NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 July 1922, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA

NEW AIRSHIP PROPOSAL

SYDNEY, June 29 1 A new proposal in regard to tie establishment of an airship service between Great Britain and England ha heen put before the Prime Ministe (Mrll uglies) by Sir Keith Smith, who. when his brother, the late Sir Bos Smith, flew by aeroplane from Englnn* to Australia. The Prime MiuisL stated that Sir Keith Smith had explained the new proposal for ati airship service, which appeared to differ in sonu important particulars from that which lie (.Mr Hughes) had previously submitted to Parliament. It appeared that a private company was prepared to furnish the capital, provided that a pensonable interest was guaranteed by the Governments of the different parts of the Empire.. He understood tiia the Australian quota would be sonn C 10,000 per alinum. This was a very different proposition from the. other, which involved a very largo capital expenditure, as well as recurring expenditure mounting to four or five times as must. The Prime Minister is to bring the matter before Parliament. Sir Keith Smith has already stated that tlie scheme was being heavily backed in England hy Vickers, Ltd., and the Shell Company. Tlie project involved employment of airships at present idle in Great Britain, and the institution of an air service through Egypt and lidia to Australia.

THE MYSTERY “PRINCESS.” .MADRID, May 20.

The post-mortem examination and inquest on the young Canadian, Mr Yves l.efebvre de Bellefeuille, whose body is being exhumed on suspicion of strychnine poisoning, are awaited with absorbing interest- in Madrid, where the newspapers are taking a belated interest in tlie mystery, publishing columns of details of the lite of the socalled Princess Miskela.

She was with the young mail when he was taken ill, and was detained by the police. Then she was let out on hail and vanished. She was made up to appear about 28 hut in reality was approaching -10. Slip is supposed to he of German Polish nationality. hi 1905 she married an octogenarian Polish nobleman with considerable wealth and lived generally in Paris and later in Madrid, whore she resided at the Hotel Ritz and arranged many imposing functions. There were attended hy large numlxTS of Spanish aristocrats, scientists, and men of lot tors.

It i-, hinted by tlie Ihraldo that on" of tlie chief employees ot tlie hotel was so fascinated hy tlie princess’s attractions that in despair lie committed suicide.

Afterwards the Polish couple went hack to Paris, where they resided in the Boulevard St Germain.

Then the husband died mysteriously and tho princess came into possession of a fortune, with which she went to Monte Carlo. There she became associated with a French infantry captain, a Polish doctor, and a Spanish adventuress known as Rosario.

The four between them dissipated the fortune, and the princess returned to Baris about the beginnjng of the European war. She was suspected ol espionage, arrested, and condemned to death, but it is rumoured that influence among politicians helped her to escape to Italy, where she met and fascinated Count Colobrn. She was again suspected of syping, hut Count Colobrn cleared her name.

Shortly afterwards lie died of poison, ami the widow accused the princess, who disappeared. Eventually reaching Spain, she lived a life of adventure, generally in a condition bordering on poverty, until she met Bellefeuille, who received regular remittances from his family at Montreal amounting to considerable sums. Tt is reported that th** princess lent, money to Bellefeuille, for which reason lu* gave her a lite assurance policy, hut this is doubt fill, as In* was wealthy and she poor. After Bcilefeuille’s sudden death the princess called at the house and demanded to he allowed to make a search hut tin* doors had been already sealed through the action of the British authorities, who suspected foul play and called in the Madrid police.

DUEL TO THE DEATH. BAIUS, May 30

The story of a duel between two Apaches with the typical names of Chariot the Murderer and Maurice the Terror, in which Chariot was killed, will come before tin* Baris assize court to-morrow, when Maurice is to he charged with murder and three seconds at the duel will stand by him in the dock as accomplices. The quarrel between Chariot and Maurice arose out of the fact that the dark-haired Lolou, who was Chariot’s sweetheart, was us fickle as she was pretty, and suddenly decided to translei her affections to Maurice. Such an insult- could only he wiped out with blond.

Revolvers were at first chosen as the weapons, hut as the entire hand could muster only one, it was decided that knives should he used. Two were bought lor 10s, and the duellists and their seconds adjourned to a secluded spot on the fortifications of Paris. There tlie ground was duly measured off, and the knives after being sharpened were sterilised by the flame ol a spirit lamp. Chariot and Maurice wore placed six feet -apart, and the duel began. At first it was conducted fairly and the two men thrust and darted at each other without much effect. 1 hen Chariot tried to kick his opponent. He stumbled and Maurice stabbed him twice in the arm and one in the chest. Chariot fell back, and, holding out his hand to his opponent, gasped “I give you best. We will make it up until I am well again and can fight you again.” , , , Tlien Chariot was taken to the hospital and died shortly afterwards.

SHOT DURING SLEEP. NEW YORK, June 5,

Peggy Beal, tlio young nurse who shot and killed Frank W. Anderson, a well-known amateur airman, in a Kansas City hotel and then attempted suicide, to-day revedlcd the motive of her act. Sho is alleged to have told the police that she came from Kanas City to marry Anderson, but that after they had stayed the night at an hotel together ho told her that he was married and had been unable to get a divorce. « When ho was asleep,” the girl is said to have added, “ I went through fife papers and found a diary, in which

he described himself as “ The Perfect Lover.” It contained a list of fiftywomen with whom he had had or was having relations. I found my own name at the bottom of the list. |

“ I woke him up nhd showed him the list and asked how many more there were going to be. He replied that ho could not say. Then ho added, ‘Peg, I’m a devil. I don’t love any woman.’ That was more than I could stand, an when he had fallen asleep again I shot him.”

MOTHER’S BAN ON WEDDING , NEW YORK, June 5.

Tho efforts of Mrs Harold McCormick .wife of the Chicago multi-mil-lionaire, to prevent the marriage of their 17-years-old daughter, Matiiilde, to M. Max Oser, a Swiss riding master, who is 44, were temporarily successful yesterday, when the Chicago courts confirmed the recent appointment of Air McCormick as the daughter’s guardian, provided that ho does not consent to the marriage until Mrs McCormick’s application for him to be removed from the guardianship has heen decided.

Mrs McCormick, who wn s recently separated from her husband, bases her application on tlie ground that Mr McCormick (sought to he appointed the daughter’s guardian at tlie latter’s instance, solely in order that Mathilda might he able to satisfy Swiss law. Tliis requires a minor to submit proof of her guardian’s consent to her marriage. Mrs McCormick yesterday filed a long list of objections to her daughter’s marriage with Oser. The first points out that he is 27 years older than Mathilde, and that she is informed that lie is without regnllnr income or means of livelihood,“ and will he without sufficient fund* for the adequate support of her daughter. She expresses the belief that “Oser primarily desires to enter the contemplated marriage because he believes that in so doing lie wiil secure large sums of money.”

BLUE PAKISIENNES. ] PARTS, Juno 5. | Bright colours were the outstanding . feature of the toilettes worn at Chan- j Lilly this afternoon at the meeting j which is usually known as the French j Oaks. I A new style launched, a double skirt or tunic dress, very* graceful and very smart. The under dresses were narrow, hut the overdress or tunic a few inches shorter was fairly ample and shows a variety of decoration. j Coloured lace was seen in fantastic forms. There were also long, full * mantles of black lace, some with a collar of monkey fur. I

The outstanding colour was a beautiful shade of periwinkle blue, deep and soft. The second colour in public favour was certainly yellow. Much less black was to he seen than at the spring meetings in tlie Bois de Boulogne, and few women were all m white.

j Most of the gay fnx-ks were erown- ] ed with large hats of transparent form with all sorts of simple trimming. hut the new felts were there. I too, in white and brilliant colours. some large find some simdl but nil { with a rather high crown. | There were some dresses that made a daring return to fashions of 40 | years ago or more. They were ot I muslin or thin silk covered with huge | bouquets of flowers in dark red eol- . ours .and designed large enough for curtains in some lofty hall. GIANT SWAMP VANISHES. Nairobi, Kenya Colony, (formerly British East Africa). May 20th. The bursting of the swamp 22 miles from Nairobi is without precedent m the history of the British occupation of Kenya. Where once was a placel swamp covered with papvras gi.iys. there i s now a permanent valley with a turbulent river flowing down the. centre. Tn tlie swamp was a floating papyrus mattress many feet thick and ''mi about 20ft. of water beneath it. Embankments were made and a bridge erected carrying the road across the swamp, and when the Thika Railway was constructed, a substantial bridge was also erected across this swamp at a point a few hundred yards below the road bridge. Now many square miles ot swamp water have been released. ’Jhe eitect was a break-up of the papyrus hkeTl.e smashing of a log-jam. The weight o Hu* water wiped out the main and minor road bridges, cutting oft frdm civilisation the whole of the huge agrcultural area of tin* Kenya Province around Mount Kenya. . Earthquake shocks were experienced i„ this district about a fortnight ago. and the theory of the Government officials is that these caused the sudden collapse of the support of the swamp proha hi v taking the form ot a rocky roof of hum* underground caverns. No floods below the valley are re- j ported, and the volume of water must therefore have gone underground. le<>vi„g behind a new and unexplored t oclivitv maiiv miles long which may ><- the resting place of minerals or remains of scientific importance.