Our Wellington Letter

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 30, 24 August 1889, Page 3

Our Wellington Letter

(FBOM OUR OVN CORRESPOIfDENT.) .. ..WELLINGTON, , UgJISt 2&, The perjury case -arising out of the late trial for. murder, wliich has been laid by Mrs Ckenris against Detective Benjamin and other police officers, as causing a great deal of interest in the city. At the present it is hard to see what . the prosecution are driving at. Several passages-at-arms have taken place between Mr Jellicoe, counsel for the prosecution, and Mr Bell, leading counsel for the defence. This afternoon, as Mrs Ghemis was giving evidence and had just informed the court about having counted the bullets in the drawer, which she did firm time to time, when Mr Bell put the query whether she knew that a gun had been fired off on that afternoon. This brought Mr Jellicoe to his feet, and in a very excited manner he accused his brother lawyer of the heinous offence of having looked upon Mrs Chemis with a ghostly smile whilst asking. the question. He reminded Mr Bell that tliey were under English law and not Russian. Mr Bell, in his usual quieti and "gentlemanly manner, replied that he would not bandy words with Mr Jellicoe; but added that if the interruptions continued he would have to ask his worship to order the counsel for the prosecutiou out of court. It is expected that some startling disclosures will be made, but it is said that the police have a good, hand and will play when their turn comes round. At a later stage' in the trial Mr Jellicoe told Mr Bell he had a good deal to learn yet. Mr Clifton, .'cattle inspector, who has teen making an examination of the dairies in and around Wellington, has sent in his report, which shows that on the whole the dairies are kept clean, though in one or two cases they were at the opposite extreme, but the Inspector failed to trace the typhoid fever epidemic to that source. The doctors say that Wellington is freer of typhoid than it has been for years, but the fact of prominent citizens having been attacked by the malady has brought it more under public notice. Matters at the House have been very ■quiet during the past week ; any bills that are likely to shake the foundation of the Government are being quietly held over for a more convenient season ; in fact ifc is said that some of the most obnoxious ones will be shelved. It is expected that Parliament will prorogue in about a fortnight. The sad boating fatality at the Heads, in which the pilot and some of his crew were drowned, cast quite a gloom over the •city. . Pilot Simms was a careful and steady officer and was universally respected. For years he has been the inside pilot, his duties beinsr to berth the vessels at the wharf, so that he was well known in the town. It is only a short time since he was promoted to be Chief Pilot, and the fact of his having put off in such a heavy sea as was running last Saturday evening, shows'clearly that both ie and his crew were "real grit." Had they continued pulling, no doubt, they would have reached the vessel, but it teing such hard work they took advantage of a passing steamer to give hex a tow, by which the pilot and several of his crew lost their lives. Nothing has yet been seen of the bodies of the poor fellows.