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Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 263, 13 October 1874, Page 5

At the last meeting of the Town Council,: it was decided to sell the lease of the reserve adjoining the Council 'Chamber, The upset price was fixed at £1 per foot per year. The Standard machine has just finished a crushing of 104 tons from Saltoun and party, of the Try. Again • claim. . The yield was at the rate of close upon 21 dwta. to the ton. The machine starts again on stone from Watson and ' party’s claim. • . The Cromwell Lodge of Oddfellows intend to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their establishment by a grand ball, which will take place on the 4tb November. Their previous anniversary celebrations have been marked and the names of the committee of management on this occasion are sufficient guarantee that the present will be no -exception in that respect.’-,■ ■< \ \ Exceedingly changeable weather has been the rule for the past fortnight. Spring weather is usually changeable, .buy certainly this season has been an extraordinary one for Cromwell in that respect. Apparently the rain about Queenstown must have been very heavy during Sunday and yesterday, for the'-river was rising rapidly up to a late hour last night. As a proof of the popularity of the Good Templar movement, it may be mentioned that the Cromwell Lodge .now numbers seventy-five members. Since its formation, about three months ago, there have already been one or two backsliders, but this was only to be expected; and to compensate this, nearly every week new members are •Waggoners- cfrtnpiffg vri the vicinity of the tow* will her after require to be careful that they do not allow their horses to stray within the municipality. Sergeant Cassells summoned * waggoner the other day for this offence, and it was only because no warming had been given that he got off without a fiue. An information on rather a serious charge, arising out of the recent case of Max Gall and Co. v. Cowan, has been laid against a well-known gentleman .resident in Cromwell. The information will come before the Bench on Friday, and is meanwhile exciting considerable interest in the town. The Dunstan Times has at last discocovered, mirabile die fit, ’ that Cromwell sends down really a respectable lot of gold by the monthly escort, and congratulates the people of this district upon the flourishing prospect before them. The large amount of 2944 ounces sent last time has led to this rather-late-in-the-day discovery, and to this congratulation. For the future, it is to be hoped the Times will give up the foolish habit of burying its head in the sand with regard to good news from this district. The returns last year were on two occasions (once by more than 1000 ounces) larger than that sent down last month, but the Times refused to see them. As the result of the ' very severe gale which has apparently been felt all over the colony, Mr Nicholas, the local telegraphist, informs us that yesterday afternoon the lines north of Wellington and those on the West Coast were reported to be down. We need hardly remind our readers that the Albertown Race Meeting takes place this week, op Friday and Saturday. We cannot speak as to what may be expected in the way of fields for the different events, but there is every reason to believe that in this respect the meeting will not be behind those of former years. Albertown has always furnished a couple of days’ good sport, and the Race Qpmraittee are sanguine that the present meeting will be no exception to the rule. While giving Mr Clarke, late M.P.C. for the Lakes district, every credit for being a wellmeaning man, we must confess to being strongly impressed with a notion that there is something savouring.of the theatrical in his manner of mak, ing bis exit from the political stage. It is rather cool in him to assume, to say the least of it, that his resignation will have the smallest effect in determining the issue of the discussion touching the abolition or otherwise of, "Provincialism. Nearly as cool a proceeding as was that of his during the last sitting of the Provincial Council when he proposed motions for the Supplementary Estimates involving an expenditure of over £20,000. A well-meaning man is Mr Clarke, no doubt, but too enthusiastic and visionary for taking an active practical part in political matters. The moas Mr R. K. Smythe captured in Canterbury are reported to have escaped. We are not told what has become of Mr Smythe, Probably he is looking for “ moa. ” The pedigree of Mr I. Loughnan’a entire horse, Architect, is published in our advertising ■columns this week. ,We notica by.ap exchange that chia horae cost Mr Loughnaß £SOO.

Mr Cambridge, Clyde, we notice, is the successful tenderer for the hew Library Hall there, to be erected alongside of -the Town-hall. £375 is the contract price. Messrs Druramy and Heron were the only other tenderers. In the Provincial Government Gazette of the 7tb instant, a notification is published of certain lands having been reserved as a racecourse for the inhabitants of Cromwell The reserve contains 300 acres.

A meeting of the members of the Fire Brigade was held in the Town-hall oh Wednesday evening, October 7. The business was of an unimportant nature. The captain, Mr G. M. Starkey, stated that he had received an intimation from the Norwich Union Insurance Company, through the local agent, that they would be prepared to subscribe equally with other companies, and the Secretary was requested to write to the companies in Dunedin asking for contributions. The Town Council were thanked for their donation of ten pounds, and also for their promise of future "assistance. It was agreed to ask the Council to find a place suitable for keeping the property of the Brigade, and their machinery. A meeting was fixed for that day fortnight, when officers are to be appointed. This concluded the business.

We are informed that of the self-consti-tuted body formed at the Wak&tip to champion ttfa conservation of the 170,000 acres of commonage, four are publicans, two storekeepers, one a restaurant keeper, oue a glngerbeer manufacturer, one a gardener, and one a miner.

One of the chimneys in the Golden Age Hotel caught fire yesterday afternoon about two o’clock, and for some time excitement reigned in that neighbourhood. The fire-bell having been rung, quite a crowd collected very quickly, and among them the Captain, Lieutenant, and a few of the members of the newly-formed Fire Brigade. In connection with the chimney itself, there was no occasion for their services, but the flames having been communicated to the woodwork, whence they burst out through the wall above the fire-place, for nearly half an hour several of the members had pretty hard work in extinguishing them. This, as the flames had no hold to speak of, was only a work of time ; but it was a fortunate thing that the occurrence took place in the day-time, and not at night, else in all probability a very serious and extensive conflagration would have had to be recorded. The Arrow Observer contains the following particulars in reference to the accident whereby Mr Hallenstein had his leg broken : “ On Tuesday morning a buggy accident occurred on Patterson’s Hill, whereby Mr Bendix Halienstein was severely injured, and other occupants more or less hurt. Mr Hallenstein was driving Mrs Arndt and child together with her maid, from Thurlby Domain to Arrowtown to catch the coach for Cromwell, and o» ascending the steep incline known as Paterson’s Hill, the horse, a rather spirited animal, took fright at some object near the roadway—said to have bpeny.a wheelbarrow left bv a roadman—and commenced backing down the hill, towards a dangerous culvert. Mr Hallenstein sprang out to secure the horse’s head, but too late to save the trap, which went over the embankment, without, however, doing much damage to the occupants, although Mrs Arndt was thrown out with some force. On recovering herself, that lady found Mr Halleastein lying on the road helpless, he having most unfortunately broke his leg in jumping from the trap. Mrs Arndt immediately went to the residence of Mr W. Paterson and obtained assistance, when the injured gentleman was conveyed to the house, and the Doctor sent for. , , . ■ . This accident should act as a warning to roadmen to carefully put their tools out of view from the road. It is wonderful that serious evils have not before resulted from this cause, as we have often noticed that road parties seem to delight in having the whole plant with which they work displayed on the roadside, although they almost daily see horses shieiug or jibbing at eight of them.”

Sergeant Smith, of the Police here (says the Oamaru Times), dropped upon a man who has been wanted a long time, a day or two ago. While looking at the new skittle alley at the Swan Hotel, the Sergeant noticed a man for whom he thought there had been anxious enquiries, and accosting him by name, was met with a ready reply. The man’s name was Burleson, and a warrant was issued for his apprehension some nine years ago for stealing a draft for £l9O at the Teviot, About that time the Sergeant had a two days’ ride in quest of his man in vain, to find him at last in the accidental way above noted. Burleson was immediately arrested, and has, we hear, since confessed to the crime with which he is charged. Burleson has, since levanting from New Zealand, been in business in Sydney as a baker, but with that fatality which seems to attend breakers of the law, returned to the scene of his misdoings only to fall into the hands of the Philistines.

The following Auckland telegram (dated October 7,) which we take from a Dunedin exchange, is explanatory of the item of news in our telegraphic columns relating to the Auckland murder case :—“The Supreme Court was occudied to-day with the charge of wilful murder against Charles Dyer, an old Pakiri settler. The evidence showed that the deceased, Elizabeth Battersea, prisoner’s niece, cohabited with him. She was a poor, broken-down, wretched creature, scarcely able to walk unassisted. The prisoner is a powerful man. They lived on very bad terms. On the morning of Battersea’s death, the prisoner was heard to threaten to “roast her alive.” In the afternoon he was seen to carry her, with her clothes all blazing, to the creek near their house, throw her in, and then drag her out in a fearfully burnt and dying condition. She afterwards died. When arrested, the prisoner said she had knocked her head against a kerosene can, which spilled over, and, striking a match accidentally, set fire to her hair. A constable who visited the house prior, to the occurrence deposed that the kerosene can was in the same position and contained the same quantity after the prisoner’s arrest as before the occurrence. The oil was spilled all round where deceased sat. but not oh the parts covered by her dress. It is alleged the prisoner threw the kerosene can over her, then set tire to her dress, and. afterwards carried her out and threw her iato tike dreek-”

The Wahatip Mail understands that several tenders have been gent'fin for the performance of the mail service between,-/Queens-town and Clyde, and further leayns that some of these tenders are,at a very low rate, and calculated upon the basis of a two-horse btfach service. The Mail hopes that the post-office authorities will, in dealing with the tenders, secure an efficient performance of the mail contract, which it thinks can hardly be rendered by a two-horse service. The butchers of Dunedin, “in consequence of the unprecedented increase in the value of fat stock, aud in view of an evidently rising market,' 1 have raised the price of all kinds of butcher meat one penny per pound. John Blakely, of Blacks, tried on two charges of cattle-stealing at the Dunedin Supreme Court, has been acquitted on both.