LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1156, 4 October 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Masonic—An emergency meeting of the Lodge Southern Star, No. 619, S.C., Geraldine, take* place this evening. The Auckland Eviction.—The Grand Jury ha* thrown out the Bill against Donoghue, Casey and Henessey, for the Catholic cemetery eviction. Captain Smith still in Ttouble.— Henry Graham has laid an information against Captain Smith, of the Salvation Army, for assault and battery on Sunday last in Timaru. Primitive Metholist Church. The Eev. J B Hayes, of Geraldine, will conduct services in the Primitive Methodist Church Temuka, next Sunday, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and 6.30 in the evening. The Bible in Schools.—At the State School at Milton, Otago, a country town, the Head Master agreed to conduct a Bible class before the school hour in the morning, and out of 283 sufficiently advanced to read the Bible 251 attended. Fire-Proof Houses. That scientific wonders will never cease is again illustrated by the fact that fireproof houses can now be built out of cotton and straw, In the first instance, the cotton used is the refuse of the factories and plantations. It is converted into paste, which gets to be as hard as stone, and is called architectur.il cotton. It is made in large globes.

■Resident Magistrate’s Court, Geraldine. —The usual monthly sitting of this Court will be held to-day, at the Courthouse at 10 a.m.

The‘lndian Corn Doctor.’— The trial of Henry Winter, better known as the Indian corn doctor, for fraudulent insol vency, has concluded at Sydney. The prisoner was sentenced to three and a-half years’ imprisonment. This is the man with whom the barmaid went away from Timaru about 18 months’ ago.

Caught at Last—E. H. C. Plowden. schoolmaster, was on Monday last at Greymouth sentenced to three months’ imprison ment for obtaining money under false pre tenees. Many of the residents of .Temuka will recollect this individual, and be glad to know that he has at last received his desert* Geraldine Literary Institute —The Hon. Secretary of the Institute intimates in another column that as a new catalogue i« being made out ot the books in the Library, subscribers haviag boots in their possession are requested to return the same at once, so that no delay may occur. Happy State op Affairs. —A Guernsey correspondent, writing to an English paper, i states ; ‘ Her Majesty’s prison in this island is at present empty, the only two prisoners having been discharged this morning. This is a very gratifying condition ot affairs, and speaks well for the absence of crime among a population of over 32,000. A similar occurrence has not occurred during the 27 rears that the present governor of the prison has held office.’ Hidden Treasures;— I There has been organised at Paris, under the direction of the learned Abbe Moigno, the founder of the Cosmo, a society having for its object ihe dragging of the bottom «f ihe Red sea and the Bitter Lakes, to find the chariots and treasurei of the army of Pharoah, supposed to be at the bottom of these waters, covered by saline deposits. A sum of 750,000 francs has been subscribed for the expense. Divers will search the Red Sea and the Bitter Lakes to discover the arms, the armour, and the precious stones that were in the possession of the Egyptians when they were engulphsd.

; Civilisation and Criminal*.— Professor von Bar, of Gottengen, one of the best German authorities on the history of criminal law, says that it is a remarkable phenomenon, proved by the experience of decayed states and races, that the demand for increased severity in the character of the punishment of the criminal class, for revengeful extremes, like death and physical torture, has hitherto been one of the invariable symptoms of a sinking political power and a declining intellectual and moral culture. Society becomes pitiless as it becomes corrupt- It is itself half-conscious that it is diseased beyond remedy, and that its deluge is approaehing. It looks upon every criminal individual as incurable, and treats him as a mad beast who bo must simply got out of the way. Charge Against a Clergyman. A good deal of excitement has been caused by the action of the Melbourne Presbytery in bringing the charge of heresy against the Rev. Charles Strong. General sympathy is felt for him, as ho is well known for his unceasing efforts to ameliorate the condition •E the poor, and is foremost in all works of Christian charity. Rev. Mr McEachran made the charge, and very bitter feeling was evinced. The proceedings lacked order in many instances. Eventually the subject was referred to the General Assembly. The Scots Church congregation, of which Mr Strong was pastor, subsequently held a meeting to express their confidence in him, and hoped his resignation would not be carried into effect 1 The action of the Presbytery against Mr Strong had the result of causing the Scots Church to resolve to separate from the Presbyterion Church of Victoria. A large meeting of the congregation decided on this step.

SiBANfflE OCCURRENCE. —A singular death is reported from West Clyde, six miles from Napier; Early on Sunday morning a boy. going out with milk found a woman lying in a ditch on the side of the road. He recognised her as Mrs O’Beilly, aged thirty-six years a servant at the West Clive Hetel, her brother being a wheelwright in the same townshipThe woman was taken immediately to her brother’s house, but though every effort was made to restore animation, she died in half-an-hour. It appears that the deceased, to gather with her brother and Mrs left the hotel the previous night at half-past eight, intending to see the latter to her home a mile down (he road. The night was dark and raining. After going a little way deceased said she’would not go any further, and would wait till Hall returned. Hall wanted to take her into a neighbouring cottage, but she refused. When Hall returned, not seeing her, he imagined she had returned to the hotel. At the hotel it was supposed she had spent the night at Hall’s, and no suspicions were aroused.

Funeral of a Maori Chief.— A grand military funeral, that of Mete Kingi, took place in the Mission Cemetery, Putiki near Wanganui, on Monday afternoon in the presence of 1000 spectators and 1100 Maoris from all parts of the North Island. The pall bearers were twelve chiefs of high rank, including Major Kemp, Wi Parata and Renatu, of Hawke’s Bay. The Native Minister, the Mayor of Wanganui, the Under Secretary, and other officials were present, and a crowd of Europeans and Maoris followed the coffin from the pah to the grave. About 230 Volunteers were present, under the command of Major Stapp, and fired three volleys over the grave. The burial service of the Church of England was read by the Rev. T. S. Grace and throe Maori clergymen, The day was fine and warm. Mr Grace delivered a short address at the grave—first in Maori and then in English—referring to Mete Kingi’s friendship and services to the Pakeha and his loyal support to the Government. After the funeral Mr Bryce inspected the Wanganui Volunteers, and ’warmly complimented them on their efficiency, appearance and numbers.

Supreme Court, Dunedin. —Oa Tuesday John Day, aged sixty-three, for rape oa a child of tender years, at Blueskin, Otago, was sentenced to five years. The Roys, charged with the manslaughter of fireman Henderson were arraigned and pleaded not guilty, but all the Crown witnesses not being in attendance, the trial was adjourned till to-day.

Concert.— ln another column will be found the programme of the concert to take place on Tuesday next In the new school buildings, Temuka, to celebrate the opening of the new District High School. The tickets for the concert are selling rapidly, and the Committee and the Hon. Secretary are doing everything in their power to make the concert enjoyable. Giron fine weather, the concert should prove a geeat success, both musically and financially. A dance will take place at the conclusion of the concert. Inquest.— An inquest was held in the Crown Hotel, Temuka, yesterday morning, before J, Beswiok, Esq., coroner, on the body of Terence Douglass who was drowned in the creek at Sod Town. Mr Kirk wa» chosen foreman of the jury. The evidence of Mrs Douglass, the mother of the deceased, was to the effect that the child was with her in the house at 11 o’clock last Monday morning and about half-an-hour afterwards, when she went to look for him,she found him floating down the stream. Dr Campbell was also examined, and a verdict of ‘ accidentally drowned’ was returned. ■ V'

The County Council.— At yesterday’s meeting of the Geraldine County Council, Messrs Marchant and Measoh, the Engineers appointed to report on the Raifgitata Bridge, reported that they had tested it with a travelling load of 24 tons and that it stood the test well. The report was very able. The following resolutions were then carried : * Tha notice be given in accordance with the Rating Act of 1882; that a rate of id in the £ of the rateable value of the county will bo struck at a special meeting of the Council to be held on Saturday, October 20, the same to be a, general rate for the, period ending March 31, 1884, payable in one instalment on Nov. I, nest.' ‘ That a special meeting of the Council be held on Saturday, Oot. 20, at 2 p.m.for the purpose of striking a general rate of one farthing in the £ on the rateable yajue o the county.’ Mr Stubbs was appointed rata collector, and it was resolved— ‘ That the Ashburton Connty Council be asked to accept the sum of £ISOO now available fo immediately handing over to them, and that the balance bo allowed to stand I f'or'pv pending the collection of the rate now to be struck, the Council guaranteeing full ftqriidation on or before December 31,1883.’ Jltr Clulee gave notice of motion as follows sj—‘Seeing the whole contribution of rates from the Mount Peel and; Geraldine Read districts amounts to only some £9OO and that those districts are so immediately interested in the construction of the bridge, the sum * of'£l3oo be deducted from the total amount collected in the county and divided among the Level*, Temuka and Mount Cook road districts iu proportion to the amount contributed by those respective road; districts as asubsidy from the Ciioncil.’ [

Mr J. Y. Ward has fifteen acre*' first class land for sals, about fifteen minutes’ walk from Geraldine.

Mr W. S. Maslin will sell On Tueiday next the stock in trade of a blacksmith, on the premises next the Bush Hotel, Geraldine, Mr E, F. Gray, auctioneer, Temuka, will sell 3 first class aujop dogs at Winchester Fair to day. Also fat ca'.tlc and sheep., Mes*rs J. Mundell and Co, auctioneers, Geraldine, will hold a clearing sale of freehold property, sawmills, sawn timber, at the Mills of Mr George Meredith, Fairfield Bush, near Woodbury; next Wednesday. Messrs Lawson and Worner, butchers, Geraldine, announce that as the firm Will dissolve partnership on Ist November next, all accounts due up to Ist October, must be immediately settled to prevent legal proceedings.

, The Stud.—Young Wellington (Clydes* dale), the property of Mr R Matthews, vrill stand this season. ■ Lord Loftus (Clydesdale), the property of Mr M. Wightman, will travel the districts this season. Ving-et-une (Thoroughbred) the property of Mr 0. Nicholson will stand this season. Cothsr* stone (thoroughbred), the property of Mr G H Thompson, will stand the season. Full particulars in advertisements.

Good for Babies.— “ We are pleased to say that our baby was permanently cured of a serious protracted irregularity of the bowels by the use of Hop Bitters by its mother, which at the same time restored her to perfect health and strength.”— The Parents. See. .