NEWS BY MAIL

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1928, Page 3

NEWS BY MAIL

“I WANT MY FINGER.”

LONDON, Nov. 5. v

Miss Harrison, who lives at the Hinton Admiral Vicarage, Christchurch, Hampshire, hearing a shout went out on Friday night and found a motor-cyslist . groping about with' an electric torch ami exclaiming, “I-want my finger.’.’ t.

He was Mr Leslie House, of the Cottage, 'the Triangle, Bournemouth. When ho was trying to adjust the brake of his machine with the engine ruining the middle finger of his left hand got caught and it was severed, lie was persuaded to stop searching for the finger and to enter the vicarage to have his wound dressed. A passing motorist took him to Boscombe hospital and Miss Harrison later found the finger and sent it on to 'him by a motor-cyclist.

FATAL DUEL

VIENNA, Nov. 5

Erich Tjuka, a young lawyer who killed bis opponent, iiiamed /Walter Setz; in a pistol duel in the Hussars barracks at Oedoiiburg, was tried today in the Vienna criminal court with the seconds and doctors, ‘because they are all Austrians and duelling is now illegal for Austrian subjects, although Oedenbmg is Hungarian. The due! arose front a quarrel that took place when Tjuka was president, of the University Students’ Society at Vienna and 3c tz was a member, several years ago. Setz provoked the duel by smacking Tjuka’s face in the street at Oedenburg, and fired first, after an Austrian court of honour of former dragoon officers bad ordered the duel.

A Hungarian court at Oedenburg has alroady given Tjuka nominal sentence of four weeks’ imprisonment in a, fortress for unluckily killing his opponent, but -the Austrian law's provide a penalty of 20 years’ impirsonment. After a hearing lasting three hours Tjuka, who satisfied the court that he only consened to take part in what the parties intended should be a- mock duel, 30 yards apart, was, acquitted, with all the other accused.

THRONE OF HUNGARY

BOY PRINCE TRAINING TO BE

A KING

PARIS, November 6

I have just received from an authoritative scource an intimate story of the life in exile of the ex-Crown Prince Otto, the son of the ex-Emperor Karl of Austria-Hungary, and the boy who would bo king. He will be 16 on November 20th and in two years from that date will he legally entitled to prosecute his claim to the Crown of where a Regent still rules in the person of Admiral Horthy. Meantime Prince Otto has received an education with one object only—to make him a king. His mother ex-'Empress Zita, has dedicated her li r . to the project. He is already treated as a king and as a soldier. Every day lie devotes certain hours to the study of warfare. One room in his home in the Basque country, in Spain, is devoted to military matters and is fitted up so that soldier ‘ tutors may move miniature troops, heavy and’light arti llory and aeroplanes as in real warfare; The Brince learns history also, taught entirely from the monarchist point of,view. His geography shows the former Austro-Hungarian empire untouched by the shears of the Treaty of Triari on. So little does lie know of the war ■that the thinks lie will return, to a country, as large and as powerful as before 'fell

ANOTHER ASPIRANT

The consuming ambition of the <>- Empress is to seo her son on the throne of Hungary. But the ex-Crown Prime Otto’s cousin, Albrech, is also an .aspirant to the crown. He has powerful backing—-backing which the cxEmpress fears

The Arciiuuke Albrecht is the son ot the Archduke Friedrich, the Comman-red-in-Cliief of the Austro-Hungarian forces during the war.

A SHOOTING

PARIS, Nov. 6

The shooting'of M. Leondias Basilliondis, a wealthy Greek lawyer, in. 1923, by Mine, du Bot de Talhouet. who belonged to an old Breton family is to have a sequel in a remarkable will suit in the Paris courts.

Mme. de Talhouet and M. Alfred Leohidas, the son born of liaison with the Greek, were charged respectively with the murder of M. Basiliodis and with complicity, but both were acquitted. .although the woman admitted the shooting.

Mme. de Talhouet was no sooner free than 1 she started an action to obtain possession of the dead man’ estate, amounting to more than £10,000,s producing- a will dated June 30, 1922 in. which she arid her son were mentioned ns sole legatees.

The court however, dismissed the woman’s suit On the ground hat, despite her acquittal on the charge , murder.the fact remained that she had killed Basiliondis, and French law laid it down that a will could not be revoked where it was proved that a bene ficiary showed open ingratitude.

‘‘OBVIOUS INGRATITUDE.”

“It is obvious ingratitude to shoot and kill someone who lias befriended you.” said the judgement. Tine woman having lost her suit, the son is now bringing an action to obtain his" share of his father’s estate, arguing that he always denied complicity in his father’s death and that the verdict of the assize court upholds his contention.

SWIM AMID SHARKS

COLOMBO, (Ceylon) Nov. 6

After an exhausting swim in sharkinfested waters, during which two sharks camo quite close to him, a Candinn deserter from- the French steamer Gap Vnrella was rescued by a pilot boat early this morning.

The man. Cornelius Norton, stated that ho and two Germans, named Gros man Jacob, and Renthaal, jumped overboard while the vessel was on. her way to Europe. Norton alleged that they had not been paid during the passage from Saigpn, Cochin-China, -.nd had not been allowed to land at Colombo.

Renthaal disappeared shortly after they went overheard. The pilot boat searched for JV.cob, hilt he was ulti 'ictelv 'found silling- on the breakwater in an exhausted condition.

Norton and Jacob to ( oue month’s imprisonment each for landing without a passport.