THE TRAGIC MYSTERY DEEPENS. Extraordinary Correspondence and Papers. (From the Auckland "Star's" London Correspondent.) London, May 31.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 59, 19 July 1884, Page 6

THE TRAGIC MYSTERY DEEPENS. Extraordinary Correspondence and Papers. (From the Auckland "Star's" London Correspondent.) London, May 31.

Mystery still .enshrouds the melancholy death of poor Mrs Shortland, and many are beginning to believe it will never be cleared up. The country police after full inquiry in every direction have given up all prospect of obtaining any evidence that Hugh Shortland was in the neighbourhood of Blaokawtown or Oldstone Manor , on the day of his wife's death. They do not therefore propose to pursue their investigations any further until the result of Dr. Dupies, analysis of the dead woman's stomach is made known. It is understood that several more days must elapse before the investigation can be completed. Last Friday Shortland was again brought up before the King's Bridge Magistrates, and remanded for another week, though not without his solicitor protesting in somewhat strong language, against the extreme injustice of the proceedings. " There is not," bawled the advocate, " a tittle of evidence against my client." , "We can't listen to you?' said the Chairman. '.' I demand to speak as my right," said, the lawyer. " .You shall not, 1 ' said the Magistrate. Shortland, who was very excited, now entered into an angry colloquy with the lawyer, and the two

together seemed inclined to defy the Bench when the Superintendent of Police roared— "Take him down," and Shortland was bundled out of Court, amidst cries of " Shame," "It's hard," and " Give the man justice." By way of justifying their action in detaining Shortland, the police have published the following documents, which were found in his possession when he was arrested in concealment at Modbury. They have excited considerable interest, insomuch as their contents are understood by those who have seen them to raise various more or less plausible theories a3 to how the deceased lady came to her death, and as to the extent of the prisoner's knowledge of that event. The documents are reported to be not very numerous, but to include certificates of various descriptions from professional friends certifying to Mr Shortlands assiduity and devotion to his work in the early years of his oareer, and there are those dealing with his Auckland professional connections. Included in the bundle, however, are a series of letters sent by Miss Dimes to Mr Shortland, the character of whose contents have become more or less generally diffused amongst those interested in the case, and the publication of which, if the police could be induced to consent to that course, would, it is rumoured, disclose the singular nobility of Mrs Shortlands character. It is said that they give a connected relation of the circumstances under which Mr Shortland and his wife originally came together, and that they show a trust and confidence in Mr Shortlands character as a man of honour which is at once touching and romantic. The earliest letter of the series is one in which Miss Dime? is believed to indicate the recent receipt of a letter from Mr Shortland imploring her to make an appointment to meet him, and expressing ignorance of the reasons that had prompted his request, pointing out that she was a young lady who hesitated to expose herself to misconception, and whilst promising to consent to the meeting, begging that Mr Shortland would respect her susceptibilities, and expressing an assurance that nothing would occur that would compromise her in the estimation of hei friends. Following this letter, which commences with plain sir and concludes with yours truly, it is said that there is another, evidently following the desired meeting, in which Miss Dimes, addressing her lover as "Dear Mr Shortland," expresses gratitude for the kind things he had said ol her, and by her appreciation of the motives which has prompted his desire to meet her, Then it is understood that several other letters follow which indicate the gradual ripening of the acquaintance and show the progress of the courtship, disclosing the maiden's timidity lest she should be discovered to be carrying on a clandestine court' ship, and appealing to Mr Shortland from time to time to bring her friends acquainted with the fact, pointing out there could be nc objection to that course, indicating hoy, attached she had become to him, how grieved she would be if anything were te seem to part them, and suggesting that hei mother, at least, should be told of the en gagement in order that the news might be gently broken to the father. The deepening character of Miss Dimes'* love towards Mr Shortland is affoctinglj shown by the gradual endearment in which she addressed him, passing from " Deai Mr Shortland," to "Dear Hugh," to "My dearest Hugh," to "My darling Hugh,' and from "Yours truly" to " Yours sincerely," and "Yours ever most affec tionately." Then comes a letter in which it isevideni that Miss Dimes is considering a proposal to secretly marry Mr Shortland, hes» tating as to the propriety of the course, ap prehensive as to what her friends will think of it, but gradually yielding before the importunities that had been addressed to her, and submitting herself in full confidence to the wishes of her affianced. Then follows a considerable break in the letters, anc when the thread of the narrative is resumec there is the appearaneo of a troubled mind The young lady has become married, slu has expressed herself in fonder terms thar ever, she has asked why tho marriage shoulc be kept secret any longer, she has suggestec that people are looking at her as though the event had come off, and she is entreating her husband to let her father know. Agair there is the same sort of appeals to Mi Shortland to come and disclose what has occurred, and an intimation that now al is known, the circumstances of the runaway marriage having got into the newspapers and that it will extricate her from a painfu position if the truth is stated. Later on there are reported to be letter* in which Mrs Shortland ix dealing with hei husband's intimation that he is to go away] asking whether she cannot accompanj him, begging before he goes that the secrei shall be revealed, and assuring him of hei undying devotion, and finally there is saic to bo other letters in which it is stated the news of the marriage has been broker withoutShortland's instrumentality, writter in a much more cheerful strain, because tlu father has received the intimation withoui the expected anger, and informing the husband that he may now come to the house without any apprehension of re proach. Then there is a request to know why he is not writing to her, and pointing out that it is hard that she should be bearing all this trouble without relief. In a later letter, however, there seems to be q returning brightness, but here the correspendence is rumoured to end. These documents in themselves seem te be exceedingly iateresting, inasmuch as they throw one phase of light upon the solution of the mystery. But much more importance will naturally be attached to certain other papers which are in Mr Shortlands own handwriting, and which were written whilst he was supposed to be on his way to Brindisi, and which convey his intention, even in these documents, to maintain the pretence that ho is on his way from England. The importance of these papers will be taken in connection with the fact that when^ Ryder, sen., took him a newspaper cutting announcing that an inquest had been held on the body of Mrs Shortland, Ryder, who was under the belief that it would much shock him, received the reply "I know all about it." The papers are jealously guarded by the police, but very keenly prosecuted Inquiries enable us to give our readers an idea of their very remarkable character. They show that whilst in concealment Shortland knew of the death of his wife ; that he was in great distress about it ; that he was most anxious to ' protest his affection for her, and his estimation of her ennobling] virtues. Scattered throughout these documents are frequent repetitions of Longfellow's lines: "Dust to dust was not spoken of the soul." They contain repeated reference to the fact that his darling's favourite flowers were roses, primroses, and violets, and they used to gather them on the Oldstone estates. On a sheet of cartridge paper Mr Sbortland had sketched with marvellous fidelity and great skill the head of his wife's favourite dog, and on the vacant portions of this paper interlineated and continued in some cases along the sides of the paper are reflections upon her habits, the beauty of her mind, the purity of her heart, the intensity of the love she bore for him, his recognition that he did not deserve such love, and the fact that she was most affectionate tohimself in word and deed. He givostherein

theday on which his "treasure" was married, and the day on which his " treasure " died, preceding these dates with the quotation " JEheu, meamacjna mzsericordta." And then Mr Shortland introduces a sentence which is reported to read as follows :—" My darling once told me in conversation when riding across Slapton Sands that she regarded felo-de-se as moral cowardice, although' she admitted that it might possibly be an act of physical daring." It is said that beyond these indications of a disturbed mind, and the suggestion of suicide, and a pretence of absence from the country, these papers disclose no knowledge on Mr Shortlands part of the means by which his wife came by her death. Their contents have been imparted in this scrap -like manner to various persons, and they naturally excite the keenest controversy, but if, as is believed, the post-mortem reveals no trace of poison, it is generally thought that they will bring the authorities no nearer to the solution of the matter.

standard a seperate list of the pupils presented to pass the standard, together with a list of those presented to bo rein the standard. The teicher shall at the same time, hand to the Inspector a summary of the numbers presented, the total of which summary must correspond to the number 'of of pupils on the roll to the school.