NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1922, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

HARE-FISTS “DUEL.” NEW YORK, April 3. literary and artistic circles in New York, as wejl as in California, have keen stirred by reports of a duel which, it has just become known, was fought a few days ajja between .Mr Harry Leon Wilson, author of ‘ Rugbies of Red Gap,” and Mr Theodore Criley, a prominent landscape painter . The scene of the encounter, which was fought with bare lists, was a place known as "Yankee Point," near the town of Carmel, California, where there is an extensive colony of artists and writers. It followed the performance of a play given by members of the colony, ill which Mrs Wilson played the leading feminine role and Mr Criley the hero.

The men fought stripped to the waist, and stopped only when one or the other was knocked down. Alter live rounds Mr Wilson was unable to continue, having been knocked down three times.

Mr Criley. who weighed list llh. is to; his opponent scaled List Mb and is ten years older. The men. both of whom were damaged considerably, were not reconciled. C ATHEDRAL PANIC. ROME. April li. One of the most notable landmarks ot tile Homan Campaglia disappeared this morning when a thunderbolt struck the bclfrv of Nepi Cathedral, destroying it. Two thousand worshippers wen* congregated in the cathedral, but luckily tin* belfry fell outwards into the road and nobody was hurt. There was a great. panic, everyone dashing for the doors thinking that the whole church was going to fall. Mgr. Alvaros, Hislmp of Nepi. has ordered the cathedral to be closed immediately and has started it subset iption for rebuilding the historic bellry.

Nepi Cathedral bellry dates from the 11th century, hut the crypt is older. The town was once the home ol Lueretia Rorgia.

MOTOR CAR DECOY. IMBLIN, April 3. British officers who were motoring along the road from the ( ujragli this afternoon were fired on by a crowd of men about a mile and a hall I rum Island Bridge. The officers replied with their revolvers until the car was out ol range,

no one being hurt. In a country district clir-c to Naas, Kildare, other men, by a subterluge. stole a car belonging to Genetal Sir 11. S. Jetidwine, who was motoring with his wife and daughter. They came upon a Ford car, apparently broken down Several men called out to the general asking for petrol. General •Iciiduitte stopped bis ear and walked over to them, carrying a tin ol peltol. As lie bad been getting the petrol two 1 men must have got out ol the fold c.n. When he approached this the othei men thanked him and took the petrol. I lie g,moral then heard an exclamation Iron) j his wife, and, turning round, saw that two men were pointing revolvers at her 1 and Ids daughter. At the same time a man jumped out of the Find car pointing a revolver at Ins head. Lady and Miss .Icudwine were made to get out ot the car. which was then driven away.. I General Jetidwine with his wile and i daughter had to return to Naas on toot. i COCAINE IL\ ID. | GENEVA. April 3- ; Something in the nature of a him drama has been played here i» a police raid in connection with renewed efforts ! u , stop the traffic in cocaine under the new Swiss law which provides a petudt j of one year’s imprisonment and a hue of nearly >OO. The scene of the raid was Did u> a eufe on the Fra neo-Swiss Donticr, the front door of which opened on to french territory and the back door on to Switzerland. \ large amount of cocaine had been sold to a man named Bedoni, who had boon expelled from Switzerland. Ihe agent arrived with his precious box of cocaine in a small town on the fM'iss side of the french frontier, but would not give it to one of Bedmii’s confederates without receiving payment, ab u.t p |(H) in English money. Iledoui, however, did not like to part with bis money without the cocaine. and it was while one of his federates named Baudois was alleged to have been living to persuade him to come into Switzerland to fetch the ding Bedoni being unwilling as he leand he would run into a trap that the Swiss and flench police made a concerted movement and surrounded the cafe. The alarm was given lictore the plans of tile politic were unite complete amt Beduni ran into French territory, while the Swiss police arrested Baudois. B - doui, however, did mil get far, for the French police pursued him in motorcars and, alter lew shots he siinonderod. Meanwhile on the Swiss side of the frontier the Genevese police had oil' on mofor-bicyeles to the spot where the trafficker in cocaine was waiting to deliver his packet to Bedoni and B<Udois and receive his money, and arrested him and an accomplice. COAL-TAR DYES IN MEDICINE: | LONDON, April 3. The possibility of a revolution in medical practice was indicated in a pai per read yesterday evening at the Mani chester College of Technology, before 1 the Manchester section of the Society of Chemical Research. The joint work of Dr Ai nold Bcushaw and Mr ’I houias Fail brother, the paper was called “The relation between chemical constitution end anti-septic action in the coal-tar dyes,” and suggested that injections prepared, from some of these dyes may provide remedies for many diseases. The authors of the paper mentioned 5() specific diseases. In the case of 12 the causative agents had. not yet been discovered. A partly success! lil curative agent was available for 10 more and in 28 medicine had "s yet no “direct attack” method of treatment. Adding to these the 12 diseases whose cause was unknown there were -10 im- • portant maladies for which no real treatment existed. Experiments which had been made by tbe authors of the paper showed that many of the coal-tar dyes had the power of killing the parasites or bacteria. The antiseptic powers of some of the ' more powerful dyes were being tested with the help of leading surgeons, and

experiments were being made to discover which of them might be administered to human beings by the method ol injection.

In the ease of syphilis. Ehrlich had produced iti ueo-salvarsaii il substitute for the treatment of the disease. The authors had tested nec-salvarsaii in dilution of one part to 200 against syphilis parasites and had loue.d them to he alive, even after two Loin s’ immersion in the solution. They had obtained dyes which, in a dilution of one part to 2.000 killed the parasites instantly, and within fifteen minutes when in a dilution of one to 20,000.