ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1776, 14 August 1888, Page 4

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

On Friday morning, at Pokotak wo, eojie miles north of Gisborne, five Maori whaleboats were out ia chase of a score of sperm whales, when one monster rushed the boats. One boat was aniaehel to atoms, aud another was stove and eauk uid ws teen no more, and two were severely injured. The occupants of the bonis which were sunk were picked up or managed to get aßhore. The party succeeded in capturing and landing on the beach thrae whales. An elderly man named William Bites met his death by an accident on the Cbriatcburch-Lyttelton railway on Friday. He to'jk a second class ticket for Opawa, and rode on the platform of a smoking carriage. No one noticed him fall off the ir>iu, hut 100 yards before reaching Wilson's road station the train was felt to go over soiuethiDg and oq pulling up, Biles' body was found lyiog on the rails almost cut in two. The body was soot to Christchurch in a r in. The deceased wte seventy-six years old, aud a resident of m»ny years standiog During the passage of the ship Selene from London to Wellington a youih employed as an ordinary seaman fell from aloft while loosening the fore topsail. He struck the ship rail in dtsceot, receiving iDjuries from which he died in a few hours. George Best, aged forty-five, was killed at Woodville on Fri Jay morning while busbfelling. A limb fell and knocked his brains out. He was a married man but had no family. A bankrupt named Charles Henry, of Feiidin-g, sentenced to three months' imprisonment for offences against the Bankruptcy Act, has escaped punishment on appealing, because the warrant on which be was committed did Dot specify tLe gaol in which be was to be imprisoned. On Saturday eight, duriog tba passige of the steamer loea from \lercury Bay to Auckland, and when the vessel was ten miles out, a passenger named George Connor fell overboard and was lost. David Mabey, aged 10, while crossing the U jttlliver on Saturday, was drowned. His horse fell, end the current carried the rider away. A Maori named Tera Penni, just released from Wellington gaol, where lie had been serving a sentence of three yean* for horme-stea iug, took into his head to jump through a storekeeper's window at Wangarui about half-past ten on Saturday night. In his mad leap he cut himself considerably, and smashed crockery t>nri fix:urea in all Jirectione. The storekeeper attempted to seize him, but the Muori thre.vened to brain bim with a saucepan. Finally several people came to the assistance of ihe storekeeper, and the Maori was overpoweied, bound with ropes, an'i conveyed 10 the police station. John Ellis, a compositor, a recent anival from Auckland, made n savage attack upon the landlady of the Customhouse Hotel, Wanganui, with a shovel. Cooper, a board ng-uouse keeper, interfering, was also assaulted, and cut on the bead. 'Rllia was arrested and taken to the lock-up.