NEWS OF THE WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 105, 24 April 1908, Page 4

NEWS OF THE WORLD

AMAZLNG MISTAKES. London, February 27. I Another iieck ease, in which a large number of periectly honest witnesses wrongly identilied a man, wa-» beard y«;-ti'i day ;it the I h*rkenwell Sr.->ions. Arthur Ernest Eaton, an inspector in tile employment of the .National Telephone L'o!iipau\" was accused of stealing jewellery irom several houses in the \Ye*t Eud.

One oi" the charge? was dealt with at the la-t- -e»ion>, the trial lasting two days. Two -servants positively i ntified Eatou a* the thief, but it was •ved tint he was elsewhere at the ae of the jobbery, and the jury ao<j dtted him. When the other charges were reached .. : -tenlay Mr. Huntiy-lenkins. who propesuted. >aid he Would Otler HO e\ide|lee, -o that Eaton might be acquitted.

"Tiie wit lives. 1 " }„. stated. "are thoroughly respectable, but their evidence is not so strong as that in the other ca-e. Eaton is a man o< exeelleui character, and has the confidence of his employers.

"[ think," cMin>el added, "thi- is one ! of tliosv extraordinary eases of a man resembliug somebody el-e, and of perfectly honest people eoming into a court of justice ami making a mistake in identification.'' The jury returned a formal verdict, and Eaton was at once set at liberty. €31.500,000 IDLE. Johannesburg. February 20. Government statistics just i->ucd showthat there are 402 mining companies in the Ti insvaal. with a total nominal capital of £122.455.455. of which €101),I 585,777 hav e been issued, j The total cash invested i- €82.501,231. j Only fifty companies, with an issued I capital of €27.101.101. are procuring I gold and paying dividends. The mines I which are shut down liave a total issued capital of £31,500,000.

COINING DEN IN* PRISON. j Berlin. February 24. False coin which has been extensively circulated during tin- l;«~t few month-*! haa been traevd to flh» prison at I'ends-, burg (Sehleswig-IloMeiu). where th.- | crime was perpetrated by a convict, as- j listed by the chief warder and his fam-! ilj\ The convict, who had l>eoii sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for making base coin, persuaded the warder to become hie accomplice. He informed him wliere coining implements were eoncealed, and the warder dug them up. The convict then forged the coin* at night, and the chief warder circulated them daring the day. The police were long unable to unravel the mystery, but finally the warder's mother-in-law was caught offering false five-shilling piece*. This gave * due, and a detective caused himself to | be sentenced to a term of imprisonment | for riotous behaviour, and to be sent to | this prinin. I The tapping of the coiner's hammer i at night betraved the crime, ami the de | teetive, satisfied that hi- suspicions were | correct, had the warder and his family arrested.

TFIK oniXKSK (OOIJi; FRAI'D SRQI'EU Paris, February -JO. 1 am informed, says the Kxpress correspondent, that the formal negotiations which are proceeding between the Transvaal and France to obtain indentured labor for the Rand mines from Madagascar had a curious origin. Some time ago the South African authorities noticed the Governor of Madagascar that no more cattle would be allowed into the country from Madagascar for fear of disease.

The Governor of Madagasear protested. and was then informed that the restriction would be removed if he would allow coolies to be sent with the cattle, a* laljor wa-? wanted. The Governor of Madagascar agreed, but news of the affair reached Paris, and the Coventor was informed that he had no authority to treat for the exportation of labor needed in the colony without the consent of the French Foreign OHice. That consent has not yet been given, and, 1 am informed, is not likelv to be.

TERRIBLE VENGEANCE BY CROATIAN" FARMERS. Vienna. February 25. Tlie plague of in Croatia and Mnnjury lu- r>'-ulted in terrible reprisal- by the f.mivr-. wh<» bave suffered greatly from the depredation- of these marauder-. Nineteen gip-ie-. comprising an entire band, died suddenly near Tompokevac, Croatia. yesterday, after eating portions of a cow which they found dead in a forest. It was afterwards found that the l*>dy of the <-ow was poisoned. In a m*ighlKuing district sixteen gipsies In-longing to another band died after eating hare- which had been poisoned by the fanners and left lving in the field,. Both Croatia and Hungary are overrun with gip-ie-. who rob wayfarers, levy blackmail, burn lonely farmhouses, and arc often accused of stealing children. The authorities have been unable to deport them, and imprisonment apparently has no effect on them.

SAFE WITHOLT WALLED TOW N'S. London. February 14. Sir Percy (Jirouard. High Commissioner for Northern Nigeria, who has just arrived in this country on the termination of his first otlicial tour, said that what appealed most to him in the Protectorate was the. wonderful agricultural dtvelopinent, more particularly of the northern provinces whioh he visited. Then* are over million acres under t rop in the district of Kano. Sir Percy made exten-ive tours ol" Die Protectorate, ami was greatly impres-cd with the peaceful conditions prevailing, a happy symptom of whioh was the fact thai' the agricultural population resides in the open country, while formerly it uas ne-ce--ary to live within walled towns as protection against raid-. A general feeling of .-eeurity has replaced the old condition' of continuous warfare, and the uaIN of the town* are being permitted to tall iuto complete disrepair.

FOirtVNE SACMFICKI) FOR Lo\ E. New March 5. Mr. l'o-- \\ inan-. the Maltimore millionaire. ha> i--ued a -tateiuent through hi- l.iv.y.-r regarding tlie -eii-ational maniage »i hi- -mi. Mr. Thomas Win .in-, in Pari-, pveiitly. The I'atlier. who -{ «t Md- ill'- "re.;;!']- pol'lion i,\ hirim.- in England, -tale- that hi- -in inow living in Pari- with hi- wife, on an allow an<-e.

Mr. Ib>-> Winau- bit Liverpool for New \ork -ewral month- ago. with Ihe bodies of hi- wife and another >on who died in EurojM*. and expected that Thouia- woubl accompany him. The -teamer was timed to leave Liverpool early in the morning, and Mr. Winanand hi- -on went on l»oard the niglit U'foiv. When the -teamer wa- oil' nu«'«-n-M'Mi. Mr Winan- iii-c.vird ihu hi- -nil ]ini a-li'.re late at night. The latter went t, ( Pari- and inarnei! a Spani-h actre-- wit si wlnnn li<- liad been in iove for month-. although ivpcatedh W. tilled by ili- t.ltluT flint this -te[: wouH lead to hi- oi-iuheritau<e. Mr. Winau- add- that he uill allow hi- -on a -mall income tor life, but that his million- will !*• left to another person. CSn.'KM) TKAIN i:ui;i!KKV. l?erlin. March L A daring theft w.t- eon..,.it led ai CuUigne railway -tation to-day. wherehv the perpetrator -erureil booty to I lie e\ 1 ej|t of 10. The \ j-t illl Ol ihe <rime v\ a - llerr Hi' ha id Me.v.-Mcin. a wealthy ie-ident ol f.ie--i,;i. who wa- ou hi- way to Hamburg to conclude an important bu-ine-- deal. Heir Meyer-iein liad wi'h him a lei tljer bag. containing banknote- and -hire-. At Cologm* he let'!. .1 ib-l-cla--coiiipaiinient and walked aloivr the plar form to buy -onie reire-hmeiit-. During hi- ab-en« e the leather bag. which wa-eaivb---iy left in the rack of f lii* compartment. n.i- 1 removed by an unknown f er-on. llerr Meyer-tein immediately ,ai-ed all alarm, and the -lati-.n wa- ■ al'efullv -/arched, a- well a- all the iriin-. but no tvaee ol tin* mi —ing ba-' w.i- found.