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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3612, 8 February 1883, Page 2

Messrs Hoadley, Lyou and Co. have very considerately given the use of the premises lately occupied by Mr Collins in Emersonstreet as a temporary orderly room for the Volunteers. This will undoubtedly be a great boon, and conduce to the comfort and good working of the companies' business.

A more than usually lively interest was shown in the election for the Puketapu seat in the Hawke's Bay County Council yesterday. There were three candidates to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr John Bennett, and 147 ratepayers recorded their votes, Mr P. Dolbel heading the poll by a majority of 15 over Mr Shrimpton, and by 39 over Mr Milne.

A healthy tobacco plant, about four feet high, may be seen growing in the backyard attached to Mr Craig's book and stationery warehouse, Hastings-street. Mr Craig has not any idea how the seed got there from whence the plant has .sprung, aiid he is not inclined to think that a chance cigar stump has taken root and germinated, for the reason that all cigars are not related to tobacco.

Wo have no wish to make any insidious comparisons, but we may mention that the contractors for the taning of footpaths entered upon their first job to-day in Ten-uyson-strcetj and no one could help remarking- upon the superiority of the quality and speed of the work to what was shown when done by Corporation labor. One man was employed instead of two, and he did about three times the amount of work in the day.

We learn by a private telegram, from Tauranga that Captain Baker of the s.s. Staff a, was accidentally drowned at Opotiki on Tuesday last, but no further particulars of the sad occurrence are yet to hand. Captain Baker was a brother-in-law of Mr Kelly, native interpreter, of this town. It is supposed that Captain Baker was washed overboard while attempting to cross the bar at Opotiki, which is rejiorted to have been dangerous lately. The body had not been recovered up till yesterday.

" Jack the Giant Killer, or the Knights of the Round Table," was repeated at the Theatre Ro}'al last night by Messrs Stanley and Darbj'sliiro's Juvenile Opera and Pantomime Company to a full house. The piece seems to grow in public favor rather than otherwise, as was abundantly evidenced by the marked tokens of approval with which it was received last evening , . To-night the pantomime will be again presented for the last night but one in Napier, and to-morrow afternoon there will be a performance for children and families, commencing at 2.30 p.m.

From Waipawa we learn that a serious accident happened to a girl aged 1-t years, a daughter of Mr J. Avison, Waipawa Bush, on Tuesday. It appears that Miss Avison was riding a horse bare-backed trying , to cath another, when the animal she was riding bolted, throwing her off. When the girl was picked up it was found she had sustained a compound fracture of the leg below the knee. It is supposed the injury was caused by the horses kicking her when she was in the act of faUing. Both Drs. Todd and Heed were immediately called in, and the fractured limb was set by those gentlemen, the patient being put under chloroform while the operation of setting the broken bones was being performed. She is now doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

The Russian hangman is a convict •who was sentenced to death for robbery and murder, but the penalty was commuted to imprisonment for life upon the conditions that he should perform the duties of executioner whenever called upon. He has been confined in Moscow for the last 15 years, and is sent from there, nnder a strong , guard, to Kieff, Odessa, and St. Petersburg, as his services may be required in one or the other of these cities. A visit to this man may be described by Victor Tissot, a French author, in a work on Russia and the Russians, recently published in Paris. He found the executioner reposing after the exertion of hanging the two Nihilists Pressniakoff and Kivatkowwki. A young , woman of attractive appearance, with a child in her arms, was with him. She was his wife. The comforts of matrimony had not been denied him, and he seems to have had no difficulty, notwithstanding his condition and work, in finding a woman to marry him. The hangman's face is described as stolid rather than terrible or repulsive. Ho has abnormally long arms, and is said to possessed of herculean strength. He was spoken of as having "the strength of 20 men." One day there was a revolt in the prison, and he was summoned to help subdue the prisoners. He rushed in among them and killed three with his bare hand.