LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1318, 24 March 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Concert and Dance. A conoert and dance in aid of the local prize fund takes place at the Eangitata School on Friday next.

School Committee. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Geraldine School Committee will be held on Wednesday evening in the schoolroom at half-past seven.

Stbated prom Home.— News has been received that the young man Gray, who mysteriously disappeared from the Post Office, Oamaru, has been heard of near Dunedin. He is a son of the Ear. Mr Gray, of Waimate.

Postponement op Sal*.— Mr K. F. Gray announces that the sale of stock and household furniture at the farm of the Kev. Mr Gordon, Arowhenua, has bsen postponed till Monday next. Full particulars will be found in our advertising columns. Clearing Sale,— Messrs N. Dunlop and Co., Geraldine, announce that they are now holding a sale of drapery, clothing, groceries, hardware, &c., to make room for further shipments, and quote the prices of a few of the leading lines. We refer our readers to the advertisement for further particulars. Football.— Owing to there being no publicity given of the meeting which was to have been held on Saturday evening in Geraldine to form a Football Club, there were only five or six present. It was therefore decided to postpone the meeting (ill next Friday evening, when it will be held in the Young Men’s Club rooms. The Sporting Season.— ln aniicipaticn of the sporting season Messrs Henry and Fin)day, Temuka, have laid in a large slock of sportsmen’s requisites, which they are ready to dispose of at reasonable rites, They are also ready to repair all kinds of firearms. Their advertisement appears elsewhere.

Monthly Stock Sales.—Messrs J, Mun del) and Co., will hold their next monthly sale of stock at their Geraldine yards, on Wed r nesday, April Ist. gOOO merino ewes will be submitted, in lots to suit purchasers, and additional entries are now being received Mr K. F. Gray, in our advertising columns, publishes the entries received to date for the monthly stock sale at Temuka on Friday next.

Masonic.— The regular monthly meeting of Lodge Southern Star, No 619, S.C., will be held in the Lodgeroom, Geraldine, on Thursday evening at 7.3o.—The regular monthly meeting of St. George'* Lodge, 1856, E. 0., Temuka, summoned for Thursday evening next has been postponed till the 9th April. The Volunteer Movement in Geealdinb. —The Committee appointed to caijiy out the preliminary steps in connection with the formation of the corps are pushing matters forward, and the application for the acceptance of the services of the corps will be forwarded in a few days to the officer in command of the*district. When the application is made the number of intending volunteers, it is anticipated, will exceed forty, there being only one or two short of that number now.

Bicycling.— Messrs 0. H. Reid and T. Thomson started on bicycles from Temuka last Sunday morning at 6 a.m. and reached Raugitata via Geraldine in time for breakfast. They then proceeded on their journey and reached Ashburton at 12 o’clock. After spending about 4 hours at Ashburton they started' horns wards but were caught by the rain at Winslow where they stayed for the night, returning by the first train yesterday morning.

Temuka Young Men’s Club. —A general meeting of the members of the above Club was held last night, the Rev. Mr Hamilton, President, in the chair. After reading the minutes, the President explained the object of the meeting. It was represented to him that the Club would get on better it in a more central position, and be called the meeting to discuss it. After a long conversation on th e subject it was resolved—“ That the present members canvass the absent members with the view of getting them to attend a meeting next Monday evening to consider the advisability of amalgamating with the Mechanics Institute. The meeting then terminated. Fatal Accident at Ashbubtoh, —On Saturday evening (says the Guardian) an accident occurred, by which. Mr John' Bennett, a well-known farmer m the Wakanui district, lost bis life. It appears that about 9 p.m. Mr Bennet left his brother’s residence in Trevorton, with a horse and dray, intendto go to his own home. At a point on the River road, about six miles from Ashburton and five from the deceased’s farm, where the County Council protective works are in progress, the road has been intersected by the river, leaving sn abrupt embankment of nine or ten feet on each side. At about ten o’clock on Sunday morning, the horse and dray driven from Trevorton by the deceased were discovered by a lad named Parker, upset and lying.at the foot of this intersection. On closer examination, Parker noticed the body of a man underneath the dray, and the lad immediately hurried to Ashburton and gave information to the police. Constable Smart at once proceeded to the scene of the accident, and found the deceased, as represented by the lad Parker, lying quite dead, with his face buried in the sand, and the wheel and side of the dray across his hack. Death evidently had been instantaneous, and although a medical examination has not been made there are reasons to believe deceased’s spine was broken by the fall, The horse attached to the dray bad fallen on its back, and remained in that position until released by Constable Smart and Messrs Leatham, Wakelin, and Tait, who also removed the body of deceased to his late residence, where an inquest will be held, Mr Bennett had been a resident in the Wakanui district for nearly thirteen years, and leaves a wife and family and a large circle of friends to mourn bis loss. A Ceded Stepmother.— At the Dunedin Police Court last Saturday a man named Fleming and his wife (stepmother of the children) were charged with cruel treatment of their children. It appeared that Fleming’s wife died in June last and he married a woman named Condon in November. He had three children, aged 11, 9 and 5 years respectively, and the cruelty to which they were subjected caused the neighbors to report the matter to the police. The result of an investigation was that Dr Fergusson gave the following certificate : —“ I hereby certify that at the request of Sergt, Macdonell, of South Dunedin, I have this eyenjng examined John, Mary, and Isabella Fleming, the chib dren of Alexander Fleming, residing in Kensington. Their bodies present indications of their having been cruelly beaten, being covered with red angry streaks or lines from the head to the feet. There are marks of bruises of old-standing in, different parts of the body.” A member of the Star staff says : This morning we were afforded an opportunity of seeing the children, and were horrified by a sight of marks which could only be the result of whippings equal to the lashes proscribed for hardened criminals. From head to foot the unfortunate children were covered with excoriations, and in many of the outs there were signs of blood, Not a portion of the bodies with the exception of the faces had escaped stripes which must have caused intense agony. The children were bright, intelligent and good looking, and from their demeanor we should judge that they would lake their place amongst the best behaved in any community. The boy informed us that his injuries were caused by the beatings of his father and mother, the latter having beaten him last evening and the former a few days ago. The girl Mary told a suniUr story, but the younger one would not state how she received the fearful cuts and bruises all over her. Mrs Wall, who had lived next door to the Flemings for the last six weeks, lias heard the children beaten almost daily, and Mrs Lamb, the previous tenant, saw the boy beaten several times by Mrs Fleming, who had also threatened more than once to murder the children. The children have been attending the Kensington Public School, and get an excellent character for obedience and respectfulness from the head teacher, Mr Moore. Dr. Fergpssop sajd he neyer saw children so cruelly treated. Fleming and his wife were remanded till next Wednesday.

Mrs A. M. Cpiik, Arowhenua, advertises for a general servant. Eobt. Lewestry Wilson, of Geraldine, carpenter, has filed a declaration of insolvency.