GENERAL NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10135, 8 December 1910, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

CRIPPEN REWARD PAID.

Captain Kendal, of the liner Montrose, lias received the £250 reward which fell to him for the disclosure of information leading to the arrest of Dr. Crippen and Miss Le Neve. Captain Kendall attended at Scotland Yard, and there received a cheque for the amount of the repaid. His ship has been lying at Millwall Dock, and the Captain visited Scotland Yard at the invitation of Inspector Dew.

flower of the falls.

Growing in the spray of the great Victoria Falls, in South Africa., a new gladiolus has been discovered and named the Maid of the Mis • Four bulbs of this plant, sent to England, have been induced to sprout and bloom by virtue of constant spraying in & hothouse. Ihere the interesting discovery was made that the petals of the flower were so arranged as to form a pent-house to protect stamens and pistils from the unceasing downpour to which they would be otherwise be subjected in the native haunts of the plant.

EIFFEL TOWER AS WORLD CLOCK.

The plan of sending out time signals from the wirelass installation-of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, has recently been put into operation. The design is to supply these signals to ships traversing the Atlantic, thus affording a means of keeping ships chronometers continually corrected to true time. The signals .are sent out every day at midnight, Paris time. A first signal is sent at exactly midnight, a second two minutes later, and a third -two minutes later still. Experiments have indicated that, the signals extend over a circle about 1800 miles in radius. Thus they coveEurope, Asia Minor, Northern Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean as far as the coast of Greenland.-

CAOL FOR.SMUGGLERS.

At a conference of the New York Supreme Court Judges it was decided that smugglers shall be punished in future witii imprisonment without the option of a fine. The announcement to this effect created a profound sensation among the travelling public. The wireless stations were overwhelmed with the messages of warning to'relatives and friends onboard the different liners now on the way to New York. The decision of the Judges was made public at the trial of a millionaire sweet manufacturer who was fined £IOOO, while the £2OOO worth of jewellery he attempted to introduce without paying duty was ordered to be conficsated.

BARON'S LOVE DRAMA

Baron Alexander Meller Zakomelski, son of a Russian general, shot himself at Nice because Mile. Bemj a young French actress, would not return to liim. The couple had been engaged, but the young man's father prevailed on her to break off the match. The general then persuaded his son to start for Naples. Instead of contniuing the journey Baron Alexander Zakomelski left the train at Vintimille, and returned to Nice. He searched for Mile. Berny in every direction, and about one o'clock in the morning came across her as she was entering the dwelling of a female friend. He begged her to renew the engagement, but on her firm refusal he fired twice at her with a revolver, missing her each time. Then he shot himself in the head, where the bullet is still lodged, and he now lies in a precarious condition.

ACTOR MURDERED ON STAGE.

' A remarkable tragedy occurred at the Actualidades Theatre at Cartagena. Antonio Gonzales, a prominent actor, who had been playing there, was informed that his services were no longer required. He had an interview with Salvador Sorel, the director of the theatre, who also plays a leading part with the company, but Sorel refused to reinstate him. During the afternoon performance Gonzales procured a razor, and rushed oil the stage while Sorel was acting. The men fought together, but before Gonzales could be overpowered lie tripped Sorel up, threw him on the stage, and cut his throat. He then coolly walked out of the theatre brandishing tfhe bloodstained razor. The audience were in a state of panic, and a numbdr of women fainted. Gonza/es was arrested.