WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 715, 12 March 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FROM OUR OWJf CORRESPONDENT,)

" . ,' March 10th. This oity lias fortunately latterly been very free from tlie tragedies, and "mysterious disappearances" whioh were so alarmingly frequent 6orae few mouths: ago. Then scarcely a week passed without the newspapers informing us that " another body " had been "found in the Harbor," or having some other equally cheering intelligence to relate. After being very busy for sonio time, the coroner has lately found his office quite a sinecure. Dr Johnston, the gentleman in question, is, I believje, paid by fees, but this fact evidently does not make him oagor for the fray after the fashion of American, coroners. The other ; day, the skeleton of a child, wrapped up in a parcel of brown paper, was discovered in tho Botanical Gardens, It had evidently been there some considerable time,'as there was no flesh on the bones, except a fragment attached to one of the. hands. Now the skeletons of children are not usually found in brown paper parcels, deposited in public places of resort, unless thero has been foul play of some kind. To the astonishment of everybody, however, Dr Johnston, .after examining the remains, said "there were no marks of violence," and therefore an inquest was' not necessary 1 Tho child had obviously notc'ome to its ond.in a natural manner,' 1 or it would have been properly interred; it might have been-poisoned, drowned, or suffocated!' yet because the bones show' no"" marks of violence," it appears that the matter is really not worth the attention of the law. ■ Or. perhaps the justice is' blind on this occasion because it is only a littlo ohild concerned, aud "de minimis non curat lex. : "

As one result of tbiß seriouß mate bemg-liusbod up iii this pernmotory manner, it is hardly surprising that all sorts of unjustsuspicions'and 'cruel rumors';aro afloat. , A day or two ago it was'positively stated iu all parts of the town that a;-young lady'(whoso name was freely mentioned); had been actually arrested on the charge; of being concerned in the murder of the child, of which it was said she-was the mother. The name of the alleged father was also as freely mentioried, the circumstances/were stated with the greatest ciroumstantiahty, and, hundreds of; people believed- the cruel fabrication. Upon inquiry of the polioe, the whole tale turned out to'be without the slightest foundation. The injury dono to'the'younglady'iniquestion, -who -is accomplished and.pbpular. among a large .seo.tion/of society, .is, however,- not so easily effaced. Had v the child's death been, inquired into formally and publicly; : it would not have been easy-for: such % a : dastardly-and' untrue report to" hava-ao , rearperpetraM of the crime,;:; v. U}- ■•■■ , I am .afraid ihatia gentiemiin pibmj.. nently cbhcecte'd with the New: Zealand" Times must have made a*- determined enemy of some rather clever, but v«y

unscrupulous person. Three times lately has he been "hoaxed" in the most unmerciful.,' manner. ■ First, some- very \ touching and sentimental verses appeared •■ in.the weekly issue of- the Times. That they were! highly approved by the editor waYevident from:the faotof a. to. the'oorreflpon'dentin question, .thanking her for." her pretty verses; anAreiuesting ..to.her.fi'om.V.hear'J again ;and often. The sentiments of - the Editbrrliowe ver,' probably Changed when he found 'out afterwards thatjthe" pretty verses" ' consisted of. an-abrostib gentleman was described as. an ;idibt I Last Thursday a lette'r jappeftred-iin-the 'Times; headed! "TheqManagenlsiij; of Lunatics," in : which the : newspapers generally would prove social sores, as, lam glad'to say.yours does [I), . .the Press would.be a more .valuabie.-in-stit'utiontuanitis." Then follows jwhat the writer states, to be a Japaneseprdyerb which, broadly interpreted,; means-r "Where thereisonesore thei whole body is 'diseased." Upon' close examma}ion, however, the.so-called .Japanese proverb turns out to be ; n'o'th4ng;,rnore^nor. J les9 v . tliairananagram, again. opinion that the prominent'gen'trjir "is an idiot." The hoax spee'duybeSW noiseiabout.aU over ..the townj;,a'nd the sale of-the paper ;was great, Ai the.same time it became iiimbred : in.s6me'myste". rious manner that there ;was a beto.f that the paper would be '■'" hoaxed'i'witbin a week. Sure'enough;'only tw;6 days afterwards, another "sell"appeared—this •time m headed" Bargains to/suiithe, Time's," and significantly wound up by;,saying,.,.|'ad•dresH Seller,' office or this Japer." It purported to be. a.list of articles <whieh a gentleman leaving-;the town had'to dispose of. On .reading down the initial letters.of the items-in' the list, however, the public once more'had the" idiocy" of. the prominent gentleman alluded to impressed upon them through the columns of his own paper. It, of 'bourse, shows a very malignant and mean spirit, on the part of the perpetrators of these very questionable jokes; but still there appears to be an amount of laxity not altogether fteo from blame on the part, of- those who allow them to go into the paper. Reverting once more to "mysteries" I may remark that the newspapers here were baulked of a nice, sensation the other day. It appears that a city .porter named James Daly had been missing fot several days from the Union Hotel, whe»' he had beeii'.staying. The matter was duly reported: to the police,' and' then it was ascertained that the night-watchman of the hotel,, on the night of Daly's disappearance, heard a mysterious groaning in the ba^ok. yard. Hera were : all the elements of a.first-rate sensational report. • ,The hopes of the paragraphists, however, were soon dashed to the ground by the .very,; simple explanation ..which was speedily forthcoming,' Daly,'it appears, fell down and dislocated his shoulder. It was thia which caused him to give vent • to the groaning hoard.by the watbhman. Without' toiling any of his friends he ' managed to di-ag himself to the-hospital,; where he remained for medical treatment, Hence his " mysterious dissappearance from his usual haunts." : : "''-\ ;

We 'have a real live Fijian'. Prinoe .staying at Government House, 'the guest of Sir Arthur.''Gofdonv-'I hear-that he ■flays Jawn tennis like a Christian, and is in every way a, polished • member of society. I believe lje is'goingto enlarge hismind by travel in Europe, and that he ' iB, in faot, now on his way to England. The appointment' of Mr Waltor Johnston, tho member for Manawatq, to the vacant portfolio in the Ministry is greeted with much approval here, on the ground of his boing a-Wollington man. Wollingtonhasbeoh so.muohi in tho habit of being left out jn the cold on all possible occasions that.'the present exception has come upon,us quite in the nature of a pleasant surprieo, although I hinted Bomo time ago at the possibility pf Mr Johnston being appointed. •■;•:,

IIBMTKISCBROEB OS \ixLiM'rmsi— In the year 1815a-worthy oitiion pioadod his way with some difficulty-through ford and ti-treo toTe'Aro.jy baing in of thosur. veyr's opog which had beeu driven in at the corner of what is nowy/Cuba'.and Dixon streets. Upon this spot was erected a small house, in which a. very' successful draperybusiness was parried- on By two ladies. w remarkable • talont and energy, who Vftyej -■ long since retired from the scene to the- tonoT of their birth- • j ...-._.. " Laud b« the motintaiii and the flood; Land-of brown heath aad shaggy woo& In the year 1866 it-passed. into the hands of MbJamks Sartn,-. the presont proprietor, who gave to the promises the appropriate aanw of Te Aro House, and under whose managomont business has steadily progressed with the rising fortunes of the oity, until at length it was found that a oonside. rable oulargoment was neoessary, and the result was, Te Aro House, as ,at present one of the. most complete and Extensive Drapery Establishments.'in "the colony of Now Zealand.- jTho Jeneriil Drapery occupies a largo space, being 49 feet by 25 feet, "unply sufficient for all Manoliostor goods, Fancy Dresses', Silks, 'Gloves, Hoaiory, Ribbons, Laces, fto, 'The Men's; Boy's, and Youths' Clothing Dopartmont measures 24 feet by 14 fcot, aud lias attached a comMable fitting-room. Carpets and' Household furnishings have a similar space allotted to them, llib Show-room for the nle of Milliuory, Mantles, Jackets,/ Costumes, &0., is a vqry spacious apartment, elegantly fitted up, and beautifully lighted' froth the roof, and moasures 39 feet by 22 foot.' The stock of goods s at all times largo and well selected, and patterns are forwarded post wee on application.' A spooial feature at Te Aro House ib the Order Department, and very ca.roful attention 'is.' paid Tbo the wants of Country Residents.' Allordorsare executed under the immediato supervision of the pro- - prietor. and securely packed.ahd : forwarded tothoir destination, with-' that promptness and despatch- which havo always distin guished Te Aro House, Cuba-street, Welline ou,— fADyr.! ' .' •