NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2208, 15 April 1880, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

A FAVOIHiD TRAGKDIAN

A malicious story is current in London concerning the exceeding patronage Baroness Burdolt-Coutts bestows upon Irving, the tragedian. It is said that the Baroness, boa ring that there was discontent in the servants’ hall, so that, in fact, the whole corps had determined to leave, sent for the butler and inquired, “Now, Jones, what does it mean ?” Butler: “ Begging your ladyship’s pardon. Which we humbly desire to explain our conduct, haring only one complaint to make. We do not hobject to Mr Encry Irvin at breakfast, though it be every day ; nor do we hobject to Mr Encry Irvin at lunch and dinner, though lie do rarely miss ; nor do we not hobject to Mr Encry Irvin at supper every night of our lives. But what wc do most respectfully hobject to is, that whenever any one of us has a heveniug bout, we shall bo expected to go to the dress suckle of the Lyceum and clap continuous.’’

LEGAL LEGS. A somewhat embarrassing legal question has arisen at Washington (says an American paper). A surgeon who had amputated both the legs of a patient claimed them “as his perquisites,” placed them in spirits and exhibited them at a local museum, in a jar labelled with the name of the original owner. The latter objecting to this publicity, brought an action for the recovery of the legs. No decision has yet been arrived at, but tlio authorities of the museum arc naturally somewhat anxious as to the result of the case, inasmuch as, if the plaintiff succeeds, various other limbless individuals are Hlcoly to follow his example, and so the museum may in course of time bo robbed of much of its scientific value and personal interest. Wc hesitate to give an opinion on a point of so much difficulty, but wc may suggest that the museum authorities should lake their stand upon the principle that the legs, when severed, became dead, and at common law there is no property iu a dead human body. CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. Recently a man named Carl Mankc was arrested iu the state of New York for the second time, on suspicion of having assassinated an American gentleman about three years ago. Among the witnesses sworn was W. W. Grace a constable, who had assisted in working up the case against Manke, He testified that early on the morning following the assassination which Mankc is claimed to have committed, he and a number of other gentlemen made a thorough examination of the territory surrounding the spot where the bloody corpse of the victim was discovered. While walking about there he picked up a piece of paper to all intents a fragment of the gun-wad that had been used with the fatal charge. Ho loocked at it, and without much thought about its value placed it in his vest-pocket. Later on while they were examining Manke’s house, he picked up a German paper entitled the “ Wcltburger Democrat,” bearing Manke’s name. While turning it over ho noticed that one corner had been lorn off. As ho stood looking at it the thought Hashed through his mind that it resembled greatly the piece that he had that morning found. The two were compared and the two torn edges fitted exactly. To make indentification more perfect the address on it was torn in two, with a part on each. The smallest piece shows unmistakeable signs of the paper having been used as a gun-wad. This exceedingly damaging evidence has been wholly unexpected by the defence, and when Grace jmlled forth the papers Mankc’s face turned livid, and great beads of sweat stood forth on his forehead. No amount .'of cross examining could shake him in his story. The prosecution claim to have further received evidence, and from present appearances it looks as though Carl Mauko’s determined to fight for life was to come to naught.

SINGULAR ACCIDENT. The “ Chicago Tribune” of Feb. 7th, relates the following strange accident: —Over five weeks ago a Hartford man had a fall, and was rendered insensible. After being taken home a surgeon discovered a slight wound in his body, close by the heart, and thought the man had been either stabbed or shot. A few days later, however, small pieces of black lead began to come out of the wound, and it was then concluded that, in falling, the point of a lead-pencil which the man had in his vest-pocket had penetrated the body. Probing, later, brought out a little wood. Today the surgeons, Mho have watched the case M'ith much interest, used the knife, and, to their astonishment, a whole lead-pencil, M'hich had been sharpened but once, M'as extracted. It M r as five and .three-eighths inches long, and the ivood was split in two. It had been completely imbedded below the chest, and not half-au-inch from the heart. The man is very weak, but it is thought he will recover. LOUD LOFTUS IN AMERICA. The Kansas City “ Times” of February 2nd gives the following account of the doings of Lord Loftus and forty other young English rakes, vdio came to turn over a non' leaf :

“ They recently entered Kansas with a flourish of trumpets and founded the Victoria Colony, where an elegant saloon is now maintained by drafts upon titled fathers on the other side of the Atlantic. The spirit of boon companionship goes so far that the barkeepers have standing orders to furnish ‘ drinks free to all visitors’. The folks of the neighborhood appreciate the kindness of the young noblemen, who spend about 10,000dols a year each, and Victoria is said to bo on a never-ending, never-fagging lark. Lord Loftus is the possessor of large estates in Tipperary, and his professed object in leaving London was to get away from wild associations. How well be has succeeded is shown by the fact that his Lordship spent l,ooodols for liquors at the bars in this city during a week’s visit last month. The colonists hunt a great deal, but most of their days are spent in card-playing, and their nights in bachelor orgies.”

SEQUEL TO A MASQUERADE. A lady, well known in the fashionable

society of Vienna, pined to go to a Lily ball, which is the Viennese representative of the Parisian Mabille. At lastsbefound a confidential connection of her husband’s family, whom she pursuaded to take her to the ball in domino ; hut with all her disguise she refused to lay aside her wedding ring, which she held to be the talisman of good luck, not to be parted with for a moment. It was a peculiarly cut ring, set with seven beautiful diamonds, which some mask admired even more than the wearer’s adorable eyes, and while ho was comparing them in a complimentary speech to the lady, which she endured with a frolicksome spirit natural in a disguised domino, the ring disappeared. The lady was frantic with fright and her escort with fear that her husband would shoot him if he discovered the escapade ; and so a facsimile ring was made, and the lady fondly thought that she was safe, when suddenly a detective appeared with the real ring. This story being related by a Bohemian of the press there at ouce ensued a complicated situation. A pawnbroker came for the price of the ring, and the husband of the lady arrived to whip the man who took her to the hall ; the wife of the escort of the lady came to have a divorce on account of jealousy, and the owner of the newlyfound ring wrote to the Bohemian narrator of the story to come and explain, and a poor actor, being mistaken for him was badly pummelled, and sued the husband of the ring-owner. So the net result of the frolic was that three men were beaten, one couple divorced, all parties involved in scandal, and last, hut not least, the Bohemian discovered to he an old enemy of the Government. He lies in a Vienna prison, wishing he had never told the truth in a newspaper.

THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE ON MERY. Judging by the intelligence that reaches England from the principal Continental news-centres, the coming conflict between the Russians and the Tekkc-Turcomans is likely to assume very large proportions. The former have, it is stated, decided to approach Mcrv from throe different points, the leading and strongest column starting from Tashkend, under General Skobcloff, and numbering at least 50,000 men of all arms. The Turcomans, on their part have made extraordinary preparations to meet the danger, and some 70,000 have assembled under_ arms at various points. Tludr best allies, however, are the bad roads and the want of water—difficulties which the Russians will this time doubtless overcome. Meanwhile, messengers have been sent to India imploring aid, if only in the form of arms. Merv is directly on the road to Herat, and if Russia is permitted to seize the former, it will form a perfectly unanswerable argument for her right to seize the latter. What will England do ?

ACCIDENT TO CARDINAL NEWMAN. Cardinal Newman is now con lined to the Oratory at Birmingham, suffering from an accident which he met with recently. It appears that his Eminence, in walking across his room, stepped upon his gown, which caused to fall, his side striking thc_ projecting corner of a heavy piece of furniture. After the mishap the Cardinal experienced considerable difficulty in breathing, and a careful medical examination .showed that one of his ribs was broken. His Eminence is now progressing as favorably as can bo expected at his advanced age.

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A LADY. At the London Central Criminal Court on February 22iul, Mr Justice Hawkins resumed the trial of Lewis James Paine, on the charge of having murdered Hiss Maclean. Mr Justice- Hawkins having elaborately summed up, the jury retired to consider their verdict, and after considerable deliberation found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter. Paine then made a long statement, the gist of which was that ho" had never endeavored to do the deceased any injury ; that he had no motive to destroy the woman, as he had all her property absolutely ; and that, in fact, he was entirely innocent. His Lordship, in passing sentence, remarked that the manslaughter was committed under about as cruel and barbarous circumstances as he ever heard of. Tho learned Judge then went over the salient facts of the case, pointing out that the prisoner endeavored to obtain all her property ; that he had, against medical advice, encouraged her free indulgence in drink, and that his conduct throughout had been inhuman. His Lordship concluded by saying that the prisoner richly deserved to be hanged, but that he would receive the next heaviest sentence —penal servitude for life.

A STRANGE BEQUEST A well-known citizen of Brooklyn, U.S., alike renowned for his wealth and eccentricity, died a few weeks ago, and his last will and testament was found by his sorrowing relative, with whom he had been at odds during his life, to contain the following curious bequest : “ X own 71 pairs of trousers. It is my desire that they be sold by public auction after my death, and that the product of their sale be distributed among the deserving poor of my parish. They must, however, be disposed of severally, no single individual being permitted to purchase more than one pair.” These directions were duly carried out by the heirs-at-law. The 71 pairs of trousers were knocked down to 71 purchasers, and their price was handed over to the parochial authorities. A few days after the sale one of the buyers took it into his head to make a cai’oful examination of his newly acquired property, and found a small canvas bag neatly sewn up in the waistband. Upon opening this bag an agreeable surprise met his'gaze, in the shape of ten one hundred dollar notes. The tidings of this wonderful discovery spread like wild fire throughout Brooklyn and New York, and each fortunate possessor of a pair of these precious pautaloous was rejoiced to find his investigations rewarded by the acquisition of a sura equivalent to £2OO sterling. It appears that the eccentric testator’s heirs have instituted proceedings to [recover the amounts secreted by him in the linings of his trousers from the present owners of those garments, on the ground that he was obviously out of his mind when he made such a will.

THE CZAR AND THE NIHILISTS. The recent diabolical attempt on the life of the Czar continues to excite universal discussion. It is stated that the explosive material was sorted in a disused cistern, and lired by an electric battery. Numerous arrests have been made, and as the total number of

Palace employees is about 2000, there was ample opportunity for outside conspirators to select their agents. It is noteworthy that almost at the moment of the explosion the Czar was about entering the dining-room at one dcoi’, and the Imperial farnil3 r —the Empress excepted—at the other. The dinner happened to he dclajmd half-an-hour, and this circumstance was apparently unknown to the conspirators. The force of the explosion was so great that the stone-arched roof of the basement and the vaulted ceiling of the guardroom were destroyed. The Imperial family exhibited the greatest presence or mind, but the effect of thisdast attempt has had a terribly depressing effect on the Emperor. The deeply-laid plans ot the Nihilists seem little affected by repeated failure, and there is no assurance from day to day that some new attempt of a yet more dreadful descrip* tion may not bo made upon the Czar. Only recently, two chimney-sweeps were detected laying hags of gunpowder in one of the Palace chimneys. Under such conditions as those, the life of a Sovereign becomes uusupportablo It is no ways surprising to hear rumours of the Czar’s contemplated abdication. Later intelligence says that a slow match was used to explode the dynamite. No hole was made in the floor of the Imperial dining-room, as stated in some quarters. Immediately after the explosion Lord Uuffcriu had an interview with the Czar and, ever since, messages of sympathy have been pouring in from all quarters. Both the Emperor and the Czarcwitch attended the funeral ceremony of the persons killed by the explosion, and provision is to be made for their families.