HERE AND THERE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7066, 11 February 1893, Page 2

HERE AND THERE.

- ® A State-Bank theorist cleverly challenges opposition and conviction in these terms : “ 6 that some one would write me down an ass—and prove it—because that would put an end to my misuse of your valuable space." Mr White applied this week to Mr Justice Denniston, for an order authorising the raising of money by way of mortgage on the property of a lunatic. As a sort of objection it was mentioned that the lunatic while sane bad objected strongly to a mortgage in any form His Honour replied that that might have been part of his lunacy ! A “ touch of nature makes the whole world kin." In a description of Kanakas on Queensland plantations which we published a little while ago, it was stated that when the “green eyed monster ” afflicts a Kanaka woman, her way of easing her pangs is to tear to shreds all her “boy’s” clothing. We have read more lately that this was precisely how a Napier fireman’s uniform has been treated by a jealous woman, spouse or sweetheart, we forget which. The Justices at Mosgiel who lined a farmer Is. for “ working at his occupation stacking hay—on a Sunday, did not by the conviction and fine express their belief that an offence had been committed. They, as administrators of the law, said the accused was not guilty ; but as the man himself had said he was, they would not contradict him, and they would not nllow him to contradict himself, by withdrawing his plea of guilty. They fined him Is, virtually for being ignorant of the law and the forms of law. lie should have declined to plead, said he didn’t know whether he was guilty or not.

Corporations are proverbially soulless, but they are not without imagination. Even dogs though are admitted to have that. But who would suspect a public corporation of superstition? At the Gera’dine County Council this week it was proposed to bring a new law of the Council into force on*April Ist. “Ob no,” said one member, ” don’t begin on the Ist April ; nothing does well begun on that day.” And all the other members gave way, “ Tapu ”is an invincible argument amongst [ us, tuo, it seems. A corporation has also been found possessed of sentiment, the Union Steamship Company having paid three guineas to a lady for damage done to a dress on board a steamer ; not as compensation, as liability was repudiated, but as a ” consolation,” The old saying that *' murder will out" has another chance to justify itself in the Lora Gorge case, the only person so fur suspected being let go for want of identification of the gun with which the murder was done. It was naturally thought that by leaving the gun the murderer bad “ given himself away,” but that was not the case, as six months’ enquiries have failed to fix the ownership. even remotely. There is another Otago murder waiting a longer time for " the proverb | to work out. At the time that Cbemis was undergoing a trial in Wellington, which created so much fuss, a digger was murdered in Central Otago, and no one has been punished for it yet. His mate was suspected and arrested, but was acquitted at the preliminary bearing. Then there is the Fahiatua poisoning case, and the disappearance of Jacobsen recently mentioned.