ACCIDENTS, OFFENCES, ETC.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2799, 6 April 1895, Page 3

ACCIDENTS, OFFENCES, ETC.

! A farm-laborer named Bloomfield, about 60 years of age, who had been working at Blenheim, was missed during the passage of the Waihi from there to Wellington, ('here is no doubt that he is drowned. At Christchurch a bootmaker named Walter Mills, 40 years of age, who lived by himself in a cottage at St. Allans, Christchurch, was found dead iu his house on Wednesday. He was at work on Monday, when apparently he was in good health. At the inquest it was shown that death resnlted from arsenical poisoning. A few days previously deceased had been discharged from his employment. At Dunedin Israel Wendell, aged 60, a wine-merchant in the Octagon, died suddenly on Monday. He resided at the Panama boarding house, and had tea that eveniug as usual. He never made any complaint of feeling unwell, but left the place after tea and accompanied Catherine Lombardo to her home iu Arthur street. On getting inside Wendall sat down in a chair, and after remarking that it was a long way up the hill, began to breathe heavily and'fell off the chair on to his back, apparently dead. The woman reported the matter to the police, who found the man dead and cold. Deceased's family reside in Auckland, where he had a business and was well-known. At the inquest a verdict of death from natural causes was returned.

At the Supreme Court, New .Plymouth, F. W. Beruecker, a youth of 19, was sentenced to 6 months' hard labor for forgery, and Edward Vernon Jones, an elderly man, charged with a similar offence, was seutenced to 12 months. As the result of police raids in Auckland, William Morrison, a fruiterer, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for knowingly permitting his premises to be used as a brothel. His wife was fined £lO and costs £6 10s. a.t Auckland a man named Breunan has beeeu committed for trial on a charge of unlawfully wounding. Lilian Charlotte Uptou died in the Wellington hospital on Thursday. She told her friends that she had swallowed a solution of match heads and eaten half a box of matches. The girl was in a depressed state of mind. The enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of the woman Annie Friend, on accouut of which Charles Nicholson is now is custody on a charge of wilful murder, was held at Wellington on Thursday. The evidence showed that the woman's clothes were covered with blood on the day on which the assault was alleged to have taken place, while the bedrcom floor and the paper on the walls, and the window curtain also showed blood stains. A neighbour stated that Nicholson returned home the worse for liquor, aud she afterwards heard a row iu the house and the woman crying and screamiug. When the woman was being removed to the hospital Nicholdon explained that she had hurt herself by falling against the fireplace. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of " wilful murder " against Nicholson.