NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2495, 19 March 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Barnard street, usually so quiet, was thrown into a state of commotion last evening by the conduct of sundry persons who without any particular reason seemed bent on getting up a little spree on their own account. As a consequence detective Kirby accompanied by a constable, proceeded to the scene of the distuibance shortly before midnight. On arrival they found a crowd of about 50 persons howling and jelling in front of the house occupied by Benjamin Goodman. Goodman was fighting another man while several people were busily engaged in tearing up the fence and scattering the pieces of wood about the street. In the midst of the crowd was a well known prostitute named Lilly Wiight, alias Thompson, who was doing all she could to incite the men to fight. The detective arrested her on the spot for vagrancy, and both Goodman and herself made their appearance before Mr Beetham this morning. Goodman was fined 10s with the alternative of 48 hours imprisonment. The lady persisted that the detective was <pritc mistaken about her having behaved inya' riotous or improper manner. Detective Kirby stated that she was a well known prostitute from Oamaru and that whenever she came to Timaru a disturbance followed. She had only recently been discharged from Addington gaol. His Worship sentenced her to seven days imprisonment.

A mode of poaching as hovel as it is un-sportsman-like has been carried on for some time in the streams which are stocked with trout along the route of the Otago Central Railway. In Deep Stream, and Threeo’clock Creek, at all events, the wholesale destruction of fish by means of dynamite was an almost daily spectacle amongst the “ unemployed,” and the modus operand I in fastening to the cap of a dynamite cartridge a fuse of sufficient length to cause an explosion almost immediately the charge reached the water. The force of the explosion so stunned the fish that they turned belly upwards, and were easily captured.—“ Daily Times.”

Two Mormon elders, John P. Sorenson and John S. Perris, endeavoured to bold a meeting at Terrace End, Palmerston North, on Sunday week, but their efforts, judging from a somewhat singular effusion written by Sorenson to the “ Manawatu Standard,” do not appear to have been very kindly received. The following is an extract (verbatim et literatim ) from the elder’s doleful narrative : —“ At the first Meeting four Women and a Crowd of Men props fifty or more Gathered the First halve hour ad went along smoothly but then the Kow commence, after several attempts to be heard, wich was answered by yelling and hooting and the Aryument of Boiled Potates, Kotten Squash and Green Peaches wich was pelted after the Elders Heads in a Pal Mall manner the Meeting was Closed with a few Words of Prayer by Elder Ferris, when the Elders left under a shouer of abuse and Kitchen Refuse from the Crowd, who most adjorned to the Nearest Pub for Kefreshment after their ardeous Labours.”

“ From New Caledonia to the Queensland coast,” says the “ Brisbane Courier,” “is nearly 1000 miles, a journey of sufficient magnitude, to demand seaworthiness in the craft attempting it; yet there is a description of the boat, in which the five escapees made the passage. Mr Hamilton sent his son and a South Sea Islander to recover the boat if possible, and the following telegram from Dun wich describes its condition Donald reports boat, probably a condemned man-of-war’s cutter, of pine, about 28ft, copper, bottomed; mast, tea tree sapling, cut by themselves, about Gin through. Sails, pieces of awnings, oars broken and spliced. Next to a miracle they landed safely. Most narrow escape of going dead on to rocks in the darkness. Boat stove by rock on port side. Side split open, and thwart carried away by leverage of mast in rolling over. Boat not worth troubling about in any way.’