MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS,

Dunstan Times, Issue 1249, 5 February 1886, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS,

Agrarian discontent in Ireland is not content with warring against the living, but has gone the length of boycotting the dead. The father of a lan I bailiff, oni; Michael Baringary. died on November 22. His son, tho bailiff, went to Tipperary and ordered a coffin and hea-ae from an undertaker. But tho evicted tenants, who bad been turned off the estate where tho younger Baringary was employed, would not permit his father to ’hj ivo decent burial. Tho father bad clone no one any wrong, it the sou had transgressed. Tne tenants acted iu the truly.savage spirit of revenging themselves on any person, no matter whom, of the blond of their adversary. They threatened thh undertaker, whoso customers they were\certain to be somo dav, with “their enduring anger,” and the tradesman did no\ dare to provide the hearse and coffin. L'ijeao had to be sent from Limerick,

At the conclusion of the ball to the sailors ofli.M. S. Kelson in Wellington a rascally mean thief managed to cuter the dressing-rooms and remove a number of brushes, towels, and combs. Ida carried them to- tho Queen’s Wharf, where he offered them for sale to some of the crew of H.M.S. Nelson. The latter, smelling a rat, ran tho culprit unto the Committee-room at the Drillshed, where the articles were identified, and the thief handed over to the tars for punishment. They took off their waist belts, and sending him off at a run, they followed him up fur some distance, punishing him well the whole time, as lie yelled and struggled to distance his pursuers. The buckles of the belt must have punished him pretty severely. Good wishes should always he acceptable, but the trio of Justices of the Peace who presided at the Dunedin City Police Court on the mornin; of. the 22nd ult. appea ed anything hut highly li iltered at being the recipients of some complimentary remarks from the lips of a not particularly attractive or neatly dressed female, who had been giving evidence on behalf of the defendant in an assault case. Th • ca»o was dismissed, and in tho n-tural nutbu st -,f joy at the escape, of her fri-nl, the witness gushed forth to the fi-tich :■ Thank you, gentlemen ; may you live long an i die happy—for she (meaning tho complainant in the case) is a liar from top to toe 1 ” The Bench looked disgusted ratli r than pleased at these weUhueiißf-aspiratiouj, and were so much taken aback that Sergeant-major Bovin had to cuius to the rescue by laying hands on the demonstrative female ami guiding her to the door. Kveu this actio--, which under dilfer-nt circumstances might have led to vituperation, was p'easantly received, tho ‘lady” (as she had been termed during the progress of tho case) smiling in the face of the r--p es-ntative 01 law and order, and exclaiming “ Thank you, Mr Bovin —and God bless you, too.”

, Amongst tile legion of stories told of the stupidity of witnesses, the following instance, winch Occur ivd during the hairing of the case Beattie v. llcennn ar, the Hesideut Magistrate’s Court at Oatram lately, is worthy of a place. Sheep belonging "to both parties had got mixed up ou the Manngatua" Hundred, and tho point at issue was the much-vexed question of identity. The plaintiff claimed that Ho could identify his sheep from any other, owing to the peculiarities of the breed— Romney Marsh. Counsel for the'defendant (Mr Macdonald) was desirous of ascertaining if the plaintiff wmil'd s,we ir-,tha ! lie could identify h ; s sheep by.the pernlisr marks of the breed alone, and put the.qu-s----tion in every possible fjirm which liis ingenuity could suggest, hut failed to elicit any satisfactory reply, much amusement' being caused by the manifest del rniination of the witness not to bo “ cornoreii.” Tbo pationqe of logal gentleman was well nigh exhaused, when Mr Carew came to (ho rescue, and thus put tho query ; “If your sheep wee mixed up with those belonging to any.other poison in a different part of the couutiy. say Oainaru, could you identify them then?” "Can’t say, your Worship ; I never was there,” was the «tolid reply of the imperturbable agriculturist.

Old lady : “ Now, porter, you’re quite sure you’ve put all my lugca.-o in the hi* portmantla and ” Porusr : " All ruht' mnm. .Old lady i " A*nd you’re certain I’ve not left anything ” Porter. “No, mum, not oven a copper,"

In “1 l-h History and Character,” by Ooldwiu Smith, wo real the fu-lowing story: —A party of Whiteboys enteied a house iu ivhioh were a -mat), his wife, ami their daughter, a young girl. The throe were all together, iu the sains room. The ruffians rushed into the room, dragged the man out of the house, and murdered him. Iu the room there was a closet with a hole iu its door, through which a person placed inside could see into the room. Tuo woman concealed the girl in the closet, ami said to her, “ Now, child, they are mur-, deriug your father downstairs, snd when they have murdered him they will noma up here and murder me. Take ui that while they are doing it you look well at them, and mind you swear to them iu the court I will throw turf on the lire to give you light, and will atrugale hard that you may have time to take a good view.” The young girl looked through thn whole in the closet door while her mother was being murdered ; she marked the murderers Well, She swore to them when she saw them in a court of justice, and they were convicted on her evidence.

The-lives of the Armstrong family cannot bo said to have fallen in unpleasant places. Popular sympathy for them has foun 1 expression iu a substantial form, with tha result that Elizi has baen'nlaced for education and training in the Princess Louise’s Home at Wanstead. The funds, beyond paying all her expenses, will admit of a dowry being placed at interest for her. On entering the institution shi had a new outfit, arid was presented by Mr Poland with a Bible and prayer-book. Previous to her admission her father and mother accompanied her all over the place, and expressed themselves as satisfie 1 with the arrangements and provisions male, Her father was presented out of the funis with two new sets of sweeping machines, for himself and assistant, capable of i caching Hi-: tops ol the highest chimney’s built. Mr Poland, who organised the subscription, has further apportioned a part of the funds to furnish for the family a new house, and also to ensure them the payment of the extra rent for the liiat twelve months.