AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2796, 2 February 1872, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

PEDESTBIANISM. The five-mile race between Young Bedford and William Pentecost, of New Zealand, attracted a considerable number of persons to the M.C.C. ground on Saturday afternoon. The bookmakers were conspicuous by their presence, and th§y appeared to favor the New Zealand iuau, who was confidently backed also by Hewitt, his trainer, Pentecost had numerous supporters. For the first eight laps, each lap being about 540 yards, the two kept close together in the game relative pc-sitfons, and it wipa impossible to-’judge as to who was getting the best of the race. Ip the ninth lap, however, or rather more than half the five miles, Bedford began to quicken the pace, and though Pentecost kept up pretty well for a time, it was seen that the increased effort distressed him, and he gradually fell back. Bedford increased his lead every round, and by an occasional spurt, in which he increased his speed almost one-half, showed how well he had the race in hand. In the end he won by about 350 yards, coming in almost as fresh as when he started. Pentecost ran gamely to the finish, and came in rather exhausted. The time occupied by Bedford in running the five miles was 2?min. 54secs.— tyrgusj- ‘ ’ ! " MISCELLANEOUS. One of the inmates of the Ararat Asylum baa been admitted to that institution under circumstances which are very unusual. The Pleasant Creel: News writes : —A most respectable woman, and one who for a long period had been a devoted wife and mother, has been wrestling for some time past against a morbid desire which has gradually but surely grown upon her to murder her hugbapd and ctyhlrep. This feeling was resolutely fougijt against for’a long period, but latterly it gained such ascendancy over the unfortunate creature that she acquainted her husband with the peculiar nature of her mania, assuring him that if he did not find her admission into the asylum she would be compelled by a feeling, which must ultimately overcome her, tu out his throat and those of her children. This was sufficient to obtain the woman’s admission. She is now perfectly quiet, aud on most points rational. She speaks to her husband in a friendly way when ho visits her, but states that she lacks the remotest feeling of affection either for him or the children. There is not the rlightest clue to the cause of this painful mental phase, a state which the patient herself continually sorrows over.” ‘ The notorious Kedpafh, who was connected with’ the extensive'Railway‘frauds in England in 1856, arrived in Adelaide from Freemautle during last week, having received a conditional pardon. At Freemantle Redpath was quite a distinguished character, always holding himself aloof from the ordinary “ticketers,” The other bondsmen used to touch their hats to their distinguished brother, who wrote clever letters to the local press under a nom de ytterre, was the founder and hj norary secretary to the Working Men’s Association, was especially shunned by the free classes, who professed to regard him as a social agitator. The pqlice would nqt permit him to land at Adelaide, so lie went on to Sydney. Kedpath has always had a great desire to exchange the Swan for the eastern colonies, and applied to a local Minister of the Crown, on one occasion, to get him transferred to Victoria. His pardon does nob allow him to go to England.