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Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 69, 27 April 1868, Page 103

Clearing Sale.— We beg to draw attention to Messrs Kinross & Co.’s extensive clearing sale, which will take place on Tuesday (to-inorrow) and Wednesday,— commencing at noon on each day. The Artesian Well. —Disheartening difficulties, continue to interpose in the way of a successful completion of the 'well in .Hastings-street. Last Wednesday morning Mr Garry succeeded in obtaining a flow of water, but wishing to remove the sand that still entered the tube, and likewise to penetrate a greater depth, passed down a small shell, which shortly afterwards broke off, and up to Saturday afternoon last had not been recovered—but in attempting to effect its removal a rod which had been screwed into it was broken off in the tube on Thursday. This broken rod was recovered on Friday, and. the operations for the removal of the broken shell resumed; by an extremely tedious process it has been partially cut up and removed piecemeal, but much of it still remaiuß in the bottom of the tube. We understand that it .is intended to drive it out at the lower bnd if possible, when it can be forced out of the way, and the driving of the main tube completed. Notwithstanding the obstruction there is still an overflow. of water, which is, so far, satisfactory, as giving fair assurance of ultimate success, though .the delay is vexatious, and the additional expense attendant on it is something serious. Australian Munificence.— We take the following from the Sydney Morning Herald, March 26 At the meeting of the Prince Alfred Hospital'Committee, yesterday afternoon, the splendid donation of £IOOO was announced as the contribution of the Messrs Dangar Brothers, squatters. This will swell the amount raised within the last four days to upwards of. £SOOO, which is the more remarkable that subscription lists have not yet been issued, and the committee, which was only constituted on Monday last, have nob yet begun to collect donations. The mail, therefore, which takes home the shocking intelligence of the attempt oh the life of the Duke of Edinburgh will at the same time convey to its English readers the most convincing proof of our gratitude, when they hear that this splendid liberality has been evoked'by the happy intelligence of the Prince’s re: covery. It may also have the effect of stimulating.the liberality of native Australians in England j and those resident there who have been identified with our past history. - The Edinburgh Lifeboat. —The Edinburgh Workmen’s Lifeboat, stationed at Port Logan, (N.B), saved on the ,17th ultimo, the drew, consisting of fifteen persons, .from ..the!, barque Strathleven, of Glasgow.. Oh the. 16th December, last year, .when lifeboat tfas being exhibited in Glasgow on the way to . its station, the wife of the captain of the Strathleven; accompanied by her children, went to see the boat, andputan offering Into the subscription box. ’Exactly; one. year, after, on December 16, iBo7, the Captain’s vessel was wreoked, and. on; the;following mornmg;@be.i7ft);.jte' and:- h»in?h'^fte.'>prp r .viientially. rescued by the yery boat which nis wife;, hid doutributod to: support.— Mitohoirs January! 3. ’ “ : !

Large Customs Seizure.— The Sydney Mornihg Herald, 29th March, Bays that “an important seizure was made on Thursday at; Macnamara’s Wharf, by Mr CL G. Reid, landing waiter s consisting of 667 bags of bran and pollard, ex Amateur, from Lyttelton, New Zealand. The reason for seizure was - that‘it passed at the Customs as flour, upon which there is no duty, bran and. pollard being subject to a diity .of''s per cent, ad valorem; The value of the goods is £6OO, making the duty; which.should have been paid-£3o.”'

A False Alarm.— The Wellington Evening; Post, of the 15th April, has the following;—About half-past 7 yesterday evening the alarm of “Fire” was spread from Thorndon to Te Aro, the bolls keeping np a clangour sufficient to wake up the mighty dead, had not Wellington been enjoying its accustomed dose in the manner it so well knoWB how to 5 do. Men rußhed * to and fro'the streets in wild and: when at length the Fire Brigade, in? red hot haste arrived at the awful scene of conflagration, it was discovered that the huge pile of wood on Bhodes’-mount, intended for a bonfire should the Prince pay us a visit, had been kindled by some anxious youth perhaps, tired of waiting for the grand effect, and whose exemplary patience too long trifled with, at length gave way and caused all the hubbub. The frolic is likely to cause the incendiary dear, as, we find by our advertising columns, that a reward of £5 has been offered* for the conviction of the offender who has had the temerity to unnecessarily call forth tha members of the Fire Brigade.

Killed bx Lightning. —The Sydney Morning Herald, March 30, reports that “ during the storm which passed over the city yesterday afternoon, a.woman named Ellen Read, wife of Edward Read, shoemaker, of Camperdown, was struck down by lightning, and died a few minutes afterwards. It appears that the poor woman was in the yard at the back of her house, and was in the act of placing a tub under a spout to catch the rain water, when she was struck by the electric fluid and fell to the ground. AMr Geo. Murray, builder, of Botany-road, who happened to be in an adjoining house, noticed the unfortunate woman lying on tha ground with her clothes on fire, and he immediately rah to her assistance and gave an alarm. Dr Grey was sent, and he was speedily in attendance, hut the woman was then dead. The deceased was the mother of four children, two of whom were twins at the breast.”

The Conrox Gar Murder. —The YasaCourier of Wednesday mentions that Collins, or Munday, is still an inmate of the Yass gaol, but it is expected that he will be removed to Goulburn in a few days. Dr. Campbell visited the gaol on Saturday last for the purpose of endeavouring to ascertain the mental state of the prisoner, and we understand that the impression on the doctor’s mind is that Munday is non compos mentis. The filthy state in which, his head and beard were at the time of hisarrest has been partially changed by & copious application of soap and water and. the use of a comb and brush. The gaol regulations do not permit the compulsory' shaving and cropping of prisoners for trial, otherwise it would have been easy enough to get rid of the vermin. After washing his feet from the dust of the roads, for it must be remembered that he had no boots on when taken, there- were unmistakeable stains of .blood—the blood of his victims—on his heels, and which it has been.found impossible to remove. He is still very communicative about the minders he has committed, although- the rest of the prisoners hold no intercourse with him whatever. He often repeats that he knows he will be hanged, and does not desire to live j as he had all through, life been cruelly' treated, be wished to see what sort of place the other world was. ;On one occasion; in alluding to the Gap murders, he; said they were nothing to what he did at Maitland, and for which he received a sentence* of fifteen years. He appears to have always suspected those who: employed him - of intention to cheat .him of his 'wages; He said he hired once with the - family: of a squatter, and .when the time approached for the completion of his agreement he expected nothing else than' to be turned away without a settlement. “ If,” said he, “ they had done so, I would have put the whole of them to sleep.”! He further said that Conroy’s lot was not the first he hod pub to Bleep.: Death, he . said, did not frighten him ; he was never frightened of it but once, when, while on horseback, he was at tlm edge of a precipice,: and one false step would have sent him td.the other world. The only instances of monomania that can be traced to the prisoner are, that he stated on one occasion that.he had been beaten while asleep at Conroy’s .and-on another, s ! nce his confinement in gaol; .that Conroy and his wife, while he was lying in bed at the -Gap, threw handfuls of lice over his head .and :body, which aocouated for the, filthy. state in which' he :was. Since* the terrible deeda were enacted at the. Gap. no one. has occupied? tbe:;house in which! the - murders were committed.!! The miattress,, which had covered some of the bodies and whioh had been lefc. under the verandah, has been removed, and we believe, burnt.. The. man - lhVplabing the bodies in the. car ton the morning: after the : murders has since taken charge of the sheep; and occupies the- detached-building in which Mrs Conroy slept. : A.t-night'.the passer by . will be attracted by the glare of an immense fire, which may be seen through the. slabs, reudering objects at; a distance; of fifty yards: plainly visible.' : .Wo: should suppose 'that the' remnant -of the family will cause the building to be. razed to the grounds and: .burnt, destroying aIK vuibl& *traoes .of a scene of such horror; •' - “ ?' :