The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1389, 15 March 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1881.

The s.s: Wallace with the inward English mail via. San Francisco arrived at Hokitika this morning, and the Kumara portion was forwarded by the coach and arrived here at noon to-day. The Christchurch mail arrived last evening although not in time to allow of the Greymouth portion being despatched by the 3.30 p.m. tram. The passengers by Rngg's coach, however, arrived in town an hour prior to the tram leaving, thus enabling those whose destination was Greymouth to proceed to that town. On Sunday evening a large slip of earth took place at Blake's Terrace, near the old Lamplongh workings, burying, it is believed, a miner, ' Edward William Walsh, who was in his tent, it is supposed at the time. Every exertion was made by the miners living near to ascertain if Walsh was buried by removing the earth, but up to this afternoon, no news had been received in town as to whether the body of the unfortunate man, if buried, had been extricated. The entertainment given by the Court Minstrels at the Theatre Royal last evening was a really enjoyable one, as the songs were well rendered, the jokes good, and the choruses harmoniously given. We are unable to give an extended notice of the programme in this issue but shall take an early opportunity of referring to the members of this talented musical troupe

in detail. This evening there is a complete change of programme, the whole concluding with the Plantation sketch of " Uncle Jeffs Return." The Union Company's s.s. Hero left Auckland at midnight for Greymouth direct, so that she will consequently leave Greymouth and Hokitika for Newcastle and Adelaide on her advertised date, the 17th inst. Intending passengers are requested to accept this notice as authoritative. The entertainment to be given in aid of the funds of St. Patrick's School on the 17th inst., at the Adelphi Theatre, bids fair to be a grand success if the efforts of those who are engaged in placing it on the stage are taken into consideration. New scenery has been provided expressly for the pieces to be presented, and rehearsals are now the order of the day with those taking the various casts on the occasion. We Would direct the attention of the County road overseer to the approaches to the bridge over the little Kapitea on the Loop-line road, as the recent flood has left the road in a most dangerous state at this point, which could be easily remedied by the employment for a day of one man and a barrow. We regret to learn that by the recent bursting of the Kapitea dam Mr Klempeh whose establishment for wool-washing is situated near the Kapitea bridge, has sustained a heavy loss, and, indeed, so suddenly did the water back up into their premises, that the family had to be carried from the house, at great risk, to a place of safety. The Government should, at the least, recoup Mr Klempel for his loss, as it occurred through the instability of their public works. The writer of " London Town Talk" in the Argus says :—Here is the best thing that the Irish trouble has given us. A Land League orator, addressing a crowd, Was assuring them in high-falutin terms that " the Creator had given the Land to man for his own. He gave it to Adam first" " Arrah, be aisy about Adam," exclaimed a warning voice from amono the throng, "Adam was evicted without compensation." The following extract from a letter in a late number of the Inglewood Advertiser will give some idea of the ravages the rabbit pest are capable of doing :—" In the Quambatook district a Mr Rattray stripped from 160 acres two bags of wheat. The whole extent of this ground was ploughed and sowed, and gave every incation in the early part of the season of a fair crop, when the rabbits attacked it in myriads, devouring every blade in their progress of destruction save a small patch standing in the centre of the field, from which the return above quoted was received." The first lynching ever known in Pennsylvania took place the day after Christmas Day at a little village called Santee's Mills, near Easton. A young German named Joseph Snyder, being denied the hand of a child of fourteen by her parents, entered their house at night clad only in his shirt, brained them as they lay asleep, and then attempted to outrage the girl whom he had sought in marriage. Snyder was tracked by his trail in the snow to a neighbouring farm, where he was arrested. A murderer some short time before had escaped the gallows on the plea of insanity. A crowd rapidly collected, and an hour after the arrest of the murderer they overpowered the police, who firetl at their leader, seized the prisoner, and sayinw that they would spare the country the expense of a trial and prevent any miscarriage of justice, put a noose round his neck, hitched it over a branch, and swung him off. He died instantly. After hanging twenty minutes his body was cut down. An inquest was held and a verdict returned : of "Death by hanging, by persons unknown." A correspondent of Bell's Life says : "It may have escaped the attention of some of our readers that Robert the Devil's performance is, if we may believe the stop-watch, almost unparalleled. If 2min. lOsec. was the correct time, his rate of speed was nearly as may be lmin 40£sec. per mile, as may easily be seen'1 mile, lmin. sec. ; 2 furlongs, 25£sec' iSjards, 4min. 3-16 sec. Total, 2iiiin! 9 13-lGsoc. The only recorded performance I know which can be fairly set against this is one told in Orton's ' Annals of York and Donoaster.' In 1330, at the York Spring Meeting, Medora won the Constitution Stakes by a head from Cistercian. The distance was one mile and a quarter, the time lmin. 56sec. Hei*e however, the second horse, Cistercian' made severe running. The race was only won by a head, whereas Robert the Devil had neither an assistant nor an opponent and was evidently not extended at the finish. Moreover, the weights of' the York race were, taking six-years-old Aveight as the standard, on a 51b lower scale."

A frightful unrehearsed tragedy has been enacted on the stage of the Poictiers Theatre. During the performance of " The Pirates de la Savane," in the scene where Andre's (the tiger-slayer) discharges his carbine at Ribeiro (the pirate chief), the public was struck with the realism of the death, which they thought the actor simulated, and though drops of blood stained the boards, yet the spectators were loud in their applause. The unfortunate man, M. Martigue by name, had been mortally wounded, and he expired before many minutes, surrounded by his awe-struck comrades. That this melancholly catastrophe was the result of accident is sufficiently established.