NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2476, 24 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

A little girl named Mary Middleton was found drowned in a well on Benmore Station on Wednesday. It is not known how she got into the water.

A fire on Mr Butler’s farm, Oamaru, destroj'ed crops to the value of £4O, and a threshing mill valued at £3OO. The threshing mill was insured in the Colonial office for £250.

Mr Kenrick R.M., denies the statement that he refused the prisoner Procoffy, charged with the Te Aroha murder, an interpreter. Prisoner is a Russian and every effort has been made to provide an interpreter. The person whom Mr Brassey, the solicitor, introduced as an interpreter was an English sailor who could not speak a word of the prisoner’s tongue.

A murderous assault was committed at Cambridge yesterday by a native named Pariki, lately from Wellington, on a halfcaste named Wallace. They had a dispute about money. Wallace is badly cut, but it is not supposed he is fatally injured. Pariki is in custody.

An unusual case occupied the attention of Mr McCulloch, Resident Magistate at Invercargill, last week. Three young gentlemen, bachelorising in town, obtained from a local tradesman a piano on the deferred payment system. Shortly aftarwards one of the number got into difficulties, and, making the acquaintance of his “ uncle," obtained an advance of £3.3, giving as security, inter ttlin, the aforesaid piano. On his departure for another colony his erstwhile companions returned the piano to its original owner, against whom the accommodating relative of the departed one brought an action to recover it. According to the “ Southland Times,” Mr McCulloch ruled that the negotiator of the loan had no right to pawn the piano. The Wellington correspondent of the “ Lyttelton Times ” telegraphs as follows: —The manner Jin which the Lunatic Asylum enquiry is being conducted gives general dissatisfaction. Of the three Commissioners, Mr Shaw, R.M., is the only one who appears to take an intelligent interest in the proceedings. The attorney who appears for Mr Whit el aw, is allowed to brow-beat the witnesses in the most disgraceful manner, and frequent appeals are made to the Commissioners for protection. Many of the witnesses are ex-patients, and consequently peculiarly sensitive to insulting questions. I have seen the Commission issued by the Governor, and fortunately it confers power to be exercised by the Court over which neither the accused nor his lawyer can have any control. So far much of the evidence has been of a most extraordinary character. It tends to prove a course of systematic cruelty, an absence of control over the warders, and not the slightest attempt at curative management. The patients seems to have been treated like wild beasts. Without prejudging the specific charges, it is not too much to say that much of the evidence is revolting in the extreme.

The following additional particulars are given respecting the collision of the s.s. Albion with, the Isabella Pratt, schooner, off Port Charles yesterday:—The damages sustained by the Albion consisted of having three iron plates broken on her starboard side, making a large hole about one and a half feet above the water line. This had to be stuffed up with bedding and other material to prevent the water coming in. Subscriptions were raised on board the Albion for. the crew of the Isabella Pratt to the amount of £lO, which was distributed to them. The Isabella Pratt was owned by Bassell and Son, of Otago, Captain Cross has been seven years in the Isabella Pratt, and is accounted one of the most careful, sober, and reliable masters on the coast. His vessel was a picture of cleanliness, and all masters who have been spoken to on the subject say that Captain Cross was most particular with his lights, and was very unlikely to have been neglectful in the matter on the present occasion. Great sympathy is felt for him in his misfortune.

Herr Bandmann, who is at present in Dunedin, has kindly volunteered to give a reading gratis, on Monday evening next, to the children attending the Timaru Public schools. The offer has been thankfully accepted.

The Senate of the New Zealand University announce that the following have gained the Senior Scholarships of 1860 B. M. Connal, Canterbury College; M. E. Edger. Canterbury Col' ego; J. R. Williamson, Canterbury College ; C. Chilton, Canterbury College ; A. Montgomery, Otago University. The old established Goldsborough Company of Melbourne, has published a review of the wool trade of the past season, showing, in addition to the particulars telegraphed by them, that the increase for New South Wales was seventeen and for South Australia eighteen thousand bales on the previous year. 50,000 were sold in Sydney, and 25,000 in Adelaide. Mr Goldsborough expresses an opinion that in a few years the bulk of the wool will be sold in the colonics. The report further shows that the total shipment from the colonies to September 50 iast were 867.000 bales, inclusive of New Zealand.

Several juveniles appeared before the Resident Magistrate at Christchurch yesterday, on a charge of bbusebreaking. They got into an unoccupied, house at Kicarton, in which some tools were stored, and made free with the contents, under the impression, apparently, that they were nobody’s property. They showed peculiar ideas about the nature of tools, and the Magistrate gave them a good lecture, and said he would have ordered the ringleaders a flogging could he find them out, hut in their absence the others would be dismissed. Their parents were present, and offered various explanations of the conduct of their offsprinn. At the R.M. Court, this morning, before Mr LeCrcn, J.P., a first offender for drunkenness was fined ss. James MeGalium, n labouring man, was then charged with being drunk and disorderly and creating a disturbance in the Hibernian dotel. The accused was fined 10s with the usual alternative,

At the usual monthly meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society yesterday, considerable discussion took place on the question of pheasant shooting. It was stated that licenses were taken out by persons who shot to sell, and the Chairman mentioned an instance of one man boasting that he had bagged enough to defray his expenses to the Dunedin races. The Secretary, in answer to a question, said the licenses for pheasants last year amounted to £l3O. On the Peninsula, he believed they were almost as plentiful as barn-door fowls. It was resolved that there should be a close season altogether this year with regard to pheasants and Californian quail. It was also resolved that the period for shooting hares should be confined to June and July, the license to be fixed at £1; and that the South Canterbury Society be asked to adopt a similar regulation. Dr. Chilton’s letter on the voracious instincts of the salmon was deferred for consideration at next meeting. It was also resolved that fishing or shooting licenses whether issued by the Christchurch or Timaru Society, should enable the holder to shoot or fish anywhere within the Canterbury district. This will do away with the anomally under which anyone taking out a license either to shoot or fish has been compelled, should he cross the Bangitata, to pay a second license fee.

A drunken man visited the Breakwater this morning shortly before 12 o’clock, and after staggering along the edge of the wharf at the imminent risk of tumbling head-over-heels into the sea, he commenced to haul in one of the small boats lying off. the steps with the idea of “ pulling off to Timaru,” as he remarked. Finding his intention frustrated by a bystander, he next proceeded to the engineer’s office, near the Breakwater approach, and pulling off his coat struck one of the contractors’ men who was busily engaged attending to a pair of horses at the time, and who good naturedly refrained from noticing the inebriated one’s conduct at first. There is a limit to forbearance, however, and on receiving a blow in the face, the workman suddenly “ let out ” and stretched his assailant on the ground. After lying prone for a minute or two that worthy arose, and was about to pitch into another man who was near, when a policeman appeared on the scene, and the inebriate, protesting that he was “only a poor runaway,” was led off to the lock-up. At Christchurch yesterday the remanded case against John Toovey, of the Star and Garter Hotel, for selling liquors to other persons than boarders during prohibited hours, came on for hearing in the Resident Magistrate’s Court. Counsel for defendant, Mr Thomas, had claimed a dismissal of the information on the ground that notice as required by the Act had not been sent to the defendant before the information was laid. The contention of Superintendent Broham for the prosecution was that a claus° in the Licensing Act over-rode the requirement in the Publiehousc Ordinance, and consequently no notice requiring to bo sent, the case should be heard on its merits. The Bench said that, after due consideration, they were of opinion that the notice to defendant was necessary, and the information must be dismissed.

The winning numbers in Bell’s and Callanan’s consultations on the Dunedin Cup, and also an intimation rr- a £looo'consultation on the Timaru Cup (to be run for in April next), appear in another column.