LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2105, 30 September 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Arthur Clampett.—lt was rumoured that Arthur Clampett had arrived in Christchurch on Friday night, but he has not yet shown in pub’ic. Burglary, —William Mandera and Henry Ernest Perry were committed for in Christchurch on charges of breaking into .Lake’s . boot factory and stealing boots, and breaking into Aulsebrook’s bisqnit factory and stealing a small sum of money. Geraldine Stock Salk. —The fortnightly stock s’sle'at Geraldine takes place to-morrow. Attention is directed to the numerous entries to be submitted by Messrs J, Mundell and Co., Messrs H. B. Webster and Co., and Messrs B. R. Guinness aod A. B. Cox. All the auctioneers receive further entries to hour of sale.

Alleged Infanticide. A young’ woman named Lily Ella Patten was arrested at Christchurch on Friday night on suspicion of being the mother of the child whose body was found in Armagh street on September 18th. She is the daughter of the people on whose premises the body was found, and denied that she was confined.

Political.—Mr Alfred Saunders, member for Lincoln, addressed a crowded meeting of his constitntents at Kirweo on Friday evening. He strongly condemned the po'icy of the Government, and announced that if again returned he would not suppoit the present Ministry. His speech was professedly a review of the past session and not a declaration of his future course of action. Ho received a vote of thanks.

The Hutchison Charges. —Mr George Hutchison, addressing the electors in Waitotara, referred to the offer he bad made that the Government libel action should go to trial at Wanganui at the September sitting.. That offer the Government declined, but within the last few days proposed to bring the trial on at Wellington next mouth. Mr Hutchison said the Government must have known he had previously announced public meetings over the Waitotara electorate covering the whole time up to the polling day, and the proposal appeared to be made knowing it must be declined. He bad, howev r, offered to go for trial if the Government postponed the elections for one month.

Rangitira Valley. —The Rev. T, A. Hamilton lectured in the Rangitira Valley Schoolroom on Friday evening last, in aid of the Sunday School funds. There was a large attendance, the room being crowded to excess. The subject of the lecture was “ A Crnisa in the Mediterranean,’ and it was listened to with the greatest of pleasure, the lecturer being heartily applauded. During the evening Mrs Harrison sang ‘ Cowslips ’ and ‘ Excelsior,’ Mrs Talbot ' The Wishing Cap ’ and ‘Eileen Aannah,' and Miss and Master Brown contributed an instrumental duet (violin) 1 Bonnie Dundee ’ and other selections, all being greatly appreciated. Mrs Harrison played the accompaniments •n n most tasteful manner. Previous to the lectvu9 a first-class tea was disposed of. it was altered for by Mr McCaskill, to whom credit is dps for its excellence. Mr Talbot thaojsad thp ladies who had presided at the (89, the lecturer, apd the performers. Referring tQ Mr Hamilton he said he was always ready to assist in any good work, and that he was ‘ both useful and ornamental on siifih occasions.’ Mr .Norton, on behalf of the Sunday School, thanked all who had assisted, and made special reference to the work of Mr Charles Talbot in the Sunday School, and expressed regret that bis removal to Fairlie Creek would compel him to re,-1 liaquieh it, |

Geraldine County Anglers Society. —The annual general meeting of the G eraldine County Anglers Society took place yesterday evening at the Crown Hotel, Temuka. A foil report will appear in our next. Temnka Band of Hope and Total Abstinence Society. —The meeting arranged for Friday evening in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, has poatpoaed until the beginning of next week. Notice of time and programme will appear in our advertising columns. The March ®e Science. —The Mexican Post Office Department is about to adopt a novel device. A phonograph is to be placed in each principal office in the country for the accommodation of tho numerous citizens who cannot road or write. The illiterate Mexican willl go' to the post office talk his message into tho receiver of the phonograph, and when the cyclinder reaches Hs destination the person addressed will bra sent for and the message will be repeated to him from another machine.

Haßp Luck. —Here is a ease of real hard lock. A man was walking in Paris the other day, when he was knocked down and robbed. Amongst the valuables taken were a diamond pin and a gold cigarette Ouse. When the police picked him np, he evinced a desire to g® off without saying a word about the robbery, and did not want to prosecute. The thief, however, was caught, and the assaulted one had to appear —much against his will—and charge the man. While standing up in Oonrt, explaining how ho hoi bean assaulted, he was recognised &y a detective as a notorious thief and house-breaker, wanted by the police, and was const quently taken good care of at the end of the trial which bad originally brought him into Court. Geraldine Literary and Debating Society. —The usual fortnightly meeting of this society was held in the library of the Mechanics’ Institute en Wednesday evening last; The roam was crowded with members and their frieads. Mr H. WV Moore, president of the society, occupied the chair. An exceedingly interesting paper on ‘ The Progress of Society during the Past Sixty or Seventy Fears* was read by Dr Fish. Quite an animated discussion followed the reading of the paper, and the writer was accorded a hearty vote of thanks fhrthe same.. A capital paper on ‘ Reading;’ prepared by Mias Gardner, was read Mr J. Aitkeo. Soma of the points raised by Mies Gardner were discussed, and she was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for her really able and well-written paper. The meeting then terminated. Divorce.—' The divorce suit Atkinson V. Atkinson and another (husband’s petition) was concluded at the Supreme Court, Dunedin, last Friday. In addressing the jury, Mr Justice Williams said that the parlies had gone into the box and had not been cross'-oxamined. In the fairest and clearest way they had dom nstrated.their innocence, and were supported by other witness. It seemed extraordinary that action should have been taken at all. The petitioner did not appear and was“said te be out of the colony, and the chief witness did not appear. That witness, who appeared to have been a “boots” ot a hotel, could only have bad some cock-and-bull story to tell them ; either he had stuffed Atkinson or suborned, and he was afraid to stand cross-sxaminatiou. So far as His Honor could see,. the conduct of the petitioner had been utterly reckless and cruel, and one could not see how the case had ever been launched, or, launched, bow it was proceeded with. “Gentlemen,” said His Honor in conclusion, “ your duty is to answer the first issue in the negative.” The jury formally answered the issues in favor of the respondent and corespondent. The foreman said that (he jury did not think there was a shadow of doubt as to the fidelity of Mrs Atkinson. The petition was dismissed, with costs. A Good Pull. —Quite a number of people assembled at the Waihi crossing, Geraldine, on Saturday, attracted there by the fact that Mr M. Scannell’s traction engine, which has been busy for some time past drawing grain from Mr W. Postlowaite’s estate to Temuka, was about to cross the river and to ascend the catting near Mr Morrison’s store. The engine was drawing three large trucks, each leaded with fifty bags of wheat. Altogether the load, counting the wheat and trucks, could not have been far short of twentj tons, and, as the outtingis steep, a good deal of speculation was indulged in as to whether the engine would be able to taka the three trucks up at once. After crossing the river it was found that the water carried on the wheels made the clay of the outtisg too slippery to allow of the driving wheels getting a grip, and the engine was taken to fhe top and the wire rope run out to the trucks. After several ineffectual attempts to “ chock ” the engine sufficiently to allow of her hauling the trucks up, it was at last firmly secured, when it pulled the heavy load up the cutting with comparative ease. Cricket. —Following the lead of TeTemuka and Winchester, it has been determined, if possible, to form a cricket club in Geraldine for the present season. Years ago Geraldine could put a cricket team in the cricket field which could hold its own with anything in South Canterbury, but nowadays it seems impossible to get np either a cricket er football team in the district, and the town will get for itself the name of ‘Sleepy Hollow ’ if the young men of the place do not bes ir themselves and shake off the unaccountable lethargy which seems to have laid hold of them in connection with manly sports, The Thursday half holiday has now been established for some three years or more, and there are numbers of young men in the immediate vicinity of the town who might be expected to have enough ‘go’ in them to make, with practice, very successful cricketers or footballers, but the seductive influence of the cigarette and the billiard-room would appear .to be sapping the energy and stamina of the majority, and thus the excellent cricket oval is neglected and (he quantity of cricketiing material stored in the pavilion is allowed to lie and rot,— The following teams will play in the opening match of the Temuka Cricket

Club, Married v. Single, on Thursday next, at 2.30 p.m. : —Married : E, Brown W. N. Oathro, G, Davey, P, J, Dignan* E. Cutteo, E. C. Dann, T. (J. Farnie* ,f. T. M. Hayhurst, J. Harrison, e’ Herberts, H, M. Milan, G. Mogridge] ,J. M. Twomey, and Rev. T. A. Hamilton! Single : J. Anderson, W, Bryara, T. Buxton, W. Cooper, J, Gillaepie, 0. J. Qoldstone, 1). McCaskill, J. McCaskill, R. McJjeod, R. Pinckney, Robertson! J. Sim, and T, Wills,