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Kumara Times, Issue 1118, 30 April 1880, Page 2

The following telegram has been handed xxs by R. J. Seddon, Esq., for publication, as there are probably many in this district interested in tills subject To R. J. Seddon, Esq., M.H.R., Kumara. . ..The Royal Commission oh Railways will be hi Hokitika oh Monday night, arid will be prepared to receive evidence. Edwd. Downey, . Secretary. There being no quorum of the Borough Councillors present last -evening, his Worship adjourned the meeting until two o’clock this aftemoohi at which hour the Council diet, and wbfe proceeding With the business when we went to press. We regret to record another serious mining accident which took place at Dillinan’s Town at noon to-day, in Jones and party’s claim, by which a well-known ininer named Scott Irvine sustained some terious injuries. It appears he was worthing in a chamber in the tunnel when the Weight from above Beitdg removed by the Action of the water in sluicing, the chamber collapsed and a large portion of the roof fell 6n If vide. He Was almost immediately extricated, and Dr. Clarke, whd Was promptly ih attendance, found that the idjdred min, besides having.sustained a severe scalp wound, had His right thigh fractured. Under thu direction of Df Clarke he was sttbseqdedtly brought down to the ( Hospital on a stretcher, carried by relays of miners. Irvine, it will be remembered, nairbwly escaped with his life in the lamentable accidedt of twd years ago, whed poor iodothin Clements Was killed.

We learn that the Government intend to. forthwith annul the proclamation making this a special licensing district, and td bring it, as in other under > the Ordinary regulations.

, ¥he quarterly meeting of the Licensing Court at the Greenstone Will be held on the lit day Of JdnO next; all will require to be lodged with the Cleft of th!e Court by the loth of next month;

The Georgia Minstrels,. who, during the last week have teen drawing crowded houses in Hokitika by the variety and talented nature Of, their entertainment, will make their first appearance in this town, at the Adelphi Theatre, to-mofrow evening. vt -

We are requested to remind those chessplayers who have 'entered but not yet accepted to contest in the chess tournament that the list of : acceptances closes to-mofrow evening. ‘ From what wO Heat the handicap, or classification, has given pretty general satisfaction, and, .as wO understand the managing committee havO it in contemplation to give a book prize to the foiif representatives who Ate not successful in winning one of the three principal prizes, there will be some inducement tO Ihbie who though hoping to be foremost in their class may be dubious bf winning against the better players ixi the second competition, dr those whoj ort the 'other hand, may fear of faltering when they come to concede the liberal odds they will have to hiete to the best men of the respective classes. Writing of the recent trial for inurdef of Butler in Dunedin, the Lyttelton Times says “ Under the circumstances the verdict of 1 Not Guilty’ is the only rational conclusion for twelve reasonable men to have come to. The judge, in sentencing Butler for the burglary at Stamper’s, told him that the verdict id the murder case did not relieve him front suspicion, though it was a very propef verdict iii accordance with the evidence. That opinion is entitled tojgreat weight, comihg from a biah Who prSuied at the trial with the nicest impartiality, and summoned up tbe evidence with luminous and remarkably unbiassed precision; as anyone can see who takes the trouble ■ to read the reports of the trial.” ing on Butler’s sentence for burglary, oof

contemporary says :—‘‘lt is well that a man of this stamp has been shut up period of eighteen years. The man is a hardened, relapsed criminal, cohvicted of burglary, Certainly guilty of arson, who had refused honest work, who had been arrested with a revolver and much ammunition in his possession, against whom it was deposed thit SiVide Ms arrest burglaries had to a great extent chased in Dun'edin, at a time When the most trivial complaints were, in consequence of the terror spread by the murder of the Dewars, constantly made to the police. Quite apart from all suspicions arising out of the murder case, the protection of society required in his case an exceptional sentence. In dodge Williams, Butler has met with k just judge and "society an efficient protector.”

Information from St. Petersburg and Teher&n gives a number of interesting details relative to the forthcoming expedition to Merv. Russian agents afe busily buying enormous stores of provisions, whiih are to he accumulated in armed depots ; and English-ludian officers are on the spot watching the doings of the Russians. Ayoub Khan arid hS supporters have resolved to hppdsh ah English or a Persian 'entrance into Herat.

The town of Marshfield, in the State of Missouri, has been totally destroyed by a hurricane. The ruins took fire during the > gale, and increased the te'rroffe of the situation. Some thousands of people were left homeless by the disaster. Active steps kre being taken to send relief to the sufferers.