BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1924, Page 2

BRITISH & FOREIGN ITEMS.

[Reuters Telegrams.] GUILLOTINED. PARIS. Aug. ID. An Arab, Mahomed Khctneli. aged .‘ill, convicted of the murder of two women was guillotined. Because a young woman rejected liis advances ho dragged her from a shot) hy the hair, and cut her throat, and then slashed out at every passing woman, killing one and injuring two others. Mahomed's conduct at the trial was most cynical, lie never expressed regret for his crimes and met his death with the utmost stoicism. lie retused brandy and simply turned to onlookers and said, "Good-bye all.” •.Immediately prior to the execution lie was baptized in the Christian faith.

SOLDIER’S HEROIC SILENCE. LONDON. Aug. ID. A famous case is recalled hy the death Irotn a revolver wound at the Sheffield Barracks of Cecil Aylmer Cameron. Cameron, in 1911. was sentenced at Edinburgh to three years for defrauding Lloyd's Insurance liv claiming L'liODJ as compensation for the loss of his wife’s pearl necklace. Cameron refused to give evidence, and he served a .sentence. Oil his release lie joined the army in France and showed wnnderlul gallantry. In 101 < the King granted Cameron a full pardon. and restored his rank. After Ins release from prfeon a petition asking for a retrial was signed hy live Dukes, twenty Privy-Councillors, and 12(5 generals. It transpired that Cameron had acted innocently. Ilis wife, when dangerously ill. confessing that she alone was guilty. Cameron maintained Ids silence to protect her. MAHON’S APPEAL. LONDON. Aug. 19. The grounds of Mahon’s appeal included misdirection of the jury; that the .ludee should have pointed out the possibility of accident on the lines of the accused version of Miss Kayo's death: that the Judge had gravely prejudiced the trial hy declaring that Mi-s K.ivo was aware of her condition of health: that the Judge had wrongly told the jury that Mahon admitted that she died hv Ids lmml. The Chief Justice intimated that the Court did not desire to hear tho Crown’s reply. Thereupon Million, for the first time, exhibited extreme despair. He sobbed convulsively. Tl:e Chief Justice said there was no substance in any ol these defences. It was quite elcarlv a most cruel repulsive. carefully-planned murder. The trial had been perfectly fair. Only tho fact that it was a capital case had prevented him from saying that the appeal was a frivolous waste of tlni Court’s time. DIPLOMATIC I'SACH. PEKIN. Aug. 19. Kara Khan lias sent hack the American memorandum, accompanying tho Note mentioned earlier. Kara Khan j* refuses to accept the memorandum, which notified him that the American Minister's acquiescence in the understanding embodied ill the accompanying note in no wise constituted or implied a recognition on the part of the Lulled States of the regime known as the I'liioii of Socialist and Soviet Re-

publics. Kara Khan explains that there does not exist in international law and practice any method ot restoring diploma,.e relations he!ween two Governments by May of returning to one of them the legation of the latter Government in the capital of a third Power hy the other ol these two Governments. PEASANTS .MASSACHEI). SOI'TA. Aug. Ifk Serious developments in the Halkatis « are possible as the result of an enquiry conducted hv a Comii'.ission appointed liy the League of Nations into tit, l deatlis ol seventeen Hulgaiiau peasants, which occurred oil July 20th, Mhen the Greek Lieutenant. Doxakis, arrested twenty-seven Hulgarians after the explosion of a homli in the small village of Tarlis, on the Greek side of the Greeo-liulgariau hnrder. Doxakis took the captives to the mountains. He -nhseqiienlly reported that Hulgarian irregulars attacked his escort, mid said that, under cover of the attack. the captives tried to escape. The escort fired on them, killing seventeen and the others escaped. The League of Nations Commission consisting of Greek. English. and Hclgian members, unanimously report that there uas no attack whatever. Consequently the captives Me re merely massacred. RAILWAY DISASTER. LISRON, Aug. If). A crowded holiday train was wrecked through a collision with a goods train near Lisbon. Six Mere killed and forty injured. HA It 1.1 AM F.NTA It Y DELEGATION CAPETOWN. Aug. 2fi. The Empire Parliamentary delegation has arrived at Durban and was welcomed hy the Mayor and leading citizens. Senator Givens. Australia, replying to the Mavor. expressed the hope that the vi-it would cement closer ties which should subsist among the sixu*r Dominion*. Sir John Lulo* lor Now Z.on!:im!. A scries of >n< i: 1 1 ;ui«l oilier functions 1 1 :iv»* h.«*n in honour of tho visitors.