A BALLARAT MYSTERY.

Motueka Star, Volume I, Issue 10, 13 September 1901, Page 4

A BALLARAT MYSTERY.

A Mysterious Death. Elizabeth O’Reilly, a single young v oman, lived with her father and mother, both old age pensioners. She slept in the kitchen on the sofa, and her parents in another room of the house. About five o’clock on Friday afterdoon the father reported his daughter’s death to the police. His story, and that of his wife, was that on Friday morning O Reilly rose eu: lv t > go into the town to draw h s peas on, that the daughter rose also and gave him his breakfast, and that she also t jobber mot tier a cup of tea. She was partly dressed, the mother says. Afterwards the mother, first calling to her in vain went out and found the girl dead on the sofa. The father had gone by this time. When the police came the dead, body was clad in only a single night garment. The medical men assert that she was suffocated, possibly by a hand held over her nose and month. And they also assert that unquestionably she died on Thursday evening, within three hours of the e .aiiig meal. The fist iny te.w is, Who Killed her? and the second, WLv dml they do it ? It seems certain that she was killed, although one suggestion is tiiat she took a. fit and suffocated herself on the pillow. But if her death is thus aco fier.ta-. fi..-w is the parents’ story about her movements on Friday morning- to lie accounted for ? Only o’-e inconsistency appears so far as this story —namely, that at 10 o’clock on Friday morning, while the father was in Ballarat, j.e told the landlady of an hotel tiiat his daughter was dead. Tre tce.n-y that the parents imu-dei-ed the girl seems a will one, because they are a frail eldeouple, and she was tneir favorite daughter. Meanwhile both the old people are under arrest. It should be added that the girl was not assaulted, as was at first supposed. THE FASTEST SPE2KER IN THE HOUSE. That Sir J. G. Ward is the most rapid speaker in the House is again shown by his record in the financial G ebate. One of the members of the Hansard ” ftaff tiinee the Minister during his speech, and found that his average rate, irrespective -.xquitat ins from documents, amounted to 210 wores per minute. The .-apiditv with w:r.f*h tv.r J. G. Wind travelled is still further shown by the fact that his speech occupies fourteen pages move than are occupied in “Hansard” by any ether speaker during the debate, though almost every member took the fuil !u ur allotted him. At the same time, whilst the Minister for Railways speaks at this great speed, his delivery is very clear and distinct, and the task of reporting him is thus rendered taxless difficult than would otherwise be tiie case.