LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1052, 9 January 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Priestly and Hamilton Hordes Case.—There are 35 witnesses for the prosecution in the ease against Priestly and Mrs Hamilton for alleged murder. In Bankruptcy.—A meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of Mr D. Leach wi! 1 be held in the Resident Magistrate's Cou-t----house, Temuka, to morrow, at one o'clock.

Annual Election of School Committkes. —Mr H.W. Hammond, Secretary to the Board of Education, notifies that a public meeting of householders for the purpose of electing a School Committee for the coning term, will be held in the schoolhouse on

Monday the 22nd January next. Thanks.—Mr E. J. Collins, Secretary to the prize fund of the Milford School, writes: —"To the Editor. Sir,—Will you allow me publicly to return thanks to Mr Edmonds a.id all who bo willingly assisted the Com mittee in arranging the late entartainnietifc in aid of tho prize fund at Milford School."

Geraldine County 'Election. —We would remind our readers that the nomination of candidates for the vacant seat for the Temuka riding in the Geraldine County Council nmst bo ma <e with Mr W. Wills, the returning officer, before noon to dav. If necessary, a poll will be taken on the 16lli January.

Tenciebs for Leasehold Pbopeety.—The trustees in tho bankrupt estate of Mr D. Leach invite tenders for the goodwill of the lease of the Native Ecsorve, Arowhenua, comprising about 360 acres grazing land, with improvements; also forth l ' ;.< •' . ■■•? ~0 oats, and 31 v.- acres linseed, renders close to-day. An Industrious Minister.— The Ear C. J. Byng invited the pedestrians, etc., who competed at the GVedonian games Dunedin to attend a special service on their behalf on Monday evening. One evening la»t we«k he gave a special address to the Fire Brigade

membors, and has announced his intention of inviting the publicans also to meet him.

Vagrants. Two men, named Francis Coyne and Thomas Hanley, were arrested by Mounted-Cons'able McKinnon (of Timaru) Be u* Arowhenua on Sunday last. It appears that the men had been begging for food at Woollcombe's Gully, near Timaru, and wore very insolent in their demands. They were yesterday sentenced by a Timaru J.P. to one month's imprisonment with hard labor.

A Disgraceful Case.—At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Grahauistown, last Friday, an old man named Nolton was brought up, charged with being the father of ■■. child by his own daughter. The case was heard at length, and was most revolting in ils details. Nolton's wife gave evidence against him in addition to that given by tho daughter. The case was ultimately dismissed for want of sufficient evidence.

Strange Fatal Accident.—A laborer named Watkin, employed at the new High School buildings, Dunedin, met. with his death somewhat peculiarly on Friday. He fell on a stone wall, along which he was walking, and when picked up was found to have broken his neck. No one saw him stumble, but: at the most he did not fall over eighteen inches. He was a married mau with a farmlv of seven.

Nasty Accident —Says tho Christohurch Telegraph : While the Artillery Volunteers wore firing the salute in honour of ffis Ex celleucy the Governor last Wednesday, one of them, Gunner Washer, met with an accident, which though of a painful character, was fortunately not attended with fatal results. He was employed carrying cartridges from the limber to the gun, and he wa standing with one in his hand near the muzzle of the piece while it was being sponged out. A epark was blown from the gun on to the cartridge, and immediately it exploded, inflicting a number of severe burns on Washer's breast, neck and arms.

Suicide.—John Wilson, a farm laborer, committed suicide last Friday afternoon bj drinking arsenic from a bottle at Craig's farm, Wairoa. He was brought into the Wangam.i Hospital, and died ten minutes after admission. Before taking poison, Wilson threatened Mr Craig and the family with a revolver, and he is believed to have been insane. At the inquest on deceased, a verdict that he committed suicide while suffering frmn temporary insanity was returned, one out of thirteen jurymen dissenting. Th« evidence showed Wilson took a pound of arsenic, .ml that the case arose out of a love Affair.

* ilfohd Cokcert.—A meeting of the Committee appointed to get up the concert in aid of the prize fund, met on Friday evening. After providing for every liability, it was found thutthe net proceeds amounted to £ls 15s, the gross takings haying been £lB 13s. Hearty votes of thanks wei\j passed to Mr Edmonds, and all who so willingly aided the Committee, and to Mr Partes for the loan of his piano. Mr Collins was also ihanked for tho trouble he took in connection with the arrangements. It was decided to give the school children a treat, and to distribute the prizes on Friday the 19th inst., on which day the usual harvest holidays will commence. Inquest.—An inquest was held in the Courthouse yesterday, before I. N. Watt, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr George Dyson was chosen foreman. The evidence of Constable B,>urke was to the effect that from information received he went to the tea beach near the Seadown estate on Sunday last, and found there tho body of » man which evidently had been washed ashore. There was no clothing on the body excepting one sock. The body was very much decomposed. It whs lying on the sand about l'i yards from high water mark and bad apparently been washed up by a heavy eca. He had brought it to Temuka. A verdict to the effect that the body wa3 found on the beach, but fiat thero was no evidence as to how the man came by his death was returned. Suspicious Fibks.—A fire, supposed to have been caused by an incendiary, and which resulted in the destruction of a 6tack con taining a quantity of ryegrass seed valued at £l5O, occurred at iho Levels Estate, nearly opposite the Waitohi railway station, early on Saturday last. It appears that Mr Robert Day, a farmer, who lives a short distance from the spot where the stack was built, returned home fioin Albury between twelve and one o'clock on Saturday morning, and while having some refreshments in kii house observed the reflection of a light through one of his windows He went outside and saw tho stack in question in flames. He states that he observed a man running away from the stack and jump over the gorse fence which separates tue paddock from the main road. Detective Kirby went out on Saturday afternoon to institute enquiries. Theproporty destroyed was uninsured. On Sunday night a whare at the camp of Messrs Roddick and Dunn, at Orari, was set on (ire, but the men there extinguished it before any serious damage was clone A man named Robert Innes. who had come there on Saturday morning, was found to have decamped. He had obtained matches from some of them previously and suspicion at once fell on him. Information was given to the police yesterday rooming, but as he had been suspected of burning the stack of bay at the Levels, tho police were already on tlic look out for him. Yesterday afternoon information was received that the man was arrested by Constable Stanley, on the Levels Plains. It is supposed that he is of unsound mind.

Committed rou Trial,—At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Thames, last Saturday, a charge of attempted rape upon Mrs Ehrenfried laid against, W. W. Gudgeon, lately local agent for the New Zealand Herald, was disposed of. Mrs Ehrenfried's evidence, although she was subjected to severe crossexamination by counsel, was very clear and distinct against the accused. Mr Ehrenfried and his manager, Mr Styke, proved the find ing of Gudgeon in the act of holding Mrs Ehrenfried down in the endeavour to assault; her. Mrs Ehren r ned utterly denies giving Gudgeon any encouragement in bii conduct. Her screams brough her husband and Stykc to her assistance. Gudgeon is a married man, acd himself and wife were on intimate visiting terms at Ehrenfried's house, where the offence is stated to have been committed, Mr Cooper who appeared for Gudgeon, reserved all defence for the Supreme Court sitting to which the accused has been committed, bail being allowed at £3OO personal and two sureties of £2OO each. The case has naturally excite! great interest, as the parties move m what is termed good lociety. The Court was cleared during the hearing.

Mr Thorn >s Talbot, Waitohi, invites tender, for stooking and forking into carts a field of 300 acres wheat, oats, and barley.