago the office of this paper had to be protected by armed police against the possible realisation of the threats made by a body of indignant and unreasonable miners, because certain information published in good faith had been a little overcolored by an enthusiastic reporter ; and the then and present editor was solemnly fined £100 at a public meeting which he witnessed in the calmest manner from the top of a boulder on Cobden's shore. Now it appears we are threatened with another exhibition of the grccit aifection with which disappointed diggers regard newspapers. We received the following by post the other day :—' Sir, —If it was not for you and your dam'd paper I would never have left my claim, and now I am a wanderer. You have a dale to answer for some of those days for your slutting and blowing —From John M'Turk, late of Waitahuns Otago.", Sir William Stawell generally hits the right nail on the head (says the Melbourne Punch), and he did so the other day in summing up the libel action Broadbent v. Small, when the Chief Justice is reported to have said that " public men and public measures were public property, and it was the privilege of the public to discuss these men and those measures, as it was termed, without actual malice. This was a privilege which they must all cherish. No doubt these criticisms were occasionally not pleasant. Court of justice came in occasionally for attack or censure — whether justly or unjustly it was not necessary for him to say. Judges were censured, and even learned counsel did not escape. Perhaps when those attacks where first read in the morning, they were not very agreeable. If they were deserved, why they must be borne; if they were undeserved they could do no harm, and they probably served to amuse some people. Useful public criticism was allowed on public men and public measures, the community would lapse into a condition which would bo irksome to the public generally. If discussions were not allowed, why the community would be in a state of perfect slavery." This is the language of common sense and sage experience. And none bnt fools and knaves stand in dread of honest criticism, of just censure, and of fearless satire

Some important medical evidence wa.s given (says an English paper) at an inquest in Bristol on the body of Herbert George Knight, aged 13, who was found dead in a swimming bath. The boy's father said he never had a fit in his life, and was very healthy. The manager of the baths said when the boy was discovered in the water the crown of his head was just above the surface, and he was standing in a stooping position with his face under water. At the point where he was, the water was only 3 feet 4 inches deep, while his height was, 4 feet 9 inches. Thomas Richards, bath attendant, said the temperature of the water was 75 degrees. Mr. G. Gardiner said he used the usual restoratives for a quarter of an hour, but without effect. Ho was of opinion that death was not caused by drowning ; it was a case of epilepsy. The deceased must have eaten heartily just before he had entered the water, or at least had not given his food sufficient time to digest. He had thrown up a large quantity of food, and when got out of. the water his mouth and throat were full. It was a very serious thing for persons to enter the water after meals, as it was attended with the greatest danger to the safety of the bather, and that fact could not bo too widely known. It was simply owing to that act the decased had lost his life. It was exceedingly dangerous for any person to enter the water within two hours of a meal. The verdict was in accordance with the medical evidence,

The own correspondent of the Otago Guardian, writing from San Francisco under date November 7, gives the following details of the frightful accident which occurred at a Chinese Theatre on Sunday. October 29 :— It was a benefit night, and nearly 2000 Chinese were wedged into the theatre. Some Chinamen catching sight of a little smoke rising somewhere near the stage, raised the cry of" fire," and a panic immediately ensued. There was a rush from the gallery to the narrow stairwsy leading to the main exit. The stairs gave way, and a portion of the crowd in passing the portal were overthrown by those who followed. To add to the horrors of the situation, the swinging doors opening to the narrow vestibule were wrenched off, and fell forward upon the unfortunate crowd ahead, crushing a number of them to the floor. The surging mass struggling outwards precipitated itself upon the fallen doors, compressing the helpless beings beneath to death. Still others crowded upon those on the doorsi and trampled them to death. The exit from the floor to the theatre to the vestibule is down a short flight of steps, which accounts for the wedging of the mass at that point. The llight was down an inclined plane. Twenty-eight bodies were carried out from the doorway- Of these, 19 were quite dead, seven mortally injured, and the others dangerously so. The coroner of the city was immediately notified, and took charge of the dead. As may be easily surmised, the scene outside the theatre was ghastly—the dead and dying lying on the street and side-walk ; the dying groaning and struggling, and a steam of chattering and appalled Chinamen pouring out, hopping over bodies like crossing a muddy street. Speaking first on theatrical matters, and then on ' Frisco generally, he says : It seems now to bo quite an acknowledged thing that as soon as a star is " played cut " in this country, up bag and baggage and ofE to Australia. No wonder,' when they once got out there, they are loth leave it, for , Frisco is a very slow place compared with Australia. Everything i 3 overrun in this place, and unless you are absolutely able to turn your hand to downright manual work, there's nothing but the variest skeleton of a chance for you. Oh, yes, though—l forgot, there is still one occupation that only a man of refined taste can touch without soiling his hands and with a little perseverance there is a good chance of getting plenty of work. I now refer to the " professional assassins," of which there are many in this city. The price of th 3 undertaking depends almost entirely on the difficulty of the job : if the party be a woman, 40 dollars is a reasonable figure ; if a man, another 10 is generally added, and so on —each variety of undertakings having their specified scale, according to the danger and chances of detection.

A remarkable trial for murder lias taken place at the Central Criminal Court, Melbourne, before Mr. Justice Stephen. The accused was a Swiss, named Basilio Bondietto, who was arraigned on a_charge of murdering a countryman nauied Carlo Comisto, at Sandy Creek, near Seymour, on or about September 7th last. The prisoner and Comisto lived together in a hut on a selection at the place named, and had been in partnership for several months. Their principal means of support was charcoal burning. On September 6, Comisto told some neighbours that it was his intention to proceed to Melbourne to transact some business, and that he would return in a day or two. He was never seen in the neighbourhood afterwards, and on the prisoner being questioned regarding his absence, he gave several contradictory accounts to different persons, which aroused suspicion. A search being instituted about the premises some bones were found in a small charcoal kiln, which medical witnesses declared to be human bones, and a tomahawk and axe were discovered bearing blood marks. No evidence was called for the defence, but Mr. Wrison made an eloquent and lengthy address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner. He principally

dwelt upon the fact that no clear evidence had been produced to prove Comisto to be dead, and mentioned several cases which had occurred where men universally supposed to have been murdered had reappeared after the lapse of a considerable time. After nearly three hours'.deliberation a verdict of guilty was returned, and the prisoner was sentenced to death. Some time ago the body of a little girl named Maggie Baner was found in a field at Valley > Stream, Jamaica, New York, shockingly mutilated. A farm labourer named M'Conochie was arrested on suspicion of being the murderer, and on being taken from the county jail to the scene of the crime, made a full confession, apparently under the influence of extreme terror, of the horrible details of the violation and murder of the child.- Being asked if the poor child had made .any ciy, he answered that she called out, " Oh, mamma, mamma!" On hearing this reply the mother of the little girl who was present at the examination, sprang at the throat of the prisoner like a tigeress, and grasped him so tightly that, it is said, "he would no doubt have been chocked to death, but for the interference of the officer." It was with difficulty that M'Conochie was removed to the jail, an attempt having been made by a crowd to lynch him. It is stated that Chinese women are sold and bought every day in San Francisco, and that sales of these poor creatures takes place on the arrival of eVery steamer. Civil interments in France are of frequent occurrence, but an eccentric old Parisian, lately dead, has invented the " uncivil " burial. By his will, the deceased forbids any of his relations to accompany his body to the grave, declaring that people are always put out and annoyed by having to attend funerals, and vent their anger by abusing the dead, while those at starting who look .most solemn and distressed are perfectly jolly by the time they reach,the cemetery. "I have often changed my abode during my lifetime," he concludes, " and I never invited my friends to help mo to move. Not having any furniture to remove in my charge to my last and definite home, I certainly do not require their presence or assistance." At the Southwark Police Court a man was summoned for an unprovoked assault upon a young lady. His explanation of the matter was curious. It appeared that his wife, who was living apart from him, had taken out a summons against him for assaulting her, and that while looking for her lie mot the complainant, and immediately seized her by the neck and wrists. A crowd quickly gathered, and the young lady called out for help, announcing at the same time who she was. The man, however, persisted for some time in declaring that she was his wife, but on discovering his mistake, released her and apologised. Ho was fined 10s., and when next he contemplates seizing his wife by the neck will doubtless be careful to make quite sure that he is in pursuit of the right quarry. '