AN EXCITING STRUGGLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 166, 5 July 1876, Page 4

AN EXCITING STRUGGLE.

The Te Kopuru correspondent of an | Auckland paper gives an account of a struggle which occurred a few nights ago with a madman. The latter, who was a young and powerful Maori, had only recently been discharged Irom the Wbau Lunatic Asylum. For some daye prior to the occurrence about to be related, he had been rushing about among other Maoris, and trying to kill them. Various attempts had been made to capture him, but in vain. At length he was apprehended in the following manner: — " About midnight on the 13th the Kopuru watchman, an old man familiarly known as ' Tommy Humphreys/ saw the madman, for such he undoubtedly was, running at futl speed through the mill, shouting most franticalfy. He ran about the saws, belts, and machinery in an incredible way, and at last got under the mill, where he began to strike snatches. The watchm9n went after him, caught him, and by soothing words tried to get him over the creek across the boom. The lunatic went for some distance quietly enough, but suddenly bolted, and was no where to be found. However, old Tommy followed him up like a hound, and found him trying to break into the store. He again induced him to go towards the creek, and juat as they got to the water's edge, the Maori suddenly dropped on his knees, caught Tommy by the ankles, and threw him on bis back. Tommy managed, however, to get uppermost, and a dog the watchman had with him seized the madman by the hair, and the two might have managed him till assistance came, but, unfortunately, a Maori dog appeared on the scene, and seizßd Tommy's dog,- who had to leave the Maori to defend himself. The dogs struggling rolled Tommy over, and the Maori caught him by the throat and tried all in bis power to get at a knife, swearing most fearfully all the time that he would murder him. Poor old Tommy exerted all his strength to secure the madman's right hand, which he held as in a vice, and notwithstanding all the struggling, he kept a firm hold of it, and thus prevented a horrible deed being done. The shouts of Tommy brought assistance at this juncture, or it would have soon been all over with the faithful old man. Harry Manning having been appointed a special constable, kept on the alert, for which he certainly deserves praise. He and Mr M'Neil, both powerful men, soon relieved poor old Tommy from his perilous position, but not before be bad been dreadfully beaten about the face. The madman was secured, and the matter was reported to the Clerk of the Court, who at once gave Manning authority to retain the man in custody and take him to Auckland in the steamer, which was hourly expected, and which left two or three hours later. Tbuß ended a matter which, but for the determined bravery j and persistence of the watchman, might ! have had a very different termination."

The late rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Western Australia is exciting much comment in Australia, aod the Melbourne journals characterise the act as a grave international outrage. "The prisoners," says the Argus, " were actually token away while wearing the convict garb by the master of an American ship, who despatched a boat ashore for the purpose. It is impossible to suppose that the man did not know very well what he was doing, and hie proceedings are precisely aa if a French boat were to run to the hill of Portland, and take away as many convicts from there as could crowd into her. The Imperial authorities are bonnd to take cognisance of the episode, , and to demand substantial redress. We ' shall be told, no doubt, that the escaped convicts are political refugees, and attention may be called to the fact that Communist convicts frequently arrive in Australia without the permission of their gaolers. But the attempt at a parallel will deceive no one." The most curious part of the affair is that by tbe latest advices it appears that the two Fenian Agents wlio planned and carried out the rescue are now actually in Melbourne. The Melbourne Echo describes them as being two elderly determined looking men, and suggests that tbe object of their presence in Victoria is to siir up the emberß of tbe

very small fire of Fenian feeling that ever existed there. Our contemporary continues : — « They have wrought a work which may give the Governments of England and America some trouble, for the master of the American whaleship that carried the convicts received them on board in their prison garb, and very weH knew who ha was receiving, and that what he was doing was likely to create a difficulty between the two countries. Perhaps that waa one of their unpatriotic objects. It is somewhat strange, however, that these agents were permitted to leave Western Australia. They must have bean known to the authorities there as the persons who arranged the escape, and were ! therefore liable to arrest and trial. Yet they are assisted to leave that colony with those passports, without the poss- j eesion of which to show that they were not, and never bad been, prisoners of the Grown in that colooy, they would not have been permitted 10 I land either at Adelaide or Melbourne. The matter evidently requires explanation from the authorities of Western Australia." — Fosl. The Lancet says the vast abuse of narcotics in modern society is becoming a serious evil. There is no denying the fact that in countries where no administrative control of chemists shops exists, as in England and America, the public. has too easy access to such drugs. It is not long since a political weekly contemporary boldly contended that ohloral was to be found in the workboxes and baskets of nearly every lady in the West-end "to calm her nerves." Chloral punch had become an "institution" in the drinking saloons of New York scarcely a year after its introduction into medical practice. Now we hear from sober, orderly, and paternally rul<jd Germany that there is such a thing as morphia disease spreading amongst its population. Our contemporary gives an alarming account of the mischief, moral and physical, which arises from excess in the use of narcotics.