DIARY OF THE WORLD'S NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 193, 9 May 1908, Page 10

DIARY OF THE WORLD'S NEWS.

WEEKLY SUMMARY DY MAIL. Tho following weekly summary' of' 'the ■world's nows is taken from tho "Daily Mail" Overseas Edition of March 28:— ' ' MARCH 20. Gershuni, tho ex-student, pioneer, and ruling spirit of- tlie present revolutionary Terrorist movement in Russia,' is .reported to have died in exile, but a free man. He escaped. from _a life sentence' in 'tho East Siberian' political penal settlement two years ago by getting some fellow-prisoners to conceal him in a coal barrel which, with a load of others, was,to..be taken further north. The driver was < bribed and "lost" tho barrel, its occupant escaping after many perils to Japan, and then to America. Most- of the attempts against heads of tho Russian Government in recent years 'were of his devising. It was his instruments who assassinated Prince . Obolensky and M. de Plehve, and since his escape lie, organised some of the chief . attempts of recent-months.; ■ While a game of poker. was proceeding at a house in the Avenue Ingres, Paris; six men entered. Tho leader announced himself as ; the police commissary, collcetod £160 which' lay on the table, and warned tho party to appear at the' Police Court oh tho following day. When they did so; they wero informed that;their visitors were swindlers. M. Briand, the, Minister of Justice, will shortly submit a new law to.-,tho French ; Chamber by which a- French jury .will uot .only decide.the guilt ..or, innocence of a prisoner, but will bo allowed a voice in the pciialty to bo jiflflicted. la'the discussion ' of this penalty judge and jury will collaborate. • . . . . • Robert Droesler, a- Vienna clerk, while / hanging over. a : precipice on' the Hohen : Wand, in tho Semmcrmg Range, to pluck flowers, fell 300 ft. and was killed.

' • MARCH 21. -, A marriage of a pathetic character. took place at the city'hall at. :Nice, 'the. bride-., groom being a convict, Thcmistocles Deiitici, aged twenty-six, ■ and the bride, Anna Orengo, a young , girl for whose sake he ; committed a crime' which caused, liim to -be sentenced •to : eight years' penal seryi'"•tudo, in ' Frcnch Guiana.' .-Mile.. Orengo > wrote'to her, lover in gaol saying that, she 1 ;-was more attached to him than; ever, and .'would'marry him-in spite of-bis sentence. The necessary permission was obtained." . When, her . lover, handcuffed and guarded ~' by_ two'detectives, entered, the room, the bride'fainted, . and was unconscious* for • twenty • minutes, ; • Tho convict ' had ■' been allowed to weal - ordinary clothes, and tho ; detectives • having . unhandcuffed him .ceremony- proceeded. Both , bride .and i groom.wept silcntlv.as they stood'holding, each other's hands. ; -Everyone present! . was affected .-.to' tears; - When the coremony. was over and the bride and bridegroom had exchanged-passionate farewells, tho detectives stepped forward and led-.the : prisoner,- his face-' hidden in. his hands, from tho room. • . , - '

A disaster by which nine lives , were lost" i befell a' motor-boat on Ratzeburg Lake, in • -the province of ,-Schleswig-Holsteiu. The'- : little town'..of Ratzeburg stands in the middlo of the lake, and the passenger traffic 'to and. from ;it is .conducted by a ' service... of..motor-boats, ' When about .150 yards'from the bank-a boat, overcrowded . with.'holiday-makers, began- to ship water ■arid--settle 'down!;' Scriams of terror-, and for help, pierced "through tho darkness, and were heard on the .. bank, and in .less- . than a, minut-o the., boat- sank; with . its 'fourteen', cccupants; thko, of whom; were . - girls. • OhlyVfive .men, of whom, two wero the' lifeboat got, ■ibout-. fropi' tlie; land rhnd s,aved : tKem- V :ii/i .stimtno' 'ip'. lotdrr* rfii"'' '-. '■< ' ' MARCH 22.! . -- I '■ ■. Mr. Denham White Stevens,- the uncrowned' '.'King of Korea,'' was shot and gravely ' wounded ~in San; .Francisco .'by. '.'a "Korean. 1 : :'for proclaiming, his .conviction that .tho ';./Japanese was a blessing, to .'■'•tho. peninsula." .Mr.' Stevens' is an American, born in Washington. :He adopted the diplomatic career, and was appointed seoretary to the-. -American Legation -at' , Tokio, which post lie resigned in .1883-: in , order,, to enter, the Japanese service. ;He 1 went' to Korea in 18E/6,;.and since 1904 has .-acted as 'diplomatic adviser to' the Korean ' '.'.Government:- When: 'he" reboiitly .returned to; Sau'.'Francikb. ho. g'av6,.ah liniervietv, stating that the' Korean peoplo have been '■'. vastly - benefited- by Japanese' l protection; , An hour later four Koreans attacked him at the Fairmont, Hotel, and would hare ■'< killed 'hita .but for tlie': prompt'; iikerven- ■ tion of - t-he hotel guests..! Next day,; u's' i l '" Mr. Stevens>, accompanied by the Japanese • Consul, 'appeared at 'the'ferry,.on his.way - to'take jbne train for Washington, seVei'ai ; Koreans approached him. ,Ono of' them . struck Mr. Stovens in. the face: Then he I drew a revolver,., covered with vl handkerchief, and', begaii shooting. One bullet '- pentrated'Mr.' Stevens's lungs and another ' his groin.- ' The coasting steamer Mutsu-Maru, 800 tons, ( was sunk in collision with the Hideyoshi :': Mftru near Hakodate, Japan; The captain, . V aiid forty-throe !of; .tlie. arid v.theMajority'of her.'24'4 passeilgisrs.perished. ; ■A'daily newspaper for Children has'just beAn 'J'.-started.at Vilna, Russia. .It is fohlished • ih.-.:tho Jevrishi languago; and constitutes ; -the'.'first children's.; paper, in 'the world to r be .issued daily; Tho paper is -entitled v " Hachaver" (The \ Friend).--';.. • V--;'; A "•

' MARCH 23 Twov of the competitors in ■' the Neir ;.sTorKj' Paris motor-car race lmvo narrowly • es- ! caped being , devoured by wolves. Scar- ■ foglio aiid Sartori,;in. the Zust .car, were near the , little town 'of Spring Valley,. 1 Wyoming," when i they heard the howling - of wolves behind'them. There wero Seven, or oight at first,: but the pack fjrew' to fifty, and surrounded the car, which had 1 stopped at the- bottom, of a' hill. The ■ wolves rushed at the car,' arid/sevcrnl of them, 'growling and snapping, attacked / tho tyres 'with their teeth. The two Italians 1 loaded their rifles, and kept up fire for twenty-minutes' on the . wolf pack,'killing twenty-two of them.' Then they, in getting-away. • The Chilian Government pjiwder: magazines •Vat -Batuc6j - near • Santiago,' blew' lip, thirty, persons being killed and over a hundred' wounded: Batuco was destroyed. , The 1 losses aro ostima'tod.at £200,000.

I MARCH 24. .... . " Great .excitement - has . been caused- in. France by'the arrest of the ! famous company promoter,; M. Rochette,. who- has been directly instrumental in issuing to ' /the Fronch'. miblio during the last three lor four years new- securities for which ' : ' cash to thb. amount. of over £5,000,000 has been subscribed. All those securities, which aro quoted .in Paris on tho open market, "slumped" disastrously afterthc arrest. The warrant for the financier's apprehension was issued by M. Jolly, a ' Paris magistrate, oil .'charges of. swindling transactions and of .alleged frauds'in con- ' ncctiori' with tho French Companies Act. ■The'two banking establishments which M. : do Rochotte controlled, the Credit Minior and tho llanquc • have both been clegod. Tho fifty-eight branch offices jof tho 1 banks, have - also suspended payment. M.- Rochette, -who is only . thirty-two years of ago* began life as a mossenger boy at a railway rofreshment- ■ room aVMolim. He. inherited ■a' small sum of money, went- to Paris, and joined : thb staff of a great French bank, which' ho left to enter a company promoter's offico. He next snccoeded in. (jotting himself financed by-a gentleman; of Inrcc private means,'and started the Cre<lit Minior. From that timo forward lib became a sort of " financial wizard. Com- . panics sprang up at Bis bidding .is though ' nt. the command of: a'magician's .wand. Ho floated, companies showing a' capital' value of' £2,500,000. Only £455,000 has boon'saved from tho wreck.

- - ■ MARCH. 25. Great rejoicings' attended the Kaiser's visit •"■to Vonico'on bis way to Corfu to visit his recently purchased Palace of Achilleion. His Imperial Majesty, accompanied by the '' Empress aii'd Prince August Wilhclm and Princess Victoria Louise, was met at the railway station by King Victor Emmanuel. The royal party then,.-oinbpr)£C<l,.-,in .-.twp, state gondolas manned by four '• gondoliers in gorgeous scarlet, liveries.'-- ..Their cscort was a. flotilla of •. picturesque. _ eight-Oared gondolas, draped in'TingM satin."'".' From their . high canopies silken draperies trailed to the water. _ A]ban.ian^Tur£-s h ~,cjqtlicd in gor-geous-Tobes': and 'turbans'-,- 1 - were the 'crows. On one bai'go. Neptune/astride of a dolphin, and near came an. ancient Venetian galley , with a great rose-pink lantern floating fropi-£he stern,. Elaborate models of the old sailing ships of the..-Venetian Republic followed, and "after boats of tho rowing clubs 'arid a" fleet' of brilliant gondolas. "As th'o Sovereigns entered the Grand Canal,rand; while they were landing at;the royal. palace,, t the deafening booriiirig of the ships'' guns .saluted their arrival: ' St. Mark s Square was covered with a cheering multitude, to whose calls tho Sovereigns appeared on the balcony' of, the palace and bowed to their welcome.

MARCH 26. The Duke of-tlie ■ Abriizzi -'(cousin-to the i King'of Italy), the first prince of.' royal ■' blood to seek a wifoin the United States, ' lias admitted to .friends ■ engagement exists between himfand Miss, " .-Katherine Elldns, daughter, .of Senator -. ■ '...Elkins, of West' Virginia. -. Over 200 Paris-chemists have been.'tho viotims Of an '..ingenious '-' swindle' by -which thoy lo'st t ten". shillings each. "In''; every! .. case an' individual/entered."the' shop .witn ' - a prescription -for .a: small,- quantity of --V sulphate of quinine :\nd a bottle, of "Dr. Henry's Mixture," Depot, 124, Rue Montmartro., 'As the chemists had never heard . of "Dr. Henry's; Mixture" tjhey asked tho . ; • customers'to return-later, and in 1 the. mean- ' : ; time they -sent messengers'.to the..depot. ■\ where'."on payment 'Of. 10s.- '.they r&eived' : thetbottle mentioned' in .the--prescription.. : Dut'the customers did.'not return; and the chemists,- on- making- 'a-i complaint to'-'the police, discovered; .that '.they liad'-.;been 'vic- ■ ' timised; by two a shop in the Ruo Montmartr'e ahd"stocked . it with , bottles containing a transparent liquid which sold "like .ihot cakes.'' ,At night when the shop'Vas' closed' the pro-',, v prietors vanished, having nettpd'ovOv £100. • An analysis of the "Dr.\Henry!s Mixture" shows that it'- was, composed of 'pure Xfkter.