Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 52, 1 March 1877, Page 2

Jt frequently happens (says the N. Z. Times) that strange communications are made to newspaper editors. It is not an uncommon thing to be presented wilh a cabbage of extravagant proportions, to the end the grower thereof may be "localised," and the same may be said of the products of agricultural and horticultural efforts generally. But this presentation business has taken a new form. By some means (it is not known what) there made its appearance on the editor's table on Saturday a half-eaten peach, piaced on a piece of paper, on which this startling inscription appeared:— " This is what the minah does! ' There was no further explanation, and no signature. It is within the power of human intellect possibly to imagine what the writer of this mysterious sentence meant; but looking at the fruit itself, without the explanation offered, we could have fancied that a bird of a different feather had been at that peach. Had Pip and his blacksmith friend been trying which could take the biggest bite out of the peach, they could not have spoilt its appearance more effectually. And " This is what the minah does." A rather curious case of " mistaken identity" (says the Post), which has resulted in one man obtaining a large, sum of money belongiug to another without using fraudulent means to do so, has come under our notice. It appears that an immigrant named John M'Mahon, who arrived at Wellington in the ship Hurunui a few days ago, before he left England posted a letter addressed— "John M'Mahon, Post Office, Wellington. To be called for." This letter contained a bank draft for £800, and he kept the duplicate. When he arrived in Wellington he weut to the bank on which the draft was drawn, and presented his duplicate draft, but to his surprise he found that the money had been drawn out by some other John M'Mahon. Wc learn tbat for some time pa3t -there has been living in Wellington a man named John M'Mahon, who worked for Dr Johnston and Mr Gear. He had frequently told other people that he was in daily expectation of receiving a sum of about £1000 from some friends at home, and went to the Post Office on the arrival of every mail. In January last he went to the Post Office and received a letter— the letter, in fact, posted by the other John M'Mahon, and intended for himself. He naturally concluded that the enclosed draft was for him, and presented it at the bank, and, being identified by Dr Johnston and two other persons as "John M'Mahon," the money was handed over to him. Shortly afterwards he left the colony and proceeded to Melbourne en route for England. The 'probability is that the man who got the money had no intention of defrauding anybody, and the bank authorities were perfectly justified in paying the money to him when his respectability was vouched for by such well known gentlemen as those who identified him. It is stated that the real owner of the money intends to proceed against the bank for the recovery of the £800. He was in the colony before, having left for England in 1874, and one of the peculiar features of the case is that a man possessed of so much money should be allowed to come oat as an immigrant at the expense of the colony. We have been informed upon good authority that the John M'Mahon who got the money knew positively that he had a sum coming to him from home, and that he has at the present time a substantial balance in one of the banks. A serious accideut occurred at the Taratahi races (Wellington Province) of which the local journal gives the following particulars.- - —" It appears that the gatekeeper was driving a trap through the gate, and wher} cross, ing the coursp the horges were seen to be coming round, and their riders shouted to him to get out of the way; but instead of doing this he stopped his horse and trap on the course, and looked at the horses coming. The first horse, Creeping Jane, brushed past the trap, which skinned the rider's leg. The next, which was Playhoy, ran head first into the wheel of the trap, throwing the rider up in the air, who fell on his head on the opposite side, also capsizing the trap. Playboy was killed, and his rider had his head' cut open just above the eye. It was at first expected that he would not recover, and be was at once taken to Mr Ray's- Taratahi Hotel, but to-day he managed to ride home. The rider of Nowhere had his knee smashed, and is still at the Taratahi Hotel in a very precarious state. Playboy was the property of Mr Renall, but was sold for £37 previous to the race starting."

A recent return states that in Ireland there are no less than."fc\yo huudred and nftymne persona of 100 years old and wards."A baby four months old had a mosfc remarkable escape from death the other day (says our Milton contemporary).. The infant was lying in ita cradle, when another child a few years old pushed a piece of glass down the little one's throat. The glass was a piece •of the broken neck of a a bottle nearly an inch and a half long. Wheu the mother discovered the condition of the child, she carried it in her arms towards Milton, where Dr Stewart attended it. The glass was taken from the little one's throat with considerable difficulty, having remained there for nearly an hour and a half. The celebrated sensational London preacher the Rev. Mr Spurgeon, has found a rival in his sister, who has also entered the pulpit. It is said she is as eloquent as her brother. We learn upon unquestioned authority that the servant-maids of Auckland, although receiving good wages, are the least provident of the working classes, and occupy the lowest position in the list of Savings Bank depositors. This may be accounted for in two ways, short periods of sarvice aud love of dress.— Aucklaud Star. An Aucklaud telegram to the Post of Tuesday says:— Jem Mace looks hale and hearty, though he is 43 years old. He has with him the Champion Belt, consisting of massive silver plates, valued at £200. The last plate was presented by Flood and M'Kay, of the Bonanza miuei and consists of solid bullion. Mace will visit New Zealand after a tour in Australia. His wife travels with, him. He asked £250 weekly to appear here (For continuation of Newt see fourth page)