HIGHLAY DIGGINGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 176, 9 June 1862, Page 5

HIGHLAY DIGGINGS.

P LAWRENCE begs to inform the inhabitants . of this I'roTince that he has taken that well known and old established licensed house, the Comlnereial Hotel, Waikouaiti, where he has made considerable improvements by enlarging the premises. P. L. trusts by keeping a good table, good liquors, and civil servants, to merit a share of public patronage. . The house v situated in the centre of Waikouaiti, and on the Main Road to the Highlay Diggings; it consists'of separate'bed-rooms, capacious diningrooms, sitting-rooms ; &c, all well- furnishpd, m fact, like a good English Hotel. There is also a good diy stable with 24 stalls, loose boxes, paddocks, stockyard, smith and wheelwright's shop, and good accommodation for storage. . . ,

The Charges will be on the most moderate terms. The Proprietor, in 'drawing the attention of public to this house, feels satisfied that one,tria, •will be productiTe of many more "visits. '

KEMARKABLE TEEAL AT GIUHALTAH. In the year 1841, at Gibraltar, there occurred one of those extraordinary cases, which show us how ineffectively the romancist, even when his imagination is strahud to the utcrraust, can portray the extremes of passion of. which human nature is susceptible. A communication, bearing date the 20th February, from the rock-built fortress which England keeps as a key_to the Mediterranean, relates the following particulars : —

A respectable merchant, named James Baxwell, born at London, had removed in early life to Gibraltar, induced partly by the circumstance of his being of the same religious persuasion to which the people of his adopted eountiy belonged. For many years he occupied a small dwelling near the base of Mount St. Michael, so renowned for its oaves and crystallisations, lie cair'.ed on a successful traffic in all the articles of British manufacture introduced into Spain, lie acquired, in truth, a very considerable fortune in thii way. All the country knew that he had a large :mount of treasure lying by him, not to speak of the capital belonging to him, which was embarked in commerce. . llis nii""c was one o. credit in all the principal houses of exchange in Europe.

JamesTJaxwell had a daughter, an only daughter, aged seventeen, and of remarkable beauty. Her countenance and figure combined in a most agreeable manner the peculiar, charms, of .the Englishwoman1 with the soft- ami. languishing characteristics of the Spaniard. Young as she was she had been for two or three years an object of devoted admiration to all the youths around Gibraltar. At church they devoured her with their eyes ; and many, many a ono thought to himself that happy above ail men would he be who could win the smiles of Elezia Baxwell. But Eiezia bestowed her smiles upon no one." She seemed to'those whose involuntary sighs sho excited, to carry maidenly modesty to freezing coKlness. At mass her eves were ever bent upon her book, regardless of all the glances east upon her by others. Such was at least the case nil shortly before the events to be narrated. At length, however, IClezia did see one who wakened in herself some of the emotions she hail caused in others. At mass one day, she observed the eyes uf a young stranger fixed upon her with an expression of admiration "and respect. To her he stHiied a being superior to all the young men she had ever yet beheld. From that moment ht-r calm and self-pos-sessed demeanor left her for ever. Abroad and at home, she was restless and uneasy. But tro long the stranger found an opportunity of being introduced to tier, and mutual avowals of love followed at no great distance of lime. Assured of the affections of Klezia, the young stranger tlien presented l.imsclf to Mr. Bax«eii. "I am named William Knit," said he to tr.o merchant ; " I am, like yourself, an Englishman; 1 am of resp'.ctable funiiiy and character, joung, and wealthy. Give me your daughter—we love ono sinoiher.*'

" Never," said Uaxivc'l, to whom theyoung man's position und circumstances were not unknown ; " never !" you belong to the dominant religion of England, by which my lather sullered' much and so long. You aren Lutheran, and my daughter is a CathoJic. Such a union could not be happy ; nor will 1 ever ;:ive my consent to it. Kleziu shall never be yours V

The daughter, informed of this declaration, threw herself at the feet of heriiither, ur.d i-ndea-rored lo move him from his purpose. Her lover diii the fciiinv. Lint the fin her remained obstinate, and a violt nt fane took place iK'livieu Elezia nnd her parent. The bii od of the fiery south coursed in the daughter's veins, and pliu dcelareil that, she would many the object of her elioice, despite of fill opposition, .lames Knxwell. on the other hand, declared tliar. lie vbuld si oner kill her with his own hands, than see her carry such a resolution into efllet. -As to Wiliiani Katt, who stood by at this scene, he kept silence. What thoughts were revolving in his mind, it would be difficult lo say. Two days afterwards an alarming noise was heard by the neighbors to issue from a cave immediately adjoining the merchant's house, and used by him for some domestic purposes. The noise consisted ut fir.'t of loud cries, which gradually became fainter, and at length died altogether away. The auditors looked at each other in amazement, and many were (he conjectures as to the cause of the sounds alluded to. A solution of the mystery was not long in suggesting itself. Eliza had disappeared. She was no longer to be seen about her father's house. After many low murmurs had circulated, the father ■was interrogated respecting his daughter. He said that she was missing certainly, but whither ehe had gone he knew not. He had nothing ■whatever to do, he si-.iii, with her disappearance..

This explanation was nut satisfactory. The ■whisper went abroad that James Baxv.ell had assassinated bis daughter to prevent her marriage with William Knit, and, ultimately, this conjecture was so fureiiily presfcd'ou Hie attention of the public authorities, that they were compelled to arrest James Baxwell, and inquire into the matter. The dwelling- of the merchant was examined, but nothing; criminatory was found. " The cave, the cave is the place," crie-.l some of the crowd. The magistrates then descended into the cave, an^ there, on lifting pome loose stones, they found a portion of Kiey.ia's dress1, sprinkled'all over with biood. They also discovered a small (ituvility of hair clotted with gore, and that hair was recognised by ninny as having been taken from the head of Kltziu.

Baxwell protested his innocence, but the proof seemed strong: against him, and he was regularly brought to trial. The result was his conviction for the murder of his daughter, and his condemnation to death. On receiving' sentence, the; unhappy merchant trembled to excess, nud afterwards seemed utterly overpowered by the dreadful nature of his situation. lie continued in :i •tate of almost total insensibility during the interval between his trial ami the day appointed for his execution. On the morning of the latter day.the gaoler came to. announce to him for the final time, that the moment of fate was at hand The merchant was seized again with a fearful trembling, and he cried what he had reiterated to all who fti'v h'm in his confinement—" Before my Make-, I [Wear that f am guiltless of my child's death 1"

They led him out to the scaffold. There he found, among others, William Katt,who, it should have been .suul, was the most important wittie*s against him at his trial, having repeated to the court tha threat,of assassination which had been littered by James Baxwell in his presence against Elczia. No sooner did the doomed man behold Kitt, thin he e\cJ i mid it the, cm Uiot ol the scallold, M\ hand, in om minute, Ish ill be in •tcinit\ 1 amsli to ilit. in ] out with all men Give me your hand—l pardon you freely for the jnjui> voui twdence h i<- done t>mi " Bixwell said this vwtli sr me com| c. me, but the cfh_et of lnswoids uj on Katt weit-vu\ staking lit. l> - came) lie is f'e ith, mil could not iojh..il the depth ot his igit it on

Baxwell 'mounted the steps of the gallows slow I\, ii d fii\c lum<-t!i up to the hxid< ot the exeeunoiiu, to undu^o dc ith In il c ioj c According to the ancient cu.-tom of Gibraltar, the e\.ecut oiiti lomnitiii «d h s li"-t duties l>\ oun,' in a loud " Juit cc is dom^ ' Jii'-tice is done ' ' He then p ted tl c bluk bonnet on the head of the, condemned meuhu it, and pulled it down in iiont mi ns to io\c.i the cms I£ e hid just clone tins, w'len he v is <-top])od m t 1 c piocect'iivs b\ a l<md en lioiu the side of tin si/iftold "Itis 1 mi j.inlf> ' —I alone.'" 'JLlus riv cjunc <iom hum 1\ ,it lhe niagistrites in attend nice. in«t i ti\ c illed li.m ior-viard, nd dim nded v c\pl iintion l'ic young mm iaowcu tint he. bid <. mie loft rit7ii, with hv.i concert to he 1 is wife, md th it slit v, is now residing not lir oif in inuu ilmmt JJut to hti 1 c did not tomniumcatcoihci nu i^uitswhie'i he had t iktn cl iell> to rt\cii_re 1 nusi li foi ll c scorn ot lie t 1 the. l't Itd ipnincd to mt oil i loitnn ot her h m while she skpt He had clotted it with the blood of a limb, aiid hul also spmiKlcd in thcs.imewrj i part of lAc/mB dress, wh eh he hid puiloincd The«e pitiiJcshc lucl nhictd l.i iheenc, md there, also, hid muted peisonillv those crirs

•which li id lion c «o licwilj ag'tin't the merchant

Thc&enorous pardon the merchant had Im-mowdcL on'lum at tIiL'ri.«iJf3'uld, jliad. uAv.ikeiieil (tlie j mmg jnan siiicl-)'llnstaT.t.'incoiis,rj(iiiloxEC1InstaT.t.'incoiis,rj(iiiloxEC in Ins bicust, and compelled him to avow the truth' Tins confession was partly made at the scaffold, and partly afterwards. As K>on ns Katt had

spoken out decisively, the e.-cceudotser had tuWic .1 to James Baxwell to take f c;n him the insignia of death. The merchant, almost unobserved, hal sunk down into a sitting posture. The 1 lack bonnet was drawn by the executioner from off his eyes and head. It was found that he was a corpse ! No cxcitions had the slightest effect in awakening in him the spark of life. The physicians, saying all they could on such a subject, declared that he hnd died from the eftccts of a strong imagination. William Katt was conducted to prison amid the clamors of the populace, there to await judgment for his misdeeds. Elezia. the unhappy daughter of an unhappy father, retired to a convent for life, immediately on learning all that had passed.