Mrs Cornwallis West in Prison.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 73

Mrs Cornwallis West in Prison.

Mrs George Cornwallis West, the famous American heauty-j who as Lady Randolph] Churchill reigned' in English society $ few years ago, tells in. iher^ "Beminis-i cences," now being published in The Cen-* tury Magazine, how circufiastances onoa compelled her to spend. an uncomfortable] 20 minutes in a . midnight-dark cell U?f KUmaiaham Gaol. Slje had been admitted! to the prison as a visitor by one of t&jl offidife. This is ihow she relates the u» ciderit: — "Just as I was going toleav* and* while standing- in tne middle 01 thl building, talking to the Governor and Mi 'i my frienoT as electric bell rang, anc » -warder came wmning up and whisperer somefliing to the Governor. Ho becanw rather pale; and passed his news on to. Mr , who seemed equally disturbed^ Tlwgr both looked at me, and when I asked what had hajajened the Governor eaid thjf.

Inspector-general, was coining to pay i surprise visit to the prison, and was a that moment at the gates, and that if '. were found there without a. permit signer by the Lord Lieutenant they would ge into great trouble. ' Well, let me fly, I exclaimed. ' Impossible,' they cried 'there is no outlet.' 'Well, hide me. 'You can't nide in a prison!' 'On foment,' said the Governor hesitatingly ' would you mind a cell ?' 'Of cours not,' I replied; and forthwith being safe from the inspector's prying eyee, I wa burried into a cell. The door was shu on me, and I felt not 'on velvet,' but ij . velvet of the blackest dye. After a tim the velvet became thick black wool, an< I was certain it was closing round me Hours seemed to pass, and I began t think they had forgotten me. My min< wandered' from black wool to rats, and felt sure I saw little beady eyes lookinj at me, when the door opened just in tim to save me from screaming." After Marriage. Try and be to your husband all tha you appeared to be to, tlie lover. • Abov all else, try to keep yourself worthy of hi highest respect. Do not be exacting. ; If you feel a lac] of attention from him, do not complaii of it more readily or "in harsher termi | than you would have done before marriage for it will just as surely driv« him fron you now as it would then. A "man doe not like to be forced to do anything— neither does a woman. Let appreciation for the attention and care which is givei be plainly and , lovingly expressed, an< so rewarded that it will become a pleasure and not an irksome duty. Do not be a martyr. Nothing is mora Aggravating to man or woman than th ill-used, misunderstood person who wear a wistful air of "I am always treate< badly!" .Before you were married yoi bore a good many aches and pains am annoyances alone, or in necessary silence and you were all the better for tin discipline. Act in the same way now. The (happiest people are not those wit] the best 'husbands or children, or most o this world's goods, but the women wh< ' set themselves to be happy in spite o .' discouragement and difficulty. Look fo; the sunny side of things, and when ther< is no sunny side act as if there "were. Hints and Suggestions. Unused silver will keep bright if laic away in a box of flour. Salt on the fingers when cleaning meat fowls; and fish will prevent the hand* from slipping. Starch made with, soapy water prevents the irons from sticking and gives a bettei gloss to the linen. A lump of washing-soda kept over the sink pipe will neutralise the grease in th« water and prevent the pipe clogging. Before drawing threads in linen for hemstitching, make a dry lather and apply over the> 6pace with' a -shaving-brush. When the linen is dry you will be able to draw out the thread more readily. Scorched fireproof dishes that have become brown from baking may have the stains removed, by soaking in strong borax and water. - „ " When finely chopped nuts are needed for cake, salads, or sandwiches, run the nuts through the mincing- machine. Wring chamois out of the. soapy water without rinsing; when, it dries it u& soft and serviceable, instead of stiff. When making a steamed or boiled pudding, put a pleat in the cloth at the top to allow the pudding to swell. A teaspoonful of lemon- juice to a quart of water will make rice very white and keep the. grains separate when boiled. Sprinklqd salt or tea-leaves on the carpet will collect the "dirt quickly, and prevent dust from flying all over everything. Marble should be washed with' ammonia and water rather than with soap and water. Remove grass stains by saturating the spots with alcohol ; then wash in clear water. All embroideries and coloured garments should be ironed on the wrong side whenever possible. The bureau drawer may be made lo open noiselessly and easily by rubbing it with common soap. The best way to clean an invalid's" room is to rub the carpet all, -over with a cloth =wrung out of ammonia diluted with a little warm water, rinsing and turning the cloth as the dust and dirt collect upon it. Change the water frequently. This ia far better than sweeping, and raises no unpleasant dust in the room. Brass may easily be cleaned by rubbing with lemon-juice and whiting until all stains are removed. Brush the powder from the crevices with a soft brush and polish with dry whiting and chamois. Sinks where dishes are washed, greasy water poured down, or water in which vegetables have been boiled, should have a thorough flushing with hot water,.followed by cold, every day. Half a lemon dipped in salt and rubbed on discoloured ivory knife, handles will restore them to their original whiteness. A few drops of ammonia or a pinch of borax will not only soften water, but make/ it cleansing Besides. v The easiest way to sprinkle clothes is to use a clean whisk broom that should be kept for the purpose. j When corks swell and are too large for ; a. bottle, throw them for a few minutes into a basin >f boiling water. . They will then soften. • . . . . A BLUE DIAMOND MYSTERY. FRENCH COUNTESS AND HE® 1 , GUEST. . , There have been some famous diamond robberies in Paris, robberies' that have made a& much noise m the' world as the disappearance of the- Grand Master's Star of the Order of St. Patrick, of which Mark •Twain has so amusingly exculpated himself. Franc* was recently Tinging with

a, | a diamond robbery— th« e£sry of thefamoi t I blue It was a year ago that \ I | first heard of it. The Comtesse < i ] Rodellec dii Porzic lost a. wonderful bli t diamond ring in her own chateau of K« ,' St«ars, near Brest. There were 22 guee ; staying in th© house at the time ; among ' them was M. Greger, State Councillor c the Russian Embassy. For" some r«a&i ,I he wa6 suspected ; his ' baggage w c searched by the police, and tR© missii r ring found in his' tooth-powder box. Th a is the story, in its hard outlines, -whi t i filled the Paris newspapers With colum tt ! of sensational conjecture in August la c j year. The Russian diplomat was plao i j under arrest, but the case was subsequent >. ; dropped, not, however, to the satisfacti 0 ' of the incriminated person, who insist j.j on an opportunity being given.'him. to cle 1 ! his character. - That opportunity has n< g ' taken th© form of a civil ' action f c damages for defamation, . brought' by 1 Greger against the countess and her hi band. In court Maitre Allain, . awe known Paris advocate, opened th© case i j the plaintiff. In th© course of it he i * : vealed the life story of the 1 count ai c countess, suggesting that the title was n 9 - authentic. Be further told thai the con was a non-commissioned officer in * - dragoon regiment when he met the lad 11 25 years his senior, who had a large fc 3 tune, made for her by her father, an En > - lish contractor at Brest. He contrasts 1 the status of the accusers with the accuse s His client, he said, belonged to a fami " of exceptional notability. In oonsequem 1 of the charge against him, which couns J implied was a plot to turn suspicion fro i the guilty party, Be offered to resign h 9 position with the Russian Governmen The authorities, however, refused to listo to it. This, the barister declared, was oj b more proof tha>t his client's reputation w b> j of the best. I j A DRAMATIC MOMENT. j j There were some dramatic passages ' counsel's opening statement. On the mor g ing after the disappearance of the ring 3 Greger was leaving for Paris. He went 1 ' say (good-bye to his hostess, who was £ the drawing room. "I hope you ha' enjoyed yourself," said the countess wi j apparent affability. "Oh, perfectly," sa p the visitor. " Then give me back my ring said the countess in dramatic tones. J the same time a curtain at the otter ci of the room was drawn aside, revealii the presence of the husband and of tl local police magistrate. The count a I f vanced towards the astonished visitor ai J said-: " You are the thief." Months afte , wards the two met again 'on horseback : s , the Bois. The Russian raised his hun . ing crop and struck the other on tl i , shoulder. De Rodellec "galloped off, sa^ : , M. Greger.- The count's explanation wl ■ that his horse was restive." s ( The court heard the other side of tl > ; story from the lips of the eloquent Maiti { Labori. - Women in smart ' dresses ffllc • , the court and listened attentively to ever • ■ Word of the. celebrated lawyer's speech f< the defendants. , Was the plaintiff a so: i j of Raffles-after all? Did he move in his j society and stay in country chateaux mere! to rob his hosts? Counsel did not say £ mitch, since such things Tequire proof ; an there is no proof. Could it be proved tha the count and countess acted in bad fait in arresting their visitor? On the otlw hand, could it be proved- that he ws I guilty merely because the ring was foun ! in an article of toilet perfectly acceesibl to servants and others in the house? j The oddest feature of the case was th t readiness of M. Greger's "femme d j chambre" to denounce him, both to th police and in an extraordinary communicf tion made to the Matin in the form of pei sonal memoirs. A " lady's maid " wh writes memoirs . ia certainly something c a rara avis. CELEBRATED DIAMOND THEFTS. There have been celebrated thefts c diamonds in the past. On© of the mos noteworthy was that committed by a cour jeweller in the days of Louis XTV. H had speculated and lost money, and thi induced him to pawn a large quantity c precious stones which had been confided t him by the King for th© confection o an ornament destined for the Elector c Bavaria. Suddenly he jeweller, died, an< his brother-in-law -burnt his books so tha the theft might not v be discovered. 1 Bu the Roi SoleO, who knew, as you migh suspect, & good deal about- human nature ordered' an Inventory to be taken. Resti tution was immediately ordered.*" Yet the greatest robbery of this kin< took place under the Revolution. Thi Orown jewels were kept at that time in i furniture warehouse. On the morrow o the massacres of September Paris learn; with stupefaction that the pantechnicoi had been broken into and the Crowi diamonds carried off, including two famoui stones known as the Regent and the Sancy The Moniteur related on the morrow thai the thieves had entered the strongroon where the jewels were kept by 'means ol ropes attached to the gas brackets out side. Two of the robbers were arrested and a number of the stones found in theii possession, together with the .beautiful coral which had served to beguile th< infant years of the Dauphins. The robbery created an enormous sensation. It was supposed that politics had something to do with it/ until other oi the culprits were, arrested and found to be mere vulgar professionals. Nearly all the jewels were recovered. ' "Owing to the drought the hop _ crop in Nelaon promises to be unusually light this season. In one garden, of 12 acres in the Waimea, just' picked, only about 12 bales were gathered. - Last year three acres of the same variety yielded 20 bales. I THERE'S .NONE "juax as aooo" as STEARNS' HEADACHE CURE,