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Manawatu Herald, 18 June 1892, Page 2

The hearing of the case against Charles Smith for the murder of John Dalton at Eketakuna was concluded on Thursday night at the Supreme Court, Wellington, and resulted in his being acquitted. A sitting of the Native Lands Court wi'l be held at Foxton on Thursday next to rehear the oase on the partition of the Kukutanaki Block No. 3. To the disappointment of the defendant and also of a numerous audience in Court, the case of the Smiths v Gibson fell to the ground on Thursday. " There is something rotten in the stats of Denmark " when a serious charge can be hung over a respectable man's head for over a month, and then the complaining parties to fail t<> appear at Court, though one was seen v quarter of an hour aft^r the Court's rising, riding down the street. It is unlikely more will be heard of it. An election opens many person's eye--. Even. President Harrison has announced that it is imperative to take steps to put .a •top to tho praotioo of lynohing n9groea,

It i 9 with much regret says theN.Z Times I p e fl^ Ye '- t0 announC3 th : ««atfl of Mrs | , p "»«« (jjcvln and 60), which occurred yesterday morning after a period of ill heal til .extending aver some year 3. The decased.came to New Zealand with her husband about 30 years ago. i The flags on the principal warehouses in the City were •it half-mast yesterday as a mark of respect to the deceased lady's memory. She leaves a family of five sons and two daughters to mourn their loss. The School Committee decided this morning that the School should be reopened on the first of Julys We learn that Mr Brooks who purchased, sortie short time back; a portion of the Oroua Downs estate^ ha 9 re-sold it. This morning, at half-past seven; Mrs Walderi, who has been, living at FoXton, fell back frdrri a sitting position and after gasping a little expired. The old lady had been suffering for some years from asthma, and owing to the doctor's report the coroner has decided it is not necessary to hold an inquest. The late Mrs Walden arrived in Nelson by the ship " Lloyds " in 1840, and after a time married Mr John Walden, who was a very well known old identity in Wellington and the districts round about. Amongst her shipmates were Mr Cross, the Nelson pilot, and others who now hold leading positions in the colony She leaves three sons, James, Blflhard and John, and two daughters. Mr Forster has shown us some specimens of small goods made from flour prepared by Messrs Richter Nannstead & Co of Palmerston. The goods proved the flour was excellent We have gladly learnt that this firm is securing a good hold in this district for the sale of the flour, it having proved a most satisfactory brand. The proprietor of the " Centre of Commerce " announces that his direct English shipments have oorae rather late to hand and will be sold cheap to effect a ready sale. His tailor considers the tweeds a marvel of cheapness. His altered advertisement elsewhere should command attention. Silver is only worth three shillings and five pence an ounce, and the Chairman of the Currency Association of Calcutta declares that India is drifting into a state of bankruptcy owing to silver. An old saying is often quoted that a man who is his own lawyer hat fool for his client. Still when a man goes to Court with a lawyer, wisdom is not always shown. It is undeniable that the defendant O'Loughlin did his case much damage by giving evidence last Court day, and his solicitor could not have been well advieed as to his evidence when he put him there. The defendant in trying to exouse his action in one case, voluntarily acknowledged a fresh violation of the Act! In this case silence would have been golden. The lawyer who defended O'Loughlin on Thursday argued upon certain points in the Licensing Act, but at last shut the Act up and said he hardly knew what was right, the Act beidg so muddled up. Mr Brabant, the Resident Magistrate, said he appeared to be one with Judge Richmond, who had referred to the Act as the " confused provisions of a badly arranged and puzzling Statute !" As a reply to a leader in the Post the N.Z. Times says: — As reports have 'been freely circulated to the effect that pr ivate persons are in treaty for the purchase of a considerable area of the Horowhanua block, it may be as well to state that the Native Minister assures us he has no knowledge of any such negotiations. The fact of the matter is that the land in that district is worth from £4 to £ ' per acre, and this being the case it would be impossible for the Government t3 buy at such a price with the view of putting settlers on the land. Their operations are necessarily confined to large blocks which can be acquired at a comparatively low rate per acre, and then cut up for settlement purposes. When the land is offering in small areas the Minister would prefer to let the European settlers dpal directly with the Native owners. If private dealings are going on in respect of any portion of the ttorowhenua, they are most likely confined to an area of 7000 odd acres belonging to Major Kemp. The entire block has an area of 52,400 acres, of which 28,000 acres were hung up by the Act of last session. Coptain Stairs, whose death is reported in the cables, was one of the officei'3 who accompanied Mr H. M. Stanley in his last expedition ' Through Darkest Africa.' Ha was at one time resident in New Zealand. It ia reported that President Carnot will cause a pardon to be extended to Mr Deacon, the Americon who shot M. Abeille, on July 14. Immensely rich tin wash has been discovered at Portland, Tasmania.