Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 778, 12 January 1871, Page 2

Mr Harrison's Central Committee meets this evening, at nine o'clock, at their rooms, Tainui street, opposite the stores of Messrs Kennedy Brothers. Mr Harrison will addresjf^e electors on the South Beach this evening! at Clark's Hotel, at eight o'clock. If the Californian mail left Sau Francisco, on the. lOtli ult. aa arranged, she should have reached Auckland the day before yesterday, allowing thirty days for her passage. If so, now that a mail is established between the Thames and Tauranga, and telegraphic communication between the latter place and this island, we may expect the news at any moment. It is true that on the last occasion the mail was some eight dayp behind time, but this was said to have occasioned by having bad coal, as well as deficient quantity. We presume that has been avoided on the present trip. In our last it was stated that the man Betts, who cut his throat at Staftord Town, was dead. " This was a mistake ; as it appears he is now progressing favorably, and will shortly be brought before the Resident Magistrate. It is stated by the Wcxt Coast Times that Mr E. Barff has been presented with a requisition, bearing one thousand signatures, asking him to allow himself to be again nominated to represent the Hokitika district in the General Assembly j and further, that Mr John White will also contest the seat. The dates of the sittings of the District Conrt have again been altered. It is notified in the General Government Gazette that they shall now be held in Hokibika, on the fourth day of the months of February, April, Jime, August, October and December. The sittings at Grey mouth will be held on the twelfth day of the same months. A general meeting of the shareholders of 1 the Murray Creek Cement Crushing Company takes place to day at Gilmer's Hotel at three o'clock. The remains of the unfortunate girl, Mary Jane Molauraby, who was murdered at Hokitika on Saturday, were conveyed to the Cemetery, on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased had been a member of St. Mary's School, and a large number of the school children attended the funeral. Many other persons showed their sympathy for the bereaved parents by following the remains to , their last resting place. The General Committee of the Presbyterian Church is requested to meet in the Vestry to-morrow night at eight o'clock, for the purpose of making arrangements for letting the sittings in the Church. Seageant Richard White has been transferred from this station to Hokitika, and Ser--1 geant A. J. Hams appointed in his place. A fire took place in the shop of Mr Wagner, fruiterer, Revell street, Hokitik.i, at ten minutes past two o'clock on Wednesday morning, caused by the bursting of a kerosene lamp. Those wiio were on the spot speedily extinguished the flames. In other columns we give a full report of the trial of Margaret Quigley, for the wilful murder of George Paternaude, of Noble's, Grey District. After an absence of nearly two hours and a half, during which they once returned into Court, stating that they could not agree, the jury returned a verdict of Guilty of M anslaughter, and the Judge sentenced her to four years' penal servitude. A Calcutta sweep on the election for County Chairman was drawn on Tuesday night at Maxwell's Cosmopolitan Hotel. In order to indicate the estimation in which the various members were held, we may mention the prices they brought at the auction : Bonar, L 5 15s ; Button, L 4 15s ; Lahman, L 2 ; Guinness, LI 15s ; Barff, LI 5s ; Robinson, 12s 6d ; Reid, 7s 6d j O'Connor, 5s ; Scanlan, 2s 6d. The sessions of the Supreme Court commenced at Hokitika on Monday — Mr Justice Gresson on the bench. Against all the prisoners committed the Graud Jury found true bills, and two cases were tried before his Honor. In the first case— that of Frederick John Tydell, for embezzling the moneys of his employers, Messrs Ouming and M'Kay, Ross — the prisoner pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. In the second case, Edward Joseph Walsb was charged with fraudulently omitting from his bankruptcy schedule, and from evidence given in the District Court, a record of certain property. Only one of the counts went to the jury, and upon that a j verdict of " Not Guilty " was returned, and j the defendant was discharged. I One of the largest private funerals that has been in Greymouth took place on Tuesday. The deceased (Thomas Pryor), a miner from the Arnold, was held in universal esteem by all who knew him, and consequently nearly all the miners and business people who could leave came down, although only twelve hours elapsed from the time of his death. The lenains left the Oriental Hotel at half- past 3 p.m., and were followed by over 200 persons of all persuasions, many of the townspeople joining. The Wesleyan service for the dead was read in a very solemn and impressive manner by the Rev. Mr Cannell. At its conclusion, the anthem " I heard a voice from heaven " was admirably sung by some of the deceased's friends .The deceased was one of a family of six brothers, four of whom were present on this sad occasion. The inquest on the body of the unfortunate child, Mary Jane Molaumby, who was so cruelly murdered in Sewell street, Hokitika, " on Saturday night last, was held by Dr Garland, the Coroner. The enquiry was trade at the West Coast Times Hotel, at two o'clock ou Monday afternoon. Long before that time a large num ber of people had assembled, all waiting eagerly lor the time when the man Noble should be brought from the Camp. As soon as the Coroner took his seat the place was uncomfortably filled by spectators. After the jury had been sworn they went to the place where the body was lying, and viewed it, as they also did the scene of the tragedy. On returning, tha evidence of the mother and father of the deceased, relative to the manner in which they left the house, and also as to the finding of the body, was taken. The other evidence given did not materially differ from the version already given. A new and important witness, however, was brought forward, and he gave such evidence as almost conclusively points out the prisoner as the man who committed the deed. Whilst the

police were searching for the knife or instrument with which the murder was committed, Inspector James picked up an empty ear-ring case, about three inches away from the pool of blood where the body was found. Detective Browne, when he arrested the prisoner, found a meerschaum pipe upon him, and on searching the hut he found the pipe case. The police at once set to work to find out where these articles came from. Success attended their efforts ; for they found out that the jewel-case and pipe had been stolen from the premises of one Henry Smith, who resides in Sewell street, above Park street. On Saturday night, when Smith returned home with his wife, about ten' o'clock, he found that the back door was burst open, and, on examination, he discovered that these articles were missing. At the inquest, he minutely described the pipe and pipe-case, and his description agreed in every particular with the pipe found on the prisoner. The same with the jewel-case. He was positive the one produced at the inquest was the one which had been stolen. His wife had made a cut in the case which he pointed out. The prisoner earlier in the evening had been seen by Smith near his house pointing out a section to Mr Buxton. After all the evidence had been adduced, the jury deliberated for a quarter of an hour, and then brought a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against Anthony Noble. On the followiug day, the same e/idence was gone over in the Magistrate's Court, .and the prisoner was fully committed for trial. He will not be tried until to-morrow. The followiug civil cases were disposed of at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. Judgments were given by default, with costs, in the following cases :--W. Morris v. Evans, L 6 8s 4d ; J. Collan v. T. Booth, L 3 ; Toney v. Greanes, L 2 15s ; E. Stevens v. James Johnston, L 3 14s Id. (In this case a rehearing was granted, as the defendant arrived too late, and argued that he had a good defence.) F. and G. F. Bnllen v. J. B. Johnston, Auckland, L2ss 6d ; J. Frankfitt v. W. Butcher, Port Chalmers — Judgment for plaintiff, L 43 12s. H. Mace v. J, Booth — A fraud summons for L 3 9s; defendant did aot appear, and a warrant was ordered to issue. C. Callaghan y. T. Bailey— Claim of L 2 ; plaintiff nonsuited. T. Bailey v C , Callaghan— Claim of L 9 ; ease dismissed with costs. E. M 'Sherry v. E. Trahey Claim of L 9 ; judgment for L 8 and costs. G-. Simmons v R. Collins— Claim of LI ; judgment for 10s and costs. Commenting upon the murder case at Noble's, and the pernicious system of granting publican's licenses to young and unprotected females on the gold fields, the West Coast Times makes the following remarks, which we fully endorse, and trust that the matter will be brought before the Nelson Provincial Csuncil at its next session :— " It would be a serious reflection on our social condition, if, in the circumstances surrounding them in any situation, women should find inciting causes to the committal of crime under the plausible plea of defence*of their honor, or of protection from outrage and insult. There cannot be a doubt, however, that, by permitting young and unprotected females to place themselves in positions of temptation either to themselves or others, and especially by permitting them to have the sole charge and management of such drinking saloons as are generally to be found on the diggings, incidents may and do arise which are calculated to lead to the commission of offences either by them or against them, and that it is highly desirable, by some intervention of the law, to limit, as far as possible, the chances of such incidents occurring." We hear from the Thames that another dividend of LlO per scrip has been declared by the Golden Crown Company.

The Rev. W. H. Ewald, formerly of Nelson, has resigned the curacy of St. Paul's, Wellington, and intends returning to England. Mr James Mackay, jun. , has been elected to the Auckland Provincial Council for the Thames district. Mr Parker annouuees his intention, of standing for the General Assembly for Motueka, and appoints meetings of the electors at Waimea We3t aud Moutere on early days. A requisition is being got up to Sir David Munro to contest the seat for Motueka with its present occupant. The Cabbies played some Wangapeka diggers a game at cricket, on Friday last, and beat them by 48 runs. It has been decided by the Stewards of the la*e Charleston Races to forward the protests made against Quicksilver as the winner of the Consolation Stakes, and Gipsy of the Packers' Race, to the Victorian Jockey Club for an opinion on the subject. An old and respected Colonist, Captain Deloitte, died on Tuesday, December 13, at Sydney. The deceased gentleman was the first to open up trade between New Zealand and New South Wales, having planted the British ensign for the first time at Hokianga. A mail service has, we understand, been organised by the General Govornmeut between Napier and Tauranga, receiving and delivering mails at the various military and other intermediate stations. Mr James Borrie, of South Tokomairiro, Otago, has lost a barn, stockyard, and sixty j bags of oats by fire. I The drapers in Wellington have adopted a J new style of puffing. Boys are employed iv shouting "late news," and in distributing what have the appearance of newspaper extras, but which are only printed advertisements of tradesmens' goods. The feeling in favor of protection is fast gaining ground in New South Wales. The Cowper free-trade Ministry have been beaten, aud tendered their resignation to the Government. Sir James Martin has made no secret of his decided opinion, '• that nothiug but a protective system can open up the Colony to permanent prosperity." A Dane, named Wilson, met with a distressing accident at Kikowhakarere, Auckland, on Friday last. In working the circularsaw his hand came in contact with it. The front of the hand was mutilated in a frightful manner. Messrs Groth and Cowan skilfully dressed the injuries at Mr Mitchell's establishment, and the patient came up to the Auckland Hospital on Saturday. The passengers on board the Challenger liberally subscribed the sum of L 4 8s for the unfortunate man, who expressed himself in very grateful terms at this spontaneous act of generosity. The Southern Cross says that early on Saturday morning week, Mr Nettleship, a working jeweller, in the employment of Mr Kohn, Mid residing in Albert stteet Auckland, had occasion to go for a medical gentleman ; he incautiously left the door unlocked, and before his return Mrs Nettleship saw a " tall dark man" leave the house. On her husband's return she informed him of what she had seen, and a cursory search revealed the fact that about L2O worth of jewellery, a bottle of pomatum, &c, had been stolen. The police were at once communicated with, and Sergeant Jeffrey, in company with Constable Donovan, being then in charge of the night relief, proceeded to search the various haunts of thieves. For more than two hours their seach was in vain, but, on proceeding up Wyndham street to a certain house in Hobson street, t c sergeant saw a tall dark man sitting on a door-step. He refused to stand up when the sergeant called upon him to do bo, whereupon

Jeflery took hold of him, lifted him up, and proceeded to search his pockets. This the stranger objected to, but when his handkerchief was pulled out a piece of jewellery came along with it. While the sergeant was handing this to the constable, Dunne bolted round by the Catholic Chapel, pursued hy Jeffery. As he approached tne corner of Vickery's Buildings, the sergeant overtook him, and tripped him up, the sudden fall causing a five-barrelled revolver to fall out of his hands. On constable Donovau coming up, Dunne was handcuffed, and several articles of jewellery taken from him. The prisoner is a soldier from the 2-18fch Regiment, having deserted in May, 1866, and who since that time has been frequently searched for by the police. He was remanded. It is reported that the Defence Minister is about to hand over to natives, as a peace offering, the whole of the Te Awamutu and contiguous settlements' timber reserves. The fact that the Alexandra timber reserves on the Pirongia were being surveyed for that purpose at the time of Mr Todd's murder is significant proof that the report is well founded. The name by which the leader of the band who murdered Mr Todd is now known— Te Whitiora — has been borne by him for above a month only, aud that, when a prisoner on board the hulk, he was called Wiremu Koinete. The amount of published dividends on the Thames gold field paid during the month of December is L 10.098 divided among twelve companies. This ia independent of the large number of dividend-paying claims worked under miners' rights, of which no record is kept. Three men have obtained L 427 worth of gold in three months, at Orepuki, Otago. Some rich quartz reefs, of considerable depth, have been discovered south of the Molyneux, Otago. There was a fire at Mr Barrelly's on the 2nd inst. at two o'clock, at the Waiwetu, Wellington. Everything, was burnt. Mr Farrelly, who had left his house a few minutes before, with everything all right, was in the paddock at the time, and he has no idea how it happened. The rumors from Alexandra are alarming, and fifty of the best Riflemen amongst the Auckland Volunteers have offered their servics to the Government for active duty. A gum-digger named Dennis M'Manus was burned to death while asleep m a whare at Riverhead, Auckland, on the 21st ult., by leaving a candle burning. The chief Ihaia has reported that the banks of the Mokau river are lined with coal. A man named Gilbert has been drowned . at the Waikato. Yesterday afternoon a boy named Raymond reported to the police that he had corae across the skeleton of a man in the bush some distance behind Mr Revell's old camp, on the lagoon. A constable was immediately despatched to the spot, and the skeleton was found quite bleached, and some clothes a short distance from it. A pair of blutcher boots were found near the spot ; they were very lifcble worn, and the uppers good. The appearances led to' the belief that some insane man must have taken ofl his boots and clothes and lain down to die. The skull and boots were brought in last night ; the other bones will be brought in to-day, aud an inquest will be held, in order, if possible, t> lead to the identification of the deceased. Mr Thomas Little, a surveyor, writes as follows to the Charleston Herald : — I have great pleasure to inform you for the benefit of the public, who are intending to leave Charleston for the Murray Reefs, that the journey may be accomplished with ease in two days, and a good walker (without a swag) might accomplish the journey in one day. I have laid out four routes (one of which twenty-four miles is already made) the road certainly will not be as bad as from Wesfcporfc to the reefs. After the Committee have met I have no doubt the. various routes will be made public ; and one of them is better than going round by way of Westport ■without any clearing being done.

The following is the latest news item from Fiji, brought to Auckland by the brigantine Sea Gull : — The largest meeting yet seen in Levuka was held on the 25th December to protest against the conduct of Captain Challis and her Britannic Majesty's Consul, in the deportation of James De Maus.' A memorial addressed to the Earl of Behnore, Governor of New South Wales, and ViceAdmiral of the Australian Station, complaining of the conduct of both gentlemen, was read and approved of unanimously by the meeting ; aud a petition to her 'Gracious Majesty, to be sent through the Secretary of State, praying for the removal of Mr March from Fiji, was adopted and ordered to be engrossed and forwarded with such signatures as may be obtained. — A number of gentlemen entertained Thakambau at dinner to commemorate the signing of the charter for a corporation for Levuka. — A native detected in stealing money from Mr Cudlip's was flogged in front of that gentleman's house. A case of more than ordinary interest to all holders of special sites for saving gold from tailings, was decided in the Warden's Court, Charleston, on Thursday last, in which the Court ruled, that such special sites, except when held as easements to claims, must be represented by a corresponding number of miners' rights. Boxes placed in creeks have hitherto been held ie appears, as special sites under certificates, of legistration, and it was argued by Mr Donne, who appeared for the defendant, that the Court's ruling, in the absence of any special legislation upon the matter, would have the effect of prohibiting mining operations in that direction, inasmuch as, if such were to be regarded as claims, each one so held would necessitate the employment of one nan being also the holder of a miners' right, and that it would be unnecessary hereafter to hold them as special sites under certificate? of registration. The Court was of opinion that some regulation was needed to meet such cases, but that there was no option in the absence of the infliction of a monetary penalty, but to decree a forfeiture of two of the defendants' rights. A forfeiture was therefore decreed of two of defendant's certificated rights, wick costs. Mr James Hyde, of Spring Grove, Nelson, committed suicide by throwing himself into the Wairoa river, on Wednesday morning last. It appears that the deceased had been depressed in mind about some accommodation bills, which in conjunction with another person he had endorsed for a neighbor, who has since become a bankrupt, and had been heard to say that he never would pay them. On the day named, about dinner-time, it would seem that Hyde (having written a letter, which he left in his own house, declaring his intention to destroy himself) proceeded to the entrance of the Gorge, to a deep place in the river, and deliberately divesting himself of hat, coat, and waistcoat, which he left on the rocks, threw himself into the pool, wh-r* he was found by Mr Charles Knapp and a search party, yesterday morning. The body when found was standing upright on a rock at the bottom of the hole, in au exactly similar position to that of Mr Seymour's daughter, who was drowned in the same place about three years since. Although the deceased left written intimation of his intention of drowning himself, it is said that the writing was so

diminutive that it was necessary to procure a magnifying glass to decypher it. If this is true, it would argue that the deceased was in full possession of his faculties at the time, and was determined to delay any search that would be likely to deter him from the rash act. Deceased was between 50 and 60 years of age. In the course of a review of the past year, the Nelson Evening Mail Bays :— '• Commercially, Nelson, unfortunately, is no better off than the sister provinces, and the numerous cases of bankruptcy which have occurred amongst us afford a sad illustration of the general depression that prevails. At the :omraencement of last year we were full of hope that the newly-discovered reefs at Wangapeka and Collingwood were about to work a change for the better in our condition, but the only effect they have yet had has been to lock up a sum of money amounting to L 20.000, for which there have hitherto been little or no returns. It is true that from the Perseverance mine gold to the value of between L3OOO and L4OOO has been obtained, but the whole of this has been swallowed up in working expanses, and hitherto the shareholders have not received a single penny for their outlay. At Wangapeka the crushings have not yet commenced, but there will shortly be four batteries at work, and we have not yet abandoned all hope that from that quarter we shall find some relief from the depression under which we are now laboring. Should that resource fail ns, the prospects of Nelson are gloomy-. indeed, as it is to our minerals only that we can look for prosperity, the very limited extent of arable or pastoral land within our boundaries precluding all hope of our ever proving a prosperous community if we are reduced to relying upon these sources alone. The Nelson Colonist says :— After the erroneous reports that were some months since set afloat respecting the Karamea district, it is necessary to receive accounts with caution, and only to publish facts the authority of which is undoubted. A party of some thirty men, from the Thames, some time since,"went to the Karamea district. We now learn that some of them returned to Nelson a few days ago, with a considerable quantity of good gold ; and they told our informant that they>had been very successful, and intended going back to the ground. They declined to state where they obtained the gold, except merely to give such indication as is contained in the statement that the place was between Salisbury Open and the Karamea Bend. From what our informant, who is well able to judge, says of the gold, and the manner of the men, there is good reason to believe that the ground they have obtained is payable in a more than ordinary degree. The Mechanic' 8 Magazine informs U3 that Mr Palmer, of the Webbs, St. John's Common, Sussex, England, proposes to carry passengers by means of his wire-rope tramways. The carriages are to be light, and to have grooved wheels fixed on their sides near the top, so as to allow the body of the carriage to hang between the ropes. The line is to be a double one, that is, one with two ropss for the grooved wheels of the carriage to run on. A portion of the line forms an incline, down which the carriages will run by : their own weight, and the speed obtained in the movement will be sufficient to carry them up to near the highest part of the opposite gradient, when, by means of a chain which is to be hooked on at this point, power is to be applied by the winch to move it over the point on to the level, which is proposed to be formed of bar or plate iron, over which it travels, and then down the next incline, to be again drawn up by another chain and winch, and so on for the whole length of the line. For single lines the boxes hang under the over-hanging arms of the uprights, so as to pass without coming in contact with them. To cross rivera, one end of the rope is secured to a fixed post or upright, while the other end is free to be raised and lowered. By this means the carriage is caused to run from one side to the other, and vice versa, according to whether the post is higher or lower than the opposite end. The inventors tell us that for ferry bridges this plan is the cheapest ever offered to the public. The invention has been tried on a rather extensive scale, and it was found that the carriages travelled at the rate of fifteen miles per hour. ____________