PERSONAL PARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 70, 20 October 1906, Page 1

PERSONAL PARS.

Concerning the Papakaio murder of ■1882, mentioned m last week's "Truth," it seems that Beattie, who had been living with the victim, Sarah Adams, and who was tried and acquitted of the crime, subsequently committed suicide. * * * Ex-New Zealander Harry Roberts, who married Maggie Moore after J. C. Williamson had divorced her, and has ever since usually kept the ocean between them, is now m London working up a company to produce a new drama m Australia. Poor old Maggie' is m New York. • • « An interesting old couple m R. Longstaff and his wife celebrated their golden wedding at Shepparton (Vie.V a few days ago. The pair are the parents of the artist of that name. Lon-gstaff. pere, was born at Durham, England, m 1825, while the . "Hi-id wife saw the light first m Argylshire. • • « Sir Joe Ward was banquette-d again on Monday night over his Rome Postal Conference trip, this time by the Members of the Legislative Council. No doubt Sir joe made the most of that trip and did the colony good servioe, and now it seems that his friends, or would-be friends, are making the most of it too, with the object, apparently, of doing themselves good service. • • * The Hon. Hall- Jones spoke very learnedly to a deputation on Saturday about the future of our railways. He saw all our loco's consigned to the scrap heap, and our waterways harnessed, converted into electrical power and driving Pulmans all over the surface of "God's OWn." It is a wonder that with such engineering knowledge the Hon.. Hyphenated lidn't revolutionise the building trade what time he was running some sort of carpenter's shop of his own. • • • Miss Bertha Miller, of the SteelePayne Co., is one of the brightest and brainiest women m the profession, besides being an instrumentalist of the best grade. As a conversationalist the lady is simply delightful, being as witty as the wittiest man current and able to see a laugh m the least promising subject and to evolve it, too. A more entirely charming woman than this golden-haired daughter o£ beautiful Ballarat it would be hard to find m a leisurely circling of this dear old world. • • • Bernard Espinasse, erst Sydney story writer and dramatist, now of London or elsewhere, left behind him m N.S.W. a wife of a sort. Wherever she went you heard the whiz, and that's probably why Barney did not accede, to her warbling of the touching ballad "Barney Tike Me 'Home Again." Now she is going for 1 a divorce (wonder who's the bloke) m Sydney and. the petition sets forth that Oformania Therese Espinasse wants to shake Bernard Reuben Isaac j Julian Lilian Maximilian Espinasse. And to think we common newspaper men used to say "Will you have a beer, Barney ?" • • • Kate Howarde, erst of down South, but for many years now running her own dr&jaatic company m Australia, m conjunction with Harry Craig, and doing really well, leaving a good name behind her wherever .she left, has, with her usual pluck, taken a big jump and a company to America, and is playing the smaller coastal towns of California. There's plenty of scope if once the show malses good. Kate was married to one William Cowan, here m N.Z., but she divorced him years ago. She is a sister of Billie Howard (Mrs Robert H>nry) and of sweet Jessie, who used to tour N.Z. with the Fisher Opera Co., years ago, who married Howard Vernon's : brother, Bob, lost him by death and is now well married a second time, m Victoria. * * ♦ As was predicted m "Truth" when antedeluvian Sir John Hall was jockeyed into the onerous billet of Mayor of ChristchHrch during exhibition year, the knight of Hororata has been confined to his room through illness a'< good deal of his time, and is quite unable to attend to his civic duties m a satisfactory manner. "Truth" re- j grets Sir John's illness, but, seeing that there is a heavy six months ! ahead, it is palpable that the ancient will be quite unequal to the ordeal. It may have been a compliment to the old— very old— fogey to have conferred this honor on him m his declining years ; but from the citizens' viewpoint it was a mistaken compliment, and that fact is now realised by everybody. A real live Mayor was required, and although numerous of the ratepayers didn't favor the candidature of Louisson, the Jewish brewer M.L.C., who was induced to stand aside on silly, sentimental grounds, he would have been far preferable to the present wearer of the Mayoral milliner.v oa the. facts above stated.

Miss Avbbie Taylor, who was clawin «■ the ivory at the Opera House with one of our recent visiting' companies, is now running a tea and refreshment, rooms at Middle Brighton, Victoria. • • * One of the old school of journalists passed out on Monday at Timaru, itt the person of Mr E. J. Kerr. E. J., was one of Canterbury's early settiers, landing m 1861. He went to Timaru m 1877 as correspondent for the "Lyttelton Times," and things prospered with him m the South Canterbury capital. He became proprietor of the "South Canterbury, Times," and then or the "Timaru Herald." He is also reported to have had shares m" the profitable "Lyttelton Times." • * • A 'queer-looking chap with a rat ire his top-piece was found meandering round near Christchurch t'other day, imagining that he was a blackbird with pearly teeth, a collar of gold being round his neck, and his tail of indigo blue. A constable took him m ch-a-a-rge for loonacy, and found a sprat m his pocket. The looney wanted leave to spend it m beer ere he was locked up, but this was sternly declined. Then he wanted the coppeo to put it m the Savings Bank for him, as he might then have a lot of interest to draw when he came out. The bluecoat promised to invest it m Bank of New Zealand shares, and the ratty gent was satisfied. •*' ■ • The old hands are gradually passing away. ■ The remains of Mrs Lownes: of Paremata, were placed m their final resting place last Sunday. The old lady was 91 years of age! She came to Wellington with her husband m one . of the first emigrant" ships and [" they finally settled on the shores of Porirua Harbor. About 25 years ago the old man was drowned while boating off Pahautanui, and their son was so overcome by the catastrophe that he lost his reason and died shortly after. The old lady sold hex farm and for many years past hasbeen living at the ' homestead on Mr Brown's estate at Paremata.. Alltha settlers of the Pahautanui and Paremata district were represented at the funeral. •' • • The officers and the underlings o£ the Argentine warship President? Sarmiento had a rorty time during their Christchurch visit, the brown-skinned men with, the quaint and curious lingo being entertained everywhere. At the Mayoral luncheon Colonel Bauchop uttered a few interesting sentences. He said that m the Argentine they had solved many problems, amongst others the question of conscription, which he felt must come. The people of Australasia, whose ardor m endeavoring to form an Australasian navy, had been greatly damped, might take a lesson from the Argentinos, who had taken means to defend themselves. At the . same gathering Mr W. Recce, another toast-maker, incidentally mentioned that a son of his was a fellow-student at Cornell University, of two grandsons of the late President Sarmiento. • • • Some bluejackets on King Ned's gunboat Pioneer feel very huffy just now. They love to take a tart to a damce now, and again,, and do so whenever they get an opportunity. At Christchurch one offered, and some of the Tars bought tickets for a shivoo that suited their tastes and their pockets, and hopped along to the rendezvous, each accompanied -by a bit. of muslin. Soon after the start, however, they were told to git ; they weren't wanted. Asked the why .and wherefore they were informed that the ladies objected to their uniforms. So there was no hope for it but to slide. Possibly the objecting tarts thought that Jack was too decollette, and that he should wear a collar and tie, or that his pants bagged too much at the boots, or that the darnce was too "select" for such as he. At all events His Majesty's navy fell right m th» gravy. • • «. Johannes C. Anderson, author of the Exhibition Ode, has been treading oh the brown man's track m his leisure moments, and as a result he is bringing out a work called "Maori Life m Aotea." The volftme, whicli is to be printed m ten different; fonts of type m order to facilitate reading, showing whether a name used is a god. goddess, etc., will detail the everyday life of the discolored people prior to the advent of the paleface to these shores, as well as tales, myths and, what not. The Maori is claiming more attention, at the hands of facile penmen these days than he ever did hitherto ; we are more frequently rubbing noses with liim, and shouting whisky and morals for him ; but we continue to prig his land m the good old way, and salve our consciences by sending him along a few sacks ot spuds now and again when his larder's empty and he has no cash foe i billiard,^ y