BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1927, Page 3

BRITISH & FOREIGN NEWS

[by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.!

LONDON. February 4. Obituary. Francis Grainger, otherwise Hendon Hill, the novelist.

BEAM TEST. LONDON. Feh. 3. Marconi’s begin next week an exhaustive testing of tbo Australian beam. The Post, Office is not participating until Marconi's advise a stage has been reached at which a thorough I official test can be undertaken. ACTRESS MARRIES A LORD. LONDON. Feb. 3. Sylvia Hawkcs. a pretty ex-manne-quin musical eornedy actress, ingcd 22 years, lias married Lord Ashley, heir to Earl of Shaftesbury. The romantic circumstance and likelihood ofa marriage was rumoured for a week but the Earl and Countess persistently denied the possibility, while the bride's friends were equally confident that the marriage would take place. Events puroved the actress was right and they were duly married <at St. Paul’s, Knight’s Bridge, in a wedding dress hastily prepared at twenty-four hours notice. A crowded congregation was attracted owing to the newspaper publicity. and included a number of stfigo stars and mannequin friends of tlie bride. The honeymoon is being spent at Biarritz. PORTUGAL REBELLION. LONDON. Feh. 3. A Lisbon correspondent states a military revolt lias broken out and martial law lias been proclaimed. MERRETT TRIAL. LONDON. Feb. 2. Dr Holcombe gave evidence that Mrs .Merrett was shot behind the ear. There was no sign of blackening or singing. .Mrs Penn, the deceased’s sister. slid Mrs MerrcU was married in New Zealand in 1007. Her husband wav an electrical engineer l . They separated before the war. The mother and son returned to England in 1925. The son. John, attended tho Malvern College for A year and the mother's \V a rly income was £7fM). She said Mr Merrett was now living in India. Witness added:—My sister told me they say I had a fall, hut I doubt it. Tt was a sadden explosion as if John lijfcd shot me. Tho hearing was adjourned. LONDON, February I.

At the Merrett trial, Walter Rcnii. lie late Mrs Merrett’s brother-in-law, add that Donald had told Mrs Penn: ■ I did not do it, but l will confess if nu like!” Witness did not take Ibis icriousl v.

Nurse Grant gave evidence that she overheard a conversation at the hospital. Mrs Penn told Mrs Merrett that she must have fallen. Mrs Merrett replied: ” No. It was an extraordinary tiling. I heard an explosion. Did not Donald do it? He is such a naughty hoy! ” * Elizabeth Christie, a dancing instructress, said Donald said to her his mother shot herself, possibly accidentally. Expert's testified that suicide was improbable. EARTHQUAKE. SHANGHAI. Fob. 3. Another shock of .seventy seconds was felt at one past meridian. The local observatory states the earthquakes aro centred 159 to 200 miles west or north west of Shanghai and are not considered serious. AIR PILOT’S DEATH. [Received this day at 9.0 u.m.'l LONDON, February 4. Losing his bearings in a mist. Pilot Evans crashed on Downes, near Brighton, and was killed instantly. The machine double somersaulted over a bank, caught firm and was destroyed. This is the ninth fatal flying accident in 1927. There were eiglity-tlirce last year. REVOLT QUELLED. LISBON. February 4. A mild report of troops at Oporto was quelled bloodlessly.