TELEGRAMS

Patea Mail, 21 March 1882, Page 3

TELEGRAMS

(per united press association.) This Day.

Permitting Drunkenness. Wellington.— Mrs Harding, landlady of the Union Hotel, has been fined £1 for allowing drunkenness on the premises ; and the license was also ordered to be endorsed.

Taranaki Races. New Plymouth. Acceptances and general entries for Taranaki races close to-morrow evening.

Eight-hour Demonstration. Auckland, 20th,—The Trade Societies are arranging for a demonstration in honor of the eight-hour movement.

Passengers Released. Auckland, 20th, The Australian passengers have been released from quarantine, save a Chinaman, who is to be placed on the next inward mail steamer.

Mysterious Death. Hokitika, 20th.—On Saturday last a boy found the body of a man lying on the sea beach near Hokitika. It was fully dressed. There was no flesh whatever on the head, and the eyes were gone. The body had evidently been there for some days. In the coat pocket was a Post Office Savings Bank book in the name of Bernard Heslin, depositor. The book showed that Heslin had drawn out of the bank on the 11th instant £5. In one of the trousers pockets £5 6s in cash was found, in the other three revolver cartridges. A small revolver, quite new, was found close to the body. One of the chambers had been discharged. An inquest was held this afternoon, and the jury returned a verdict “ That the deceased, Bernard Heslin, came by his death by a pistol shot, but whether by accident or otherwise there was no evidence to show.”

Meeting of Parliament. Wellington, 20th.—It is understood that Parliament will probably meet about the 18th of May, for the despatch of business.

Thames Natives and Mining. Thames, 20th.—The Hons. Bryce and Rollcston are here. The former meets the natives at the Runanga House re certain land claims at Piako. Mr Rolleston is visiting the mines. The question of a vote for the rock drill will be laid before him. The Ministers leave to-morrow morning for the upper country.

TRADING ON GUITEAU’S CORPSE.

The last development of the Guiteau case is nothing less than a proposal, as a correspondent of the Otago Daily Times puts it, “to make a show of the assassin’s corpse.” “Jacob Terry” says :—During the trial of this malefactor his business instincts cropped out, and he speculated as to what terms he should make with the lecture bureau upon acquittal ; but there were others, with equally keen business instincts, who were prepared to speculate on the chance of conviction ; and to ensure consent in their speculation, propositions were made to him by letter for permission to exhibit his dead body. Guiteau was business man enough to keep these proposals open for a given contingency ; but he felt he had a better thing in hand, and backed himself. One of the sharp Americans, who stood ready to make a pool in Guitoau’s gallows stock, has displayed remarkable agility and perseverance. Not satisfied with the general favorable consideration of his offer by the prisoner, he wrote to Scoville, Guiteau’s attorney and brother-in-law, offering to go into partnership with the relatives of the prisoner in exhibiting- Guiteau’e body through all the principal cities of America and Europe. This offer was predicted upon the assumption that Guiteau would most certainly be hanged, and it was an indirect bribe to Scoville to “ let the prisoner slide” as it were. This he did not do ; but he telegraphed in reply after conviction :

“Yours of the 28th received. Relatives are inclined to regard your proposition favorably in case of death. Brain will have to be removed for post mortem examination. — George Scoville. ”

Now, Scoville is a respectable man, of good social standing, and with some reputation for piety. At all events he does not frequent bars, play-houses, Freethought lectures, and such godless places; and he may be taken as a fair type of middle-class American society. Yet he does not spurn the proposal with loathing and contempt. On the contrary, having done all he can for his relative, he is ready to trade off his corpse in case of failure. And he sees nothing morally wrong in it * neither does he anticipate social ostracism. He anticipates a large sum of money, and marked social distinction instead. Nor does he stand alone in his readiness to trade off Quiteau’s body. There is very little doubt that Mrs Scoville, the sister who stood by Guiteau all through his trial, and who stands by him still, will listen to business arguments when the end comes. She has been interviewed, and says ; “We have not reached the point of considering what shall bo done with the remains of my brother. Whenever and however he may die, I shall take his body and have a post mortem examination made by exports of my own selection. The idea of exhibiting his body around the country is horrible, and I would not have done it if we were starving. I have refused a 5000 dollar cash offer for his body. He will not be hanged,”