BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH

Evening Star, Issue 3820, 22 May 1875, Page 3

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH

Blujt, May 21. The whaling barque Chance has arrived. She brings thirty-six tons of sperm. This, with forty-seven tons of sperm and sea elephant oil previously landed, makes a total of eightythree tons for a nine months’ cruise. The liochnagar, 100 days from London, for Dunedin, is passing.

Wellington, May 20. The Taranaki has sailed South. Passengers : Mr and Mrs Pinch, Mrs Miller, Mrs Carter, Messrs Godfrey, Rankin, Turnley, Woolf, Welsley, Duncan, Delany, Randle, Hooper, Turner, Jones, Battley, M Tunes, Coleman, Ward. The 4 Tribune ’ says that the Governor and all the. members of the General Government are expected to be in town by the middle of next week. Dr Pollen will leave Dunedin on Sunday next, and his Excellency and Mr Reynolds on Tuesday. Sir Donald M‘Lean expects to be able to leave Napier by the first steamer. Th* Cabinet will then fix their programme for next session.

[From]our own Correspondent.)

Rivbbton, May 22. A loan named Charles William Jansen was to-day committed for trial at the Supreme Court at Invercargill, for attempting to commit suicide by throwing himself off the Aparima bridge into the river, fromwhicd he was rescued by two men.

Auckland, May 21, The following particulars of revolting cruelty io a wife by a man in good circumstances w ere revealed in the Police Court the day before The evidence was as follows: —Jn an application for the married woman’s protection and separate maintenance on the part of Mary Jane Gilbert, wife of Jas. Edward Gilbert, musician and storekeeper of Newton, ana 1 the owner of two thousand pounds’ wortli of property, on the ground of , cruelty, the cafle disclosed scenes of misery and continued cruelty unparalleled in the history of the Auckland Police Court. The wife, who came to the Colony twelve years ago, is of a respectable family, well educated, and ever since she became the wife of Gilbert has been subjected to a life of semi-starva-tion and ill - usage. She deposed in the most heartless manner, and her statement was corroborated by her eldest girl, an intelligent child, that she was the mother of five children by the defendant, varying in age from two to eight, and that for the last five years her life had been almost unbearable, he beat her, nearly knocked her right eye out, as was evident to the Court, kicked her about all parts of her body, and scarcely a day passed without her feeling the weight of her husband’s heavy blows dealt without any provocation. He also exercised perpetual tyranny over her, gave her and the children nothing but dry bread, tea, aud stinking meat for existence. She was getting so weakly and debilitated that she felt at times her reason was going. He slept on a comfortable feather bed, while sko and her children laid upon sacks covered with rags. Mrs Russell, a nurse who attended Mrs Gilbert in her last coHinement, deposed to the dreadful condition of the poor woman, who must have (bed of sheer want had she not brought her food, while her husband was in the enjoyment of every luxury. She had nearly lost the sight of one of her eyes through a blow from Gilbert, who, after beating his wife most unmercifully, struck her with a piece of partly burned wood. He has ample means—bouses and landed property, and money out atinterest. The wife was obliged, when able to work for her livelihood ; but through his acts of violence has been unable of late to do so. He dragged her about by the hair of the head and pulled handfulls out. Alice Lillie Gilbert, the child, told the same sad story. Her father was continually beating her mother without any provocation, and had never been kind to her. Sometimes he afforded them a piece of meat on Sundays, but it was invariably stinking. Mrs Susan Stewart, a neighbor attested the cruel treatment Mrs Gilbert ’had received from her husband. On one occasion after he had beaten her about the head -the blood oozed from her mouth. She bad often to give the poor woman and her family food on Sundays to keep them from starving. The children were always hungry. Mrs Sarah Roebuck deposed to the miserable condition of the home The defendant tr- atei the whole affair with freat levity. He acknowledged that he had eaten his wife continually until April last when he received a letter from Messrs Hesketh and Richmond informing him that he must de ■ist from his conduct, or the result would be serious. His Worship remarking upon the case as the most heartless and cruel one that had come within the range of his experience, ordered Gilbert to pay 20s a week towards the support of his wife and children, the wife to kave exclusive custody of the children. The defendant shook bis head and said he was felony 0 * * and sboub l soon be out of the Several accidents to-day are reported on the SSZrf* Sonkbern r V OBs A man Ml down the d HBVer i y bruißed . bad no bones ■R rin b ® carpenter’s mate on the S^tck’»lA taine^^ei !. 0 J us Vernal injuries •hroogh • heavy new rudder falling on him. J|