LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 981, 22 July 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Recent Eire in Dunedin. —Another death has resusted from the late fatal fire in Dunedin. Captain Kitchener died yesterday morning. The Exhibition, —The balance-sheet as certified to by Mr Joubert, shows the expenses to hare been £15,460 16s lOd, and the receipts £13,464 17s 4d, leaving a deficiency of £1995 19s 6d. But the building is yet to be sold, and as it cost £IO,BBB the promoters are bound to have a profit after defraying all expenses.

Sudden Death. —A very sudden death occurred yesterday morning, at Eangitata South. An old man known as Thomas Brown, while eating his breakfast, at the residence of Mr Greorgo Caneran, farmer, suddenly expired. The deceased had been complaining since last Saturday, but nothing serious was anticipated,. The body was removed to the Crown Hotel where an inquest will be held today, Chkisxv Minstrels. —The programme of the local Christy Minstrel Club’s entertainment appears in another column and (will speak for itself. The club has been practising assiduously for the last month, under the direction of Messrs Edmonds and Stratton, and will doubtless give a good as - count of themselves on the 28th of July, when theyiwill give their first entertainment. All the music has been arranged by Mr Stratton, and Mr Edmonds has spared no pains in the training of the vocalists.

A Wipe Sentenced to Imprisonment.— In Lyttleton last Wednesday a woman named Arthur was charged by her husband with using threatening language to him and assaulting him. The defendant did not appear in answer to the summons that had been served on her. The complainant stated that since he had obtained an order from the Court prohibing his wife being supplied with drink she had threatened him and assaulted him violently. Sergeant Morice gave evidence as to the woman’s general bad and violent character, and the Bench sentenced her to ' two months’ imprisonment with hai’d labor. It is usually husbands who are sentenced to durance vile for assaulting their wives, but the scales have been turned the other way in thi» case.

Death or a Pbisonhb;— John Cunningham, a prisoner undergoing sentence of 8 years’ penal servitude in Lyttelton gaol, to which place he was conveyed from Timaru, was working in the quarry there, last Thursday, when his crowbar slipped, and ho foil down a height of 12 feet and broke his neck. Death was instantaneous.

Colonial Industry. —Mr W. Swanson, M.H.R., has presented to the Wellington Museum miscellaneous samples of Auckland manufactured glassware. The samples consist of water bottles, jugs, confectionery jars, stained claret jugs, hyacinth, glasses, globes, ordinary tumblers, and pint and half-pint mugs. The articles are exceedingly well finished, and can scarcely be detected from the imported articles. The operations of the Union Sash and Door Company,of Auckland, yielded during the past six months a net profit of £13,000. An interim dividend of 10 per cent per cent per share has been declared, consuming £IO,OOO. The balance of £3OOO was passed forward.

Timaett Steam Collier Company. —The shareholders in the above Company hold a meeting last Thursday evening. Mr J. S. Gibson occupied the chair, and said the capital of £IO,OOO in £SO shares had b een fully subscribed. They ought to be able to land coal in Timaru for 25s or 27s per ton, Timaru was behindhand in starting anything. Their woollen factory had failed, while north and south of them factories^were springing up. Saiapoi was once a deserted village, and now it gave employment to 600 or 700 men. He had great faith in the movement. Mr John Jackson pointed out that Oamaru and Ashburten were pushing ahead and canvassing for persons willing to take up shares. Articles of Association were adopted ; the Bank of New Zealand was appointed the company’s bank, and instructions were given to the provisional directors to get the vessel at once, in accordance with the plan shown by Mr Watson, The company may therefore be said to be started. A Policeman in a Predicament. —Puller information has been received of the remarkable sticking-up case which occurred at Clydevale station last week. . A judgement summons or writ had been taken out against one J ohn Hewitt, who resides on a section opposite Taupeka Mouth, above Clydevale station, and a police constable from Clinton accompanied by anether man, went to Hewitt’s place and took possession of a lot of cattle. The constable and his mate removed the cattle down the Clydevale road some distance, when Hewitt and his son came galloping after them, and presenting one a gun and the other a revolver, stuck up the men in charge. Hewitt defied the constable on peril of his life, to move ..he cattle another yard, and kept the policeman covered with his gun, at the same time ordering his son to ,s shoot the officer like a dog if he attempted to arrest him.” The constable appealed to the son, and asked if he would really fire, when the boy replied, “I must obey father.” Por fully two hours they kept the constable, who was unarmed, and his mate bailed up, and finally they had to leave without the cattle. Hewitt was recently charged with unlawfully killing cattle, the property of the New Zealand Company, on the ranges above Clydevale;

Supreme Court. — At the Sup feme Court sitting at Dunedin, Thoina* Ramage, aged over 60, convicted the previous day of rape upon his granddaughter, nine years, Was sentenced to eight years. John Francis Kitto under committal for the murder of his son. in-law, Roggerio, at Miller’s Plat, was brought before the jury to try whether ho was insane, or not. Dr Neil of the asylum gave evidence that he considered Kit to insane. The prisoner asked him in what way he had found him ins ane. Dr Neil answered that he had considered his son-in-law possessed by the devil. “ No,” said the prisoner, “ not possessed by the devil; he was the devil.” His Honor asked if Kitto imagined himself any particular person, and Kitto said “ I am professing to be The Christ.” The jury found him insane and ho w»s remanded to the Asylum, pending the pleasure of the Colonial Secretary. Cuthbert McKellar, charged with embezzlement from the National Bank at Mosgiel, was found guilty. According to the statement of the prisoner's counsel, the prisoner in the discharge of his duties had to go about to hotels, etc., collecting money, and the money he was charged with embezzling was so collected. The jury added a recommendation to mercy, in consequence of the mode of conducting businesss, and a sentence of six months was passed. Eliza Whitton, on a charge of larceny, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Samuel Henry Lees pleaded guilty 1 o uttering and forging his father’s name to a cheque. He was sentenced to one mouth’s imprisonment without hard labor, Charles Wilkins and Andrew Neilsou were eaeli sentenced to one month’s imprisonment without hard labor for fixing Hennessy’s labels to brandy bottled by them. The brandy seized was ordered to be forfeited. The Frozen Meat Shipment pee Dunedin. —The telegrams state that the vessel arrived in London Docks on 24th May, and on 2nd June half the cargo had been sold at an average of nearly 6id per lb. The sheep came out of their bags as bright as new killed mutton, and were declared by the Smithfield salesmen to be simply perfection, and worth 9d per lb if not frozen. The lambs were greatly appreciated, fetching 7d to 7kl per lb. The very heavy sheep shipped by Mr Shancl attracted much attention, hut only realised 5d per lb. One sheep turned the scale at ISOlbs, and the Londoners could scarcely bo brought to believe that such weights could be attained without artificial feeding. One hundred sheep were sent every night to Glasgow, and realised rather more than in London, about 6jd for mutton and 7id for lamb. At the same time the Scotch butchers complained of ’"he weights as being too heavy for them. The pigs were quite as good as English pig ß ) and averaged 6Jd per lb. It is satisfactory to know that the salesmen declare that there ceuld not be any improvement ia

the method of slaughtering and sending the Cargo Home, and that the greatest credit is due to those who superintended operations here, and to Captain Whitson, of the Dunedin. The prime parts of the carcasses were sold by retail butchers at lOd psr lb. When the mail left an angry controversy was pro* >; ceeding in the metropolitan journals between leading proprietors whose interests are on* ■; dangered and butchers with regard to the price of meat, and the facility which the rapid development of the frozen provisionstrade affords to persons of-limited income to obtain’ colonial meat of good quality at reasonable prices. Another telegram . states that a portion of the cargo of frozen mutton ex steamship Orient was sold by auction on July 17th, and realised an average of 6Jtd per lb.

Mr Wm. Et. Uprichard is authorised to collect the debts of Mr H. Mahnka, m conjunction with Mr Bolton.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold their weekly sale of horses, drays, and harness at their Horse Bazaar, Timaru, today,

Mr W. C. Andrews, poundkeeper, Geral* dine, notifies that a bay horse will bs told at the Geraldine Pound next Saturday if not previously released. Messrs E. Wilkin and Co., will hold thfir ~ weekly sale of horses, drays, ate., at their yards, Timaru, today. On Thursday next they will dispose of a choice lot of fruit and forest trees.