MISCELLANEOUS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 March 1921, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS

AItJRDERIvR OF 13

BOY BEFOtIE COURT.

LONDON, February 17

Donald Litton; who confessed to the murder of a septuagenarian widow, Airs Seabrook, on January 27th., becaused h e “wanted money to go to the Zoo’’ is only 13 years of age. He reappeared to-day at the Children’s Court tit St. Albans. Before evidence was taken the prosecutor explained that a child under 7 was legally not capable of crime, and between 7 and 14 was presumed to he incapable of crime unless the evidence indicated that he was intelligent beyond bis years. The prosecutor submitted that Litton was sufficiently -intelligent to be liable of the offence. A surgeon testified that the victim had 28 wounds in her face and head including eight fractures of tho skull. The prisoner's mother, a widow, testified he was her only child, and was a very sharp boy. Tie was eonimittcd For trial.

TiIKASHK]) 1/1 AH DIRS. CAI/CTT'I’A, December 2D. The discovery and (loath of a conspirator who wished to discredit the recent visit to Lhasa (the holy city o r Thibet) of Kerungtseng, called the 1 Liv- , ing Buddha of Chinn," who was sent lon a mission to the Dalai Lama by the the Chinese Government to bring about a better understanding have just been revealed . According to the Pioneer, aii extremist named Mania, arrived in Tibet before Kernng-tseng, and’spread false rumours which were tracked down and Mania was arrested and ‘‘beaten with the leather thong (stray).” In the meantime troops had been sent to bar the path of Kerung-tseng, but were withdrawn upon official Information being received. “After 20 days," says the account “Mania caught a severe cold. and nr official notice was given out of his doat! following pneumonia.

j “M \R Y ROSE” PUZZLE. NEW YORK. December 29 ! After a single hearin, ‘‘Mary lose ' Sir James Barrie’s play, produced lien last evening has left the dramatic world of New York moved, but mystified ; The beauty and tender pathos of ti c i work made a full appeal to the c riti- - and tin 1 enthusiastic audience of Barrie devotees, but there is considerable sue eolation muons the former as to wh-: it is all about. “Enigmatical,”' “inexpl-ninnble,” ‘‘a fantasy stretched thin-.’’ arc some of tl • adjectives employed by critics writing : few moments after the fall of the detain.' One delicately suggests that tl • author himself was uncertain of h ~ purpose. At least one other critic w.:« plainly at sen throughout the evening He describes the hist scene in this wav: •The play ends with an apparition seated ion ti flabbergasted Tommvs knee talking airy nothings,”