The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1392, 18 March 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881.

The committee appointed at the late public meeting at Dillman’s Town relative to urging on the Government the desirability of an increased water-supply for this district, by letter, laid the whole matter before the Minister of Public Works, and also drew his attention to the fact that the first section of the Kumara sludge-channel, although finished by the contractor, was, owing to some dispute, not as yet of any benefit to the mining community. The following telegram has been received in regard to both matters by Mr Roderick M‘Kenzie, the secretary of the Dillman’s Town Committee : —“ln reply, so far as the sludge-channel is concerned, there are no funds ; and with reference to water-supply, the application is under the consideration of the Minister of Mines. J otix Knowles, U. S. P. W. ” The Christchurch coach again loft the Bealey tins morning, but had not arrived here at the time we went to press. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning, before E. Barff, Esq., J.P., Barbara Weldon, for using obscene language in a public place, was sentenced to fourteen days’, and on a similar charge on

a different date to seven days’ imprisonment with hard labor. The same prisoner, for drunkenness, was sentenced to 24 hours’ imprisonment, and also to two months’ hard labor for exposing her person. The steamer Waipara will tender the Hero at 10 o’clock to-morrow morning, at Hokitika. The Court Minstrels will give their last entertainment but one this evening, at the Theatre Royal, a complete change of programme being introduced. The Greymouth races, owing to the unfavorable weather, have been postponed again, in all probability, to Monday and Tuesday. The Rev. Eugene Gillam, who has but recently arrived from Richmond College, England, and will commence his pastoral duties in Christchurch next month (to which town he has been appointed), will preach in the Wesleyan Church here on Sunday next. The reverend gentleman is spoken of as a most able and fluent speaker by those who have had the pleasure of hearing him. The position in which the miners are placed who are endeavoring to extricate the body of the unfortunate man Edward Thomas, who was buried by a fall of earth at the Lamplongh on Sunday last, is far from a satisfactory one. There are some twenty men who, during the last five days, have voluntarily given their services, and who have worked in shifts night and day endeavoring to recover the body of one of their mates, but who like many others are not in such good circumstances as to be able to continue the task they have undertaken without some assistance. The men, as a rule, are the possessors of claims barely paying wages, and their laudable and self-sacrificing efforts on behalf of a fellow miner should receive some encouragement at the hands of the general public ; at the least as far as providing them with necessaries while working in endeavoring to recover the body of Thomas. The County Chairman, on behalf of the Council, has authorized the expenditure of £5, and subscription lists are now lying at Messrs Seddon’s Blake’s and Gilbert Stewart’s hotels, with that object, which we feel assured will, when known, be liberally responded to. Some of the raining community here might also feel disposed to voluntary give their services for a shift in the attempt to extricate the unfortunate man’s body. The attention of contractors is drawn to the fact that the time for receiving tenders for the re-construction of the Kapitea bridge has been extended by a week. Heads of families, householders, hotelkeepers and others who want to study economy, would find it to their advantage to read Manson and Co. ’s advertisemant, and after doing so, to inspect the various articles enumerated therein. At the inquiry re the management of the Wellington Lunatic Asylum, Mr Henry Henderson, journalist, is reported to have said in his evidence :—“I have a nephew in the Asylum. He is a perfect idiot occasionally. Whitelaw said he was not in a fit condition to be seen. I insisted upon seeing him. My nephew was in a horrible condition. His eyes were bunged up, and his cheeks and other parts of the face were a mass of bruises and extravasted blood. His appearance, in short, reminded me of that of a principal who had been beaten in a prize fight of thirty rounds. I asked, “How the devil did my nephew get that?” Whitelaw explained that the poor fellow had walked up and down the corridor in his paroxysms, and had knocked his head against the wall and door posts. I retorted, “That cannot be.” The bloodshot condition of the eyes suggested a good ‘ ‘ pounding. ” Then they brought a powerful lunatic of 14 stone, and got him to tell that he and my nephew had been fighting. My nephew was no more able to offer resistance than a book ; he was utterly helpless. Traces of the bruises were visible for three or four weeks. My nephew must have got an awful hammering. I consider he must have been most damnably ill-treated. Whitelaw seemed sorry for the fellow’s appearance. For myself, I am an expert in the way of inflicting bruises, but I could not have painted a man’s face like that unless I had him under operations for several minutes. The New York papers report that the American lion tamer, Elijah Lengel, of Philadelphia, was recently killed by a tiger belonging to the Courtney Circus, with which he was connected. He had given a successful exhibition in the tiger’s cage before a numerous audience, and was preparing to leave the cage when his foot slipped and he fell. One of the tigers threw itself upon him witlx a roar,

and in five minutes had torn the body literally to pieces. Some of the spectators had revolvers and they fired at once upon the aninal. A lucky shot killed him, and Lengel’s body could be withdrawn through the sliding door, but at this moment the other tiger threw itself upon the one that had been shot, and began tearing it with teeth and claws. The horror of the scene was such that most of the spectators took immediately to flight. A bazaar of a somewhat novel kind was opened by the Baroness Bolsover at Nottingham on Thursday, December 9th. It is for the benefit of the funds of the Town and Country Social Guild, an institution which was formed some years ago for the purpose of uniting various charitable and philantropic agencies at work in the district. The Albert-hall, in which the bazaar is held has been made to represent a street of the “olden time.” On each side of the hall is scenery representing a row of old-fashioned houses of two storeys, the lower of which is used for the stalls, while at one end of the hall stands a feudal castle and at the other an Elizabeth mansion. The ladies presiding at the stalls are dressed in costumes of a past age. Besides the Baroness Bolsover, there were present at the opening ceremony the Duke of Portland, the Duke and Duchess of St. Alban’s, Colonel Seely, M.P., Sir James Oldknow, the Mayor and Sheriff of Nottingham, and a large number of the leading townspeople. A Home paper states that an unseemly exhibition was witnessed at the Brightside churchyard, Sheffield, on the 31st ult. The child of a congregationalist named Fenn was about to be buried, but the procession was met at the gate by the sexton, who demanded fees to the amount of 7s. Payment was refused on the ground that they were excessive, whereupon the gate was closed upon the party. The father of the child and two friend, however, obtained admission, and one of them procured a spade and began to re-open the grave, which the sexton had filled up ; but as fast as the earth was thrown out it was returned. Eventually the coffin was taken home again. On Saturday morning the father returned to the churchyard with some men, who, in the presence of hundreds of persons, re-opened a grave in which a child had been buried. The sexton and his son tried to prevent the men carrying out their work, but the crowd put the sexton and his son into the grave. They were rescued, but were held back by the crowd while the ceremony was proceeded with, a Congregationalist minister conducting the service. Afterwards a collection was made to provide for Fenn’s expenses. For list of prizes in a grand art-union at Hokitika see fourth.page.— [Advt.] To those in search of merriment, visit S. &. Pollock’s, and obtain the great Irish song “The Babies in our Block,” or “Little Sally Waters”; price sixpence. [Advt.]