CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 80, 27 August 1914, Page 7

CONTINENTAL ITEMS.

HEROINE AT EIGHTY -THREE. Mme. Kessigner, a Parisienne, aged aged eighty-three, washing elotJies in the river ait ChaUmniay 011 July (> when she saw a boy bather in difficulties. Tile aged woman, who in her youth was an excellent swimmer, plunged into the river and brought the lad safely ashore. CINEMA KILLS THEATRES. A crisis has overtaken the Paris theatres owing to the competition of the cinema, which is far more popular there than in .English cities.The managers declare they cannot run the Opera at a profit, and a grant ha» been made it by the Government Another large theatre has failed. PENALTY OF MANY HATS. Since the publication of a statement that she wears a new hat every day, Mile. Lise Berty, the Paris actrjess, is being inundated with letters, chiefly from women in Germany, a-siring for j money. One woman writes that a/- is a mere nothing to one who is "so scandalously extravagant." MURDERER AGED SIX. In a country district in the province of Tuscany, Vibtorto Squarcini, aged six, has murdered his uncle, a b'oy of 14, nanncd Augusto 'Squarcini. The child murderer, who frankly avowed hi 6 crime declared that he did it because his untie would not pJay with fhiini. While Augusto slept Vibtorio, using his father's rifle, fired at point blank range. A TRICKED .SCOT. A Scot in Paris has been the victim of too much confidence. Walking in the Tuileries Gardens, he met two strangers —Americans. At a cafe in Montmarte one of the Americans asked the Scot for French change for 500 dollars. The Scot produced £IOO in French notes, but all he got in change was a blow in the face from the American, while the other snatched itlie £IOO worth of notes and fled. ■KILLED BY IttS UMBRELLA A German tourist who wajj caught in a violent thunderstorm! in the Canton of Appenzell was killed by lightning attracted! Iby his umbrella. He carefully avoided the trees, and lay down in the middle of a field, but opened his umbrella to protect himself from the rain. The lightning struck the rtmbrellsi, and when the storm passed over he was found ly ins dead in the lie Id. Pour persons were killed by lightning at Chables and Thollon, near Geneva, and four others in tihel Jura and Bernese Alpine villeges and ia the Canton of Vaud 1 . A TRAP fFOIt SAFE ROBBERS. Automatic T>hotograp!r- of safe robbers at work is declared to have 'been perfected by a German inventor. The invention is based upon the oscillations of quick-silver, by means of which an electrical contact is made. The slightest concussion or tampering with tiie safe or wires will prove sufficient to complete the circuit and put the hidden camera in operation. At f»ie same time the device sets oil a flood or light for the picture, taking and startp 'the burglar alarms ringing. Tlie robber when ciuight will 'be confronted with a snapshot of his own. taking Ito establish his identity. A iSHOT. After leaving the opera on .June 20, Mr H. 'Rothschild was fired at !>y a man at the corner of the 'Rue Caumartin, Paris. There were two revolver shots, and; a 'bullet wounded Mr Rothschild in tlit leg, but he was able to return home, the leg, but he was able to return home, the crowd before being taken to the police station. It is'believed he is weakminded. A bulletin on Mr Rothschild's condition later states that the bullet, which had flattened itself the bone, had been most successfully removed, and he is progressing satisfactorily. The Matin leans that Hhe bullet struck Mr Ilothseliild on the hip and penetrated to the bone. The wound is, however, not serious.

MAN AND WIFE FIGHT DUEL. A story of a, duel between a woman and her husband, ending in the hitter's, death, comes fromi Paris with all this credentials -of fact. It occurred on Tuesday night in the suburb of Gentilly. The couple, M. and 'Mine. Pttisant, quarrelled at dinner, and left the table to go in search of revolvers. They met in the garden, and a remarkable light followed. They t»ok shelter behind trees and shrute, and crawled from corner to comci", firing a/t eaieh other all tlfce time. Neighbors heard the shots, and nan to see what the trouble was, 'but were afraid to enter the garden. Th« duel was ended by the death of the Uvusband 1 . He, was firing a,i his wife from behind a tree, and incautiously exposed himself. A bullet from the woman's revolver pierced his heart. A FRENCH SOLDIER'S FREAK. A Jioung man named 'l'aul Chevalier, who was cuaight while attcaiwting to burgle a sixtWloor flat in the Avenue PoisfioMiier, Paris, broke away, climbed through a skylight, and took tio the roof. He tried at first to hold the skylight shut amiiust his pursuers, .but was unsiJble, and was chased abo'it the roofs for over an houir. When at last he was captured, he wis* lowered by a rope to 1 the street, where the crowd _ nearly lynched him in spSte of the efforts of the police to urotect him. Blows were rained upon him by the mob, andi at ' ■ covered witSi- Mood and imconycioiH, he was taken into the police station, llero it was ascertained thalt lie was not a professional burglar, hut only "wanted to have a good time" before returning to barracks'. Ho is a gunner in the 30th Artillery. ELOPEMENT COMEDY. Thwarted love suggested an amusing but successful straitSigem U> M. Gaataer, a wealthy man, of MombMin. A girl to whom lie was deeply attached, Mdlle. Rose Martre, left him and went to Nice with a doctor. M. Gauticr followed ami appealed to the doctor to restore his sweetheart to hiiini. The doctor refused, and the two men asked the inspector at the police station to sell-tie the pointThe inspector declined the delicate, task. M. Gauticr then resorted to .strategyHe bought a revolver, loaded with blan,< cartridges, returned to the house where Mile. Martre and the doctor 'were stayiinT and fired, two shots outside their door The doctor and ,tlw girl rushed out. They found M. «nutier on the around, a smoking revolver m his Jiand. With a cTy of rcmomse the girl embraced the prostrate form., while the doctOT ran .off for the nolice. When lie. returned the supposed corpse .Was walking away, with Mile. Martre affectionately clasping Jhia arm.