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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1132, 28 September 1871, Page 2

A shocking accident, directly attributable to the proverbial carelessness of miners, is thus spoken of in the Hobart Town Mercury : —Two men, Mr D. M'lntyre, a well-known miner in the M angaria and Fingal districts, and a young man flea ley, who used formerly to work at Nine Mile Springs, had in sinking a shaft in the Golden Gate claim filled a shot hole with powder. Both men were standing beside each other at the bottom of the shaft, which was forty feet deep, when Healey in preparing for tamping the shot, and to ] ire vent sand mixing with the powder, pulled out a piece of rag from his pocket in which, strange to say, he had also loose vesta matches. He rolled up the rag and placed it in the shot hole without examination, and thus it is believed rolled up in it one of the matches. At any rate, the first or second stroke of the tamping rod caused an explosion, very much shattering Healey's hand, and all but severing several of the fingers, and destroying his eyes to such an extent that it is feared his eyesight is irretrievably gone. M'Tntyre escaped almost unhuit, the powder not having been sufficiently pressed down to remove the stone. Healey was at once carried to Avoca, where his wounds- were dressed, after which he was conveyed to the Launceston Hospital.

We have been informed that a letter was received by last mail announcing the death of Mr. James Busby, who was appointed by the J mperial Government as first British resident. His long-dis-puted land claims, which were finally settled last year, have also served to keep him prominently before the public. Mr. Busby was suffering from a cataract, and went to England for the purpose of undergoing an operation. Being far advanced in years it was feared that he might sink under the operation. In lelligence was afterwards received that the operation had been successfully performed, and that the patient, was recovering. The news said to have been received by last mail was to the effect that ery.-dpelas had set in, causing death. Daily Southern, Cross.

The following interesting occurrence happened near Bath half a century ago, and is related by Miss Cobbe -in an article on " Unconscious Cerebration," in the last number of Macmillan's Magazine. Sir John Miller, a very wealthy gentleman, died, leaving no children. His widow had always understood that she was to have the use of his house for her life, with a very large jointure ; but no will making any such provision could be found after bis death. The heir-at-law, a distant connection, naturally claimed his rights, but kindly allowed Lady Miller to remain for .six months in the house, to complete her search for the missing papers. The eix months drew at Jast to a close, and the poor widow had spent fruitless days and weeks in examining every possible place of deposit for the lost document, till at last she came to the conclusion that her memory must have deceived her, and that her husband could have made no such promise as she supposed, or have neglected to fulfil it had he made one. The very last day of her tenure of her house had just dawned, when in the gray of the inorning ; Lady Miller drove up to the door of her man of business in Bath, and rushed excitedly to his bed-room door, calling ont, " Come to me ! I have seen Sir John ! There is a will ! " Where it was, remained as uncertain as before. Once more the house was searched in vain, from cellar to till finally, wearied and in despair, the lady and Jier friend found themselves in a garret, at the top of the house. "It is all over," Ladv Miller said ; " I give it up ; my husband deceive I me, and I am ruined ! " At that moment she looked at the table over which she was leaning weeping. " This table was in his study once ' Let us examine it! " They looked, and the missing will, duly signed and sealed, was within it, and the widow was rich to the end of her days.

The cashier of the Northern Bank at Newtownstewart, county Tyrone, Ireland, has been murdered and the bank robbed of its cash. He was found soon after four o'clock, on June 29, lying beside the open safe where his cash was kept; his skull was beaten in, and near him lay an empty cash-box, in which there should have been ,£1,600. The murderer has got away with the money, and as yet there is no clue respecting his identity or whereabouts. The deceased is a young man named Glass. When the outrage was perpetrated the manager was absent at Drumquin, where a branch of the Northern Bank is opened on fair days. That the cashier would be alone was generally known. The adjourned inquiry into the murder was tesumed on July 6, Sub-inspector Montgomery, against whom suspicion lies, was represented by two solicitors ; the next of kin of deceased and the Crown were also professionally represented. Two men were examined, who sw r ore that about the time the murder was committed, they weie standing outside the bank, and heard sounds resembling the pushing of a table along the floor, and heavy tramping Afterwards they saw Montgomery coming out of the bank, close the door, and go down the back street. Many Ann Cameron deposed that she was in a shop opposite the bank, after three o'clock, and then saw a man, with black beard and whiskers, open the door and look up and dow T n the street, and go in again and shut the door. All present in the court were made to stand up, when witness pointed out Mr Montgomery as the person she had seen in the bank-door. Witness did not know his name. In cross-examination witness varied the minor details of her direct testimony. The inquest was adjourned. Mr Montgomery remains under surveillance —On Saturday, the coroner resumed his inquiry into the murder of Mr Glass. The evidence explained the movement of the subinspector, the statements regarding whom at earlier stages of the inquiry were that he was the last person seen to leave the bank before the murder was discovered; that he was seen after leaving the bank going out towards the country by a back street; and that he returned after very considerable delay by the railway track. The head constable of the station, whose examination occupied the entire day, was the only witness. He said that the sub-inspector

liad nothing to do with the constabulary being out of town on the day of the murder. They had gone to Drumquia fair, in obedience to the The dutj r -roll, the book which contains copies of all orders from headquarters was produced. It contained a copy of a letter sent by the railway manager to, the inspector, requesting a police supervision of the railway line, on the ground that there was a strike amongst the milesmen, and that an attempt had been made to upset a mail train byplacing a plank on the ]ine. The book also contained a direction to the subinspector, from the inspector general, to have the line watched and patrolled. The document was dated Dublin, 28th June, and was marked as received on the 29th, the day on the evening of which the sub-inspector was seen on the line. "Witness said that he would feel himself bound by this, order to examine the lino over his entire district. When examing the body of the murdered man in the bank, witness found the cover of the Hue and Cry rolled up as if used to light a pipe. Two, copies of this publication came to the barrack, one addressed in print to the. constabulary, so that any of the men had a right to take off the cover. The other was a special copy addressed to the sub-inspector. The cover found was not that of Ihe special copy. Several of the constable** who were in the barrack smoked, but the sub-inspector had never been seen smoking either pipe or cigar. The inquiry was again adjourned.—On Saturday, a man came to Newtownstewart to give evidence with, reference to the murder of Mr Glass at the Newtonsfcewart bank. "Fie stated that, whilst in a wood near NewtownStewart on Thursday evening, he saw a man -s\ith full black whiskers washing blood off his arm. Head Constable Thompson took the informant to the wood, and discovering whilst there that he had on a pair of military boots, took him into custody. It was discovered that he was branded with the letterD; and on further inquiry he was detained as a deserter.

Never have evening dresses made up in a more outrageously decollete style than now. Brasses have been worn tin's winter which would more appropriately have graced South Sea Islanders than modest women. It is time that maids and matrons understood that a lovely figure is none the less lovely for being delicately veiled, and that the admiration excited by it* ridiculous exposure is the poorest of compliments. There is not even a man of the world who does not feel a mild contempt for a woman after seeing heiin this sort of garb.—English paper. In May 1870, the Rev. T. Huelin and his housekeeper were murdered at Chelsea, by Walter Miller, who was afterwards executed for the crime. On Saturday, July 22, the case came before Vice-Chan eel lor Malins, in connection with a point which arose under a suit for the administration of the estate of Mr Huelin. The Rev. gentleman had executed a will, in which he bequeathed considerable residuary estate to his housekeeper. Tt became a difficult matter to solve which was murdered first. If the housekeeper were mur-. dered first, her relatives would be cle-: prived of all benefit under the will. The Vice-Chancellor now stated that he had communicated with the Lord Chief Justice of England, who presided at the trial of "Walter Miller, and his. lordship was of opinion that the house-, keeper survived Mr Huelin. Under those circumstances, the former had acquired an interest as a residuary legatee, and her relatives would derive benefit under the will.

What will be news to marry in the metropolis of New South Wales is furnished in the following extract from Sydney correspondence in the Taniv orih Examiner. The writer says \-~- I was rather shocked last week when a charming young lady told ine she bad joined the " Kissing Brigade n to raise funds for the ■ Institution. A little explanation, however-, relieved mv perturbed modesty. " Will you take a kiss for a shilling ?" asked mj f fair informant. My gallantry thus appealed to, and becoming temporarily forgetful of mild blue eyes elsewhere, 1 new "Robert" was instantly produced, As I rose to receive my reward, & N 5 lolly, wrapped in tissue-paper, W&

ihrust into my hand, and a merry peal of silvery laughter greeted my discomfiture ! Well, I blessed the Institution, and bethought me of the new sentimental mode of assisting charities hard up. The Kissing-brigade, forsooth ! How maDy a man, who might have xlv r elt in single bliss for life, before a a woman's feet has knelt and asked her for a wife, because fall each laundress slut on) he'd no one to sew on a button. His peace and freedom he resigns and lays his latch-key down; forsakes his club (which is hard lines,) gives up his rooms in town, because (return we to our mutton) he's no one to sew on a button. Mother-of-pearl, cut into discs, moiher-inla.v involves : the hapless wretch at fearful risks the bitter question solves (too oft he breaks his teeth that nut on), "Will no one sew me on a button " Ah, if I only the man, I'd pour down wealth in floods on him who hit upon the plan of fixing things with studs; I'd give him gold to sate a glutton, who taught men not to care a button. For now no female wiles T dread, in single bliss unmixed ; my fate hung upon a thread, but now by studs 'ti* tixed : so let these words my tomb be cat on, " This bachelor ne'er .cured a button."