LATE NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1919, Page 3

LATE NEWS.

THE PARIS GUN

PARIS April 20.

A representative of Elxeelsior has visited the Krupp Works. Questioned about “Big Bertha” which fired on Paris, the director Herr Wittfeld said:

“There was no new theory in this gun, which was like any other except that it was longer. It was of Bin. calibre and about 65ft. long. The shell left the gun with an initial speed of a mile a second.

“We made only a few of these guns, which merely aimed at producing a moral effect. They could fire only a- few shots, and then the gun had to be dismounted and sent back to Essen to be re-rifled. This is why the joalibre varied several times in the course of the bombardment of Paris. “The original idea was to fire on London if the German armies reached Calais. It was the artillery engineer Rosenborg, who took the most active part in the making of the gun.”—Exchange.

SHOPMAN ROMANCE. NEW YORK, April 20

After an illness lasting several months, Mr Frank Winfield Woolworth owner of the tallest building in the world and of a chain of five cent. (2}d.) and ten cent shops, died last night at Glencove, Long Island. Mr Woolworth's business career was one of the most spectacular in recent American annals. Brought lip on a farm, he got employment at the age of 21 at a linen draper’s shop as a clerk with £2 n week. He tried his hand as a commercial traveller, failed, and had his salary reduced to 30s. He married and supported a wife on this salary, and saved £lO. His father endorsed a note for £65. Woolwortli rented a shop for £6 a month, obtained goods on credit, and started a five cent bazaar.

To-day the company bearing his name owns 850 similar shops in the U.S., Canada, and Britain, capitalised at £13,000,000. He was in his 07th. year.

£B,OOO BABY’S END. PARTS, April 20

The love affair of a middle-aged painter. named Charles Godin, with his model, Georgette Billi, aged IG, has led to a remarkable charge of murder. Georgette became a mother, and when the painter died a few months later he left the child £B,OOO. The girl married a young man named Emile Gourdon. and the baby was placed in the care of a grandmother. Later, when the young mother wished to get hack her child, the grand-mother refused to give it up on the ground that the young couple meant to destroy it in order to inherit the money and pro. dtieed letters and telegrams in support of her suspicions. Georgette, however, got an order from a court for the surrender of tho baby and went to live at Marseilles with her husband.

One day while walking on the jetty the woman appeared to .stumble and the child fell into the sea and was drowned. The couple have been arrested, the wo-

man, i,t is alleged, having pretended Lo faint in order to make away with her baby.