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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 66, 16 March 1872, Page 4

An interesting work, entitled " The Literary Life of the Rev. Win. HarDess," who was a Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedra], has been lately published. It contains a number of interesting anecdotes regarding well known men, both living and dead. The following relates to Bishop Selwyu : — " Conversing with Bishop Selwyn, then of New Zealand, Mr. Harness asked him if his ministry had been attended with success. ' With very little, I grieve to say,' was the reply. ' A short time since, I thought I had brought to a better state of mind a man who had attempted to murder a woman, and ha) been condemned to death. He showed signs of contrition. I gave him a Bible, and he was most assiduous in the study of it. He gave altogether such a promise of reformation that I exerted myself and obtained for him a commutation of sentence. I called to inform him of my success. His gratitude knew no bounds ; he said I was his preserver, his deliverer. ' And here,' he added, as he grasped my hand in parting — ' here is your Bible. I may as well return it to you, for I hope I shall never want it again.' "

The two juvenile bushrangers, Doolan and Jones, whose exploits near Sandhurst have been chronicled lately, were finally dealt with at the Circuit Court, on Wednesday, February 22, when a painful scene occurred. In passing sentence, his Honor Mr. Justice Williams said he was grieved to see before him two young boys charged with such a long catalogue of crimes. It seems as if they were fullfledged bushrangers, using pistols with the same freedom as sugar-plums. He assured them it would be a long time before they again obtained their liberty to abuse it, and endanger the lives of peaceable people. The sentence of the Court was, for the first offence, borsestealiug, two years' imprisonment each; for the second, robbery under arms, six years' each; third, robbery under arms (or stealing from a dwelling), six years' each; and Jones, for housebreaking, three years bard labor; each sentence to commence on the expiration of the other. Jones thus obtained seventeen years, and Doolan fourteen years' imprisonment. Immediately (says the Evening Star) the sentence passed the lips of the judge, a heart-rending shriek from a woman filled all who were in the court with horror and commiseration for the stricken one, who, we ' are informed was the mother of the boy Doolan; The poor woman tottered feebly out of the courthouse, uttering shriek upon shriek, the burden of the almost demented one's lament being, "Oh, my; poor boy, my poor boy ! "