AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1552, 4 September 1886, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

MELBOURNE. On August 20th crowds of unemployed with placards with the \>ords "Work or Pood," and Iwmurs inscribed with starving families, marched to the Treasury Buildings and desired admission to Hi* Chief Secretary's room. The police refused, and the mob then ruehed upon them, and some of the police were roughly handled, one bemg cut with b loaded stick. Reinforcements were telephoned for, and the crowd was speedily dispersed, three arrests being made. Florence Mo,rrel, aged fifteen, has been committed for trial for setting fire to the house of Mrs Perry. Accused admitted her guilt, saying she set fire to the place because Mrs Perry had been nasty with ber, A man named Field was charged at the Police Court with a deed of horrible cruelty, he having, it was alleged, thrown his 'son, into the fire. The boy's body bore the marks of the grate irons, but defendant, who had come home drunk, declared that the boy had fallen into the fire. The boy, however, swore ihat his father, after beating him with a stick, took him by the arm and leg and threw him on the fire two or three times. Defendant was fined £2, with costs, and ordered to find sureties to keep the peace. lie went to gaol in default of pajment.

On August 19th the body of a young woman, named Clara Crawley, was found lying on the beach at Elsternwickjust at the edge of the water, quite dead, and it is supposed she committed suicide during the night. Just above higb-waler mark the constable saw a small bundle, and he was about to turn it over with his foot when a faint wail issued from it, and an examination showed that the bundle contained an infant two weeks old. After the inquest, Constab'e Holland, who has no family, adopted the infant.

SYDNEY. A shocking case of murder and suicide occurred at Darlington recently. A young married woman, residing apart from her husband, bung her son three years of age and then hung hereelf. ... Powell, who is now awaiting his trial for the wilful murder of bis wife at Stockton, behaved rationally up to August 20th, when lie exhibited violent symptoms of mental derangement. He is now under close restraint. The inqurst on the body of Elizabeth BJanche Kent, the victim of the Redfern poisoning, is concluded. The husband of deceased, Henry Thomas Kent, was recalled and questioned as to the bottle of laudanum which was found in a b >x in

a back room and lljrown away by the servant at his direction. Ue had previously said tbflt be wan not aware that there was any poison in the box. The coroner pointed out that this statement did not agree with »he svidence previously given by the witness, who saiil that the laudanum was kept in (he house during bis wife's illness, and was accessible to her. '1 he witness also made other conflicting statements, and bis evidence was tbe reverse of satisfactory. It transpired that Kent and his wife had lived apart at the end of 1884, owing to deceased suspecting her husband of improper intimacy with her sister, and it was also suggested that undue familiarity existed between K*»t and the servant, Caroline Roberts, who wag constantly in attendance on Mrs Kent during her illness. Mrs Kent's sister has been staying at Kent's house 6ince the death of his wife. Further evidence was adduced as to Kent's denial of having known of any poison being in the house, Tbe jury returned a verdict to the effect " that deceased died from the effects of poison wilfully and feloniously administered by her husband, and that Caroline Roberts, tbe servant, was an accessory, before I the fact, to the murder." They were, - accordingly, committed for trial, i A coroners' jury returned a virdict ' of wilful murder against Alfred Rey- • nolds, whose wife di<-il fiom the rffec'is ' of opium, which she slated her husband [ compelled her to drink. Accused said : > " I am pleased with the verdict of the jury, and hope that the next jury will

bring in the same verdict without a rider." He is a young man, of florid complexion, not at all remarkable in appearance ; in fact, as the bystanders observed, " He does not look like a murderer." During the enquiry tw» voluntary ad-missions of guilt were sworn to. Beyond stating that they quarrelled about money matters, Reynolds assigned no reason for wishing to be rid of her. Jealousy is not hinted at, and there is less excuse for the crime than was at first thought. The accused eaid he did not wish to make any defence.