AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 28, 3 February 1915, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

FORTUNATE CYDNEYITES. Hyman Barron, manufacturing jeweller, of 273 Pitt Street, Sydney, confesses to being a lucky man. He left a bag containing jewellery valued at oyer £IOOO in a tram. The bag travelled on to Bondi, but, through the honesty of the conductor, was returned to Mr Barron within an hour of its loss having been reported. John Bevan, a Bondi resident, jumped off the Bondi tram one night recently, and was almost immediately drawn into a fight which was proceeding in the street. He was niiscaiton for a combatant, and he fled after a strenuous ten minutes, minus half his vest. The missing half contained a> roll of £ll3 in notes, as well as a watch and chain, but Bevan’s luck had turned. Ho found the missing clothing on the tramline, though a passing tram had cut his roll of notes in two.

BOYS WITH A PISTOL. Alice Burcham, a widow living in Wattle Street, "Ultimo, was seriously wounded by a bullet from a small pistol. A 1 rs Burcham was sweeping the footpath at the rear of her house at about 3 p.m. when a number of boys who were playing about annoyed her by dirtying the place she had swept. She warned them that she would call the police if they did not desist. Almost immediately a pistol which one of them was carrying went off. the bullet passing through Mrs Burcharn’s breast and lung, and lodging in her back. The injured woman was taken by the Civil Ambulance to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she was admitted. The weapon was a small, 22 bore, single shot pistol, of a type frequently carried by hovs. An arrest has been made.

GAT SWALLOWED BY SHAKE. An authenticated snake story comes from Genanegie way. Some carpenters and others engaged in putting up a house for J. Dietrich, jun., were sleeping on lings of wheat. There were mice there, and a cat was obtained. A young fellow, looking for eggs, discovered a snake amongst the bags, and a gun was procured and the snake shot. As it bulged out in the middle the reptile was opened, and tlm cat, a full-grown one, was found inside. The snake was of the carpet variety, and was 6} feet long.

ROBBERY OF JEWELLERY. A robbery of jewellery occurred on the Osterley a day alter the vessel left Fremantle. The valuables were extracted from the cabin of Mrs C. Galton and her two daughters, who estimate their loss at £OO. Detectives searched the steamer on arrival here, but when the vessel left for Melbourne the jewellery had not been recovered.

DAMAGED MAILS. The Postmaster-General, Mr W. G. Spence, has received a report from Captain Gordon, of t!ie R.M.S. Moldavia, stating that eight hags of mails were found damaged on arrival in Australia, and that loose mail matter was “among the storage.” An examination of the mails showed that two hags for Adelaide, two for Sydney. two for Melbourne, one for Queensland, and one for Wellington had been tampered with. The Melbourne office reported that the registered mail for Victoria was found intact. How many letters, if any, had been taken could not ho ascertained, as a record of registered articles only was kept. An inquiry into the matter is to be held in Sydney. The Moldavia is under contract to the Imperial Government, and the Commonwealth authorities-will report, the matter to Great Britain.

WITNESSES WHO “DON'T KNOW.” A remarkable feature at the coronial inquiry into the death of Trooper Harris, at Port Cygnet (Tas.) on January 8 last, was the declining by several witnesses, to reply to questions on the ground that by doing so they might incriminate themselves. This step was taken on the advice of counsel. The result was that no evidence was forthcoming to throw any fresh light on the tragedy. Any questions asked which they did answer were replied to with the phrase, “I don’t know.” > The jury returned a verdict that Harris came to his death by James Cleary, who feloniously, wilfully, and with malice aforethought murdered Harris. The jury found that Thomas Leahy and Walter Strong, by assaulting Constable Watson, and preventing him front' assisting Harris, were aiders and abettors in the crime. NEW STEAMER’S MISHAP. A cable was received last Wednesday by the Sydney Marine Underwriters’ Association that Huddart, Parker’s new steamer Goulburn had struck a sunken steamek in the Downs, and had been towed to Tilburyness, with the fore hold full of water. The Goulburn, which is an up-to-date cargo boat of :i(i()() tons, was making her maiden voyage io Australia. She is intended for the Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydnev-.Newcastle trade.