TOPICS OF THE DAY. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) London, November 23.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 333, 12 January 1889, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) London, November 23.

Unjustly Imprisoned for Nine Years. SoiUt. lather startling facts are leaking out in connection with the comiefcion of fcbe two unfortunate men, Brannigan and Murphy, who (as I related fco you last mail) have been in piison nine years suffering for a crime (burglaiy and attempted murder) which bhey chd nob commit. The evidenco on which the pair u cio convicted was purely circumstantial, consisting of a number of | trifling facts all pointing bo one conclusion. Ib now looks uncommonly as if a number of these facts had been deliberately vamped up by the county police. Brannigan, ab any race, tells a singular story. He says a local officer had a grudge against him in connection with some small matter, and was continually telling him he'd "see him swing or "give him ten jears." When Brannigan and Murphy were arrested, they were asked if they could account tor themselves, and replied "no," as they had been out all night poaching. Nothing incriminating was tound on either of them afc tirsc, but 24 hours later this officer discovered in Braunigan's inside pocket a portion of newspaper which had been torn from a" Times " in the library ab Edlingbam Vicarage. This- scrap and the newspaper were produced at the tiial and seemed to conclusively prove Brannigan must have been on the scone of the burglary. Now we know this was uo( &o ib would be interesting to learn how the scrap gob into the unfortunate man's • pocket, more especially as he sweai\s most positively ib was not there when his coab was examined and taken away from him at the time of his arrest. The twoieal culprits were brought to confe&s by a local eleigyman, who had suspc-cted them for some time of withholding important evidence about the crime.

A Noble Earl Thrice Bankrupt. The eleventh Eail of Devon, who died &c Powderham Castle last week at the ao\auccci age oi eighty one, uas a most uriorUinate man. The main object of his liie was to disencumber the Couitenay's estates and restore the fallen glories of his ancient family (one ot the oldest in England), and v, ith any ordinary luck he would have done so. Vp to the time his father succeeded the Devonshire rent-roll was £30,000 a year and the Irish estates yielded £20,000. Even fifty thousand a year docs nob unfortunately last long in the bauds ot such a man af waa the tenth earl. The "gay lord " (as he was called) managed to encumbor the piopei'ty to a pretty tune, and when his son succeeded in 1859 things were in a very bad way. Lord Devon found, ho'vover, thai by strict economy and being a good landloid he might hope to clear everything off again by his eightieth birthday. Unfoitunately, all the poor man's efforts m this respect were rendered nugatory by the extravagance and folly of his son and heir, Loid Courtcnay. The Kail helped him again and again, but it was no good, and at last, in despair, he left him to his fate. Lord Courfcenay then went through tho Bankruptcy Court, paying Is in the £ on 810, 000, and in 1878 lie again paid Is in the pound on £'"20,000. Early this year he failed again. He, of course, succeeds to practically nothing, thanks entirely to his own lolly. The estates et.Hl yield about i' 30,000 a year, but there are nioitgages to the amount of nearly L' 900,000 on them. The late Lord was much beloved in Ireland, beinp; very chavitable, and a landloid who moved with the time*:.

A Valuable Theatrical Property. The evei green ''Dorothy" will be removed to Mr H. (a. Leslie's now theatre — the Lyric — early ne:\t month, probably on Its 800 th l.ight. The phenomenal success of this work in London is in the main undoubtedly due to Arthur Williams, whose parb from being a comparatively unimportant one of 37 lines, has been elongated into the best in the piece. The management recognised their low comedian's talent, and allowed him to add pretty much what he liked. I saw " Dorothy '* two years ago, soon otter it had been removed trom the Gaiety. The opera was then solely dependent on its pretty airs, and the attraction par txcelfance of the evening was handsome "Tottie" Coffin's singing of "Queen of My Heart." Now " Doiothy '' goes with a roar of laughter from the time Arthur Williams enters. No doubt the music is \ery fascinating. The management have a legend that one visitor to the gallery, who has heard the opera more than 100 times, invariably sits with his back to the stage, caring nothing for the acting', etc., but drinking in rapturously Cellier's melodies. A property like " Dorothy " is, needless to say. enormously> valuable. Mr Leslie's share of the profits already exceeds £40,00 G. He has two companies playing all the year iound through the provinces, and the opera j has just begun to " catch-oii " in America. Then, of course, there are the Australian | rights, and so on. Altogether I should think " Dorothy " will ultimately yield the '< proprietary not far short of £100,000. , Cellier has a successor to " Dorothy " quite ready should the move from one theatre to another affect the size of Iho audiences. It ought not, but you can never tell. A comic opera called "Paul Jones" goes up at the Prince of Wales's.

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