OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4398, 24 April 1875, Page 3

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

(I'liOM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT). April 20. The principal topics of interest in this city at the present time appear to he the cases tried from day to day at the Supreme Court, and it must be confessed that the calendar is a very heavy one. Notwithstanding the fact that the sessions have now lasted for over a week, there are several cases of importance to come before the Court. The new Chief Justice, in the first instance, created a very favorable impression, but a change is taking place in the public mind through two decisions given by him. The jury found a young woman named Margaret Collins guilty of manslaughter—taking a very mild view of the indictment, which ' was for murder. The evidence showed that while a domestic servant at an hotel up country, she had been secretly confined ; the infant was subsequently found under her mattress, and the cause of death was proved to be a deep wound in the throat, evidently made by a pair of scissors found in the woman’s bedroom. A monthly nurse, examined, stated that Collins had asked her to dig a hole and bury the infant, which she had refused to do. The case then was very clear, but the jury, taking a mild view of the matter, brought in a verdict of manslaughter, with a recommendation to mercy. To the astonishment of everybody, the Judge sentenced her to only two months’ imprisonment. A very general opinion has been expressed that this sentence was far too light., The Times, the next morning, contained a leader, arguing that such a punishment was simply holding out a premium for the committal of crime. The next day a man named Walters was found guilty of manslaughter. He and the deceased, in whose employ he was, had been killing pigs, when the employer knocked his hat off, and, according to prisoner’s statement, tried to put his head into a tub of water. Walters thereupon drove the knife into deceased, who died on the following day. Apparently to compensate for his light sentence on the girl, the Chief Justice sentenced Walters to fifteen years’ penal servitude—a sentence which likewise took every one by surprise, ■ and excited a pretty strong feeling that it was far too heavy ; many persons considering that, under the circumstances, two or three years would have been quite sufficient. But with the sentence passed upon the old ruffian Johnson for having systematically, and for a period of years, criminally assaulted his young stepdaughters —a sentence of twenty-one years’ penal servitude —everybody was perfectly satisfied, if not delighted. It is not at all likely that the prisoner will ever come out again; for he is now sixty years of age and is in very bad health. Another somewhat remarkable charge was that against a farmer for an alleged criminal assault upon a married woman, who had asked him-to give her a lift in his cart, as she had a child to carry. It was stated by witnesses that the prosecutrix had admitted to them that she had pretended to accede to the prisoner’s dishonorable proposals when they got further along the road, in order that they might meet some person who would render her assistance. The jury found the prisoner guilty only of an indecent assault, and the Judge sentenced him to eighteen months’ imprisonment. In one respect the Chief Justice is very different from Judge Chapman, as he appears to delight in late sittings night after night—much to the disgust of the reporters. There is no doubt that he can get' through a lot of work, and there is equally no doubt that the system he has adopted much better suits the convenience of the jurymen than that of early adjournments would do. He allows them to go to tea at six o’clock, and they may, if they choose, afterwards take a short promenade for the benefit of their health, always under the care of the gentlemen in blue. We have just had a little experience in ( “sticking-up,” and that, too, in quite a public thoroughfare, at ten o’clock at night. The victim was a good deal beaten, and left bleeding and insensible, but his brutal assailant was captured the next day and committed for trial. Another case of sticking-up took place yesterday, near to Milton, when two fellows, the one with a tomahawk, and the other with a heavy boot, assaulted an inoffensive German, a stonebreaker, who, however, managed to escape with his money about him. Both the fellows were Irishmen. One has since been captured. There is an opinion abroad that when the winter comes on, and work gets slack, these cases of robbery with violence will become pretty numerous. The opinion, however, is of little value, for there is no want of employment in the province at present, nor is there likely to be any even in the winter. . As an instance of the rapid manner in which newlyarrived immigrants obtain employment, I may state that out of the six immigration depots in the province, five are quite empty, while the Caversham one only contains three men, three women, and three children —equal to 7Ji statute adults. With the winds lately blowing, however, we may expect the arrival of one or two home vessels in a day or two. The railway work is being very successfully carried on, and the contractors are making great progress. The large bridge to span the Waihola will bo finished in about eight weeks. It is a pity that the timber for this structure • could not be obtained in the colony. It had to be imported from Australia. Notwithstanding the fact that only a few months ago one of the leading journals stated that it would be two years before the tunnel in the Chain Hill was completed, in all probability September next will see it through. Only about three hundred feet remain to be pierced. Equally satisfactory progress is being made on the Tokomairiro and Eawrence line. A distance of ten miles is now ready for the laying down of the rails. On the Dunedin and Moeraki section between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and thirty men are kept constantly employed, while the Deborah Bay Tunnel—whose formation unfortunately has been attended by several fatal accidents—is being pushed ahead, rapidly. During the last month no less than three chains of it have been got through. In fact, the whole of the railway works of the province may ho said to bo in a very satisfactory state. At a meeting yesterday of gentlemen, to take into consideration the question of raising funds on behalf of the widow of the late Captain Spence, of the schooner Euphrosyne, it was stated by Mr. Eobcrt Gillies that ho had heard that the vessel was unscaworthy

3 when she put to sea ; and that if one-half the 3 rumors were true, it was a shame she was ever , allowed to leave port. If there were at prei sent no means of stopping this kind of thing, p the sooner some law was introduced on the p subject the better. He believed Capt. Spence, when he put to sea, had himself made the remark that it was the last trip he should ever make. Several gentlemen who were with Captain Spence when the schooner left Port Chalmers, however, denied that such a remark was made by him. Strange to say, Mrs. Spence will not believe that her husband is drowned, and it was only after great difficulty that she was induced to allow steps to be taken for the purpose of getting up a subscription at all. Green Island, about the rowdyism of which place so much was said at the trial of the homicide Long for murder about a year ago, seems to keep up its reputation. Last night there appears to have been a free fight among some of the rowdies of the place. Three were apprehended for using knives, were fetched into town and lodged in the lock-up. There are one or two coal pits in the neighborhood of this cheerful hamlet, and the workers of these evidently contain their fair proportion of blackguards. One of the men brought in was a good deal cut about the head. Two of them were Italians. An unfortunate accident took place at Broad Bay a few days ago, by which a fine young fellow lost his life. A calf had fallen down a well, when a bystander, full of health and strength, and noted for his good nature, volunteered to try and rescue it. He was soon lowered, fixed in the bight of a rope, but the foul air was too much for him, and he at once fell into the well, and, being trampled on by the calf, was drowned. Another young man volunteered to go after him, but he, too, had to succumb, and had he not been rapidly drawn up again, he also must have lost his life. The name of the unfortunate deceased was William Styles. AVhen got up at the end of half an hour he was quite dead. In matters dramatic there is not much to report. Miss May Howard has had a splendid run at the Princess Theatre although supported by anything but an efficient company. She finishes up this week, and gives place to Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins, who make their reappearance in Dunedin on Monday evening next. On Friday, Mr. Kainforcl, late of the Opera, takes a benefit at the Queen’s Theatre. When playing the part of Arimanes, in Satanella, Air. Kainford very severely sprained his neck while going through some stage business. In consequence, he was laid up for many weeks, and his life was at one time despaired of. And now prior to his departure, many of his musical friends have rallied round him, and the benefit in question will be the result. It will be in the shape of a vocal and instrumental concert. The Turkish Bath shareholders had a meeting a day or two ago, when it was announced that in September next a dividend of 10 per cent, would be declared, after paying all preliminary expenses. The Times this morning, in one of its funny i sub-leaders, spoke of the proposed tunnel from England to France, and says it has very little doubt that on his return to the colony, the i Hon. Julius Vogel mil be contemplating a ] tunnel between New Zealand and Australia, ; as a work that will have to be undertaken ere '• long. ; The cricketing season is over, and the 1 “ kicking,” or rather football season has com- < menced. A club has been formed, and, on 1 Saturday next, the two teams, arrayed in heavy boots, will meet upon the ground, to 1 try their relative merits as drivers of the ball i Ah ! well; chacon A son gout. I Host Dodson, of the Empire Hotel, who, 1 just before the races, got up three sweeps of a 1 thousand pounds a piece (out of each one of ' which it was understood there was a clear 1 profit of £100), was summoned before the Ilesident Magistrate (Mr. Bathgate), to answer for the offence. Mr. Harris appeared for him, i and said his client had no idea he was infringing the law. So far as profit was concerned the whole thing was absurd—there was : no profit on the transaction, none whatever—the £3OO went in printing and advertising. Happy printers ! Fortunate papers ! And so ] the Bench inflicted the nominal fine of a ' shilling, and told the defendant not to do it i again. i

Messrs. Kincaid and McQueen have just turned out the heaviest piece of machinery ever manufactured in this city, and probably in New Zealand. They are screw propellers for the 5.3, Phoebe and s.s. Bruce respectively. In a leading article this morning the Ouardian sets down the great falling off of churchgoers to the great falling off in the clergy, and consequently in the church services. It deprecates the system of ordaining lay-preachers, and strongly upholds the doctrine of the most perfect education in those trained for the work of the pulpit. A series of Saturday night conceits are being advertised, but they are hardly likely to result in anything but failure. They have been tried elsewhere, always with this result; people are either out shopping on this night or else they are domestically engaged in their own houses. The attendances in the circles of our theatres on this evening of the week is a very fair criterion that the lovers of music are not likely to bestow much of their patronage on these “ Saturday popular concerts,” as they are to be termed.