MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE. MAJOR JACKSON MISSING. DISAPPEARED FROM THE ROTORUA. Auckland, September 30.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 407, 2 October 1889, Page 5

MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE. MAJOR JACKSON MISSING. DISAPPEARED FROM THE ROTORUA. Auckland, September 30.

Very great regret, was occasioned in town lasb evening and this morning on the receipt of news from Onehunga bo the effect that Major William Jackson, so well known as M.H.R. for the district of Waipa, had disappeared from the steamer Rotorua, from Now Plymouth to' the Manukau, in a terribly mysterious manner, yesterday mornintr, and that there was no doubt but that he had fallen overboard early in the .morning and been drowned. Mojor Jackson's brother, Mr Samuel Jackson (Jackson and Russell), was waiting on the Onehunga wharf to receive him when the Rotorua arrived at 8.15 a.m. yeptorday from the South, but he was shocked to learn on the steamer berthing at the tee that the Major had disappeared from the vessel, and was probably by that time lying fathomsdeep below thePaciieo, off the coast. Very meagre information can be gleaned regarding the circumstances attending the unfortunate gentleman's death, for he was not seen to fall overboard, nor was he observed at all on deck yesterday morning, although it is pretty conclusive that he dressed and went on deck during the night. ' Major Jackson was returning to Auckland and hence to his home at Kihikihi, in the Waikato, from his duties at Wellington at the Parliamentary session. He left Wellington by train early last week for Taranaki, and spent three or four days in and about New Plymouth before taking passage for the Manukau by the s.s. Rotorua yesterday afternoon. Mr Warwick Weston, of the " Taranaki Herald," who was one of the passengers who arrived yesterday from New Plymouth by the steamer, states that he met Major Jackson several times in the district last week, during the deceased gentleman's stay there, and he appeared, as far as Mr Weston could judge, to be in his usual good spirits and htalth. On Saturday last, the day before he left Taranaki, the Major drove out to the Waitara from the town in a busrgy for a quiet drive, and a little incident which occurred there may bo noted as characteristic of the man and as one of his lasb kind deeds. On his return journey from the \\ aitara he overtook a poor old woman trudging wearily along the road to Now Plymouth, evidently tired out-. The Major immediately stopped, told the woman to get into the buggy beside him, and convoyed her at her ease into the town. A slight incident, no doubt, but one showing that the man was mindful of the burdens of others. After enjoying his stay in New Plymouth and renewing his acquaintance with numbers of old-time friends in the town Major Jackson embarked on the Union S.S. Company'a steamer Rotorua, Captain Nerille, at 6.30 o'clock last evening for the Manukau. He appeared at the time to be in his usual health, and took his tea in the saloon with the rest of tho pas&cngcrs. He was on deck during a poition of the evening, which was tine and enjoyable, and afterwards put in some time in the smokingroom, although he was a non-smoker. At 7.30 the Major was lying dozing in the smoking-room, where the steward, Mr Hartley, obtained his passenger ticket from him. At lOo'clockßobertKerr, bedroom steward, went to his bunk for the pui pose of seeing that the cabin porthole was properly screwed down, but finding the Major lying in his berth asleep, he did not disturb him. That was the last sign ever seen of the unfortunate gentleman. Next morning at six o'clock tho bedroom steward went round to his bunk to obtain his boots tor cleaning and to bring him some refreshments. He found the berth empty, the Major and hi 3 clothes and boots gone. At the time he thought nothing further of the matter, believing that Major Jackson had dressed md gone on deck. A couple or three hours later the Major was missed by the steward, and a thorough search of the ship was made, but no trace of the missing man was obtained. The officers and crew on duty through the night stated to Detective Chry&tal, at Onehunga this morning, that they had not seen any sign of the Major or any of the passengers on deck during the night sinco ten o'clock the previous evening. The presumption is that Major Jackson got up during the night, feeling ill made his way to the side of the vessol, and that tho sea being rather lumpy the steamer may have made a lurch and the Major lost his balance'and fell overboard in tho darkness. At any rate no other feasible explanation of the lementable occurrence can be given, and the nature of the Major's death must ever remain a deep mystery. In his cabin at 6 o'clock this morning tho stewaid found his travelling bag tying open, and his gold watch and railway pass lying near the bunk, with a pocket-book and purse containing a sum ot money. Major Jack. c on had not, bo far as hia friends are aware, any serious mental trouble or distress lately.

A movement in the direction of land reform has b«en proceeding in Wellington for some weeks past, but singularly enough no mention has been made in the Press Association telegrams. The Wellington " Post " says : — A meeting was hold at Eraser's rooms on Friday evening to form an organisation in accoidance with the resolution parsed at the recent public meeting in the Exchange Hall, which was addressed by Sir George Groy on " The Land for the People." Several gentlemen addressed the meeting, giving their views on the question. One said he had held the views advocated by Henry Georgo many years before ho heard of him or had read his writings. He paid he believed he went further than any of the gentlemen present, for he not only believed in the injustice of the private property in land — he went behind this and could see that it was the ignorance of mankind as tj their rights that "enabled them to toleiate the injustice. Another speaker said that he hud held opinion as to the 'wrongfolness of the private ownership of land for the past fifty years, and he hoped the Society wjuld be the means of helping forward a better state of things. In England, he said, in olden time3 tho land-ow ners had to bear onerous burdens for the privilege of calling the land thoir own, but they had one by ono shuttled out of their fespon-ibilities and placed the whole of the public burdens on the masses of .the peop'e in' tho shape of Customs duties and other taxeh. Alter further remarks it was resolved that the persons then present (i'lcluding those who had given in their names as wishing to join) be refeolved into a society to be called the Single Tax Soolety, .