The Ghastly Placard.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3261, 20 July 1889, Page 2

The Ghastly Placard.

There aro signs of a return of the ghastly placard epidemic which visited London in such a violent form a few months ago. For a time the attention given to the matter in consequence of the Wbitechapel murders had a good effect, but the boardings aro now blossoming forth once more in mural advertisements of a distinctly hideous type. One of l the most atrocious examples of the J kindis an enormous sheet representing the shadowy outline of a man knifing a woman behind a blind, The horrible suggestiveneas and low brutality of this specimen of the lithographer's art has not beeu surpassed by anything seen on the walls in recont years, which is saying a good deal. It may be a good advertisement for the tale, of which the scene represented is a leading feature, but many people are asking why thoy should •• be offonded by such revolting scones merely because they may serve the interests of some private individuals with more enterprise than decency ? Sooner or later the whole que?tion of the display of advertisements in public places will, no doubt, be seriously taken in hand by Parliament with the result that the enterprise of the billsticker will be brought under legislative control.

Tragedies in Wolverhampton. On 28rd May last there occurred a k shocking tragedy in Wolverhampton. " Terrible screams for help were heard - at about seven o'clock proceeding from No 19, Cannock Terrace. On running to the spot a neighbor found an ironworker named Bennett beating his wife on the head with a poker, with which he felled her to the ground. Tho woman's brother-in-law named Richard Evans, and also a man named Potter, both interfered, and a terrible struggle for life ensued. Bennett slashed at them with a table / knife. Tho brother-in-law soon sank M exhausted to the ground, badly cut, : but Potter ran to the back door and managed to escape, Bennett rushed after him, but finding he had escaped lie made a determined attempt to commit suicide by cutting his own throat, He was surprised by a neighbor in the act, and before he had completed tho operation sufficiently for it to provo fatal, the knife fell to the ground, and he sank down in an almost unconscious condition from loss of blood. The scene of . this tragedy presented a fearful the marks of the struggle being left in profuse quantities of blood in various parts of the house. The two men and tho woman were removed as soon as possible to the hospital, whore they remain in a precarious condition. It is expected that the woman will die as the result of her injuries, The case is one of jealousy and revenge. Bennett and his wife separated from each other some months ago, and tho wife then lived at No 10 Cannock Terrace, with Potter, who is a laborer on the railway. The pair were both in the house when Bennett entered yesterday morning. Bennett was discharged from the force some lime ago for drunkenness. His brother was also once a policeman, and cut his throat. It is curious also that tho wife's brother named Wildman some time ago was sentenced to penal servitude for life for a murderous assault or, a policeman.

Cooling Drmks. - The demand for cooling comes \ with tho advent of summer heat, and it is a matter of no small surprise how inadequately this demand is met. Heated bicycliststwo of whom, by the way, from Australia, have just accomplished a journey of some 5,500 miles—are not the only people calling for a refreshing an:! innocent beverage on summer days. The demand is universal, and is as common in the country as in the big towns, where those wretched ice-dealers do such a roaring trade in poisonous concoctions. The enterprising in England may take a hint li'om tho other sido I of tho Atlantic. Hundreds'of mixed drink makors have been vicing with eaoli other in malting a new recipo in competition for a gold medal offered by a Now lork journalist, Seventysix recipes were selected, and tho rest wero pronounced feeble, if not vexatious. The list of 7G was reduced to nine, and the judges had no slight task in deciding as to tho 4k respective merits of these nine drinks. They tasted so. many concoctions that in the end they resolved to draw lots, for the taste was vitiated, or tho difforent drinks were so mixed up—-"perm-is-cus like," as Mrs Gamp would say—that there was no tolling one flavour from another. Eventually tho gold medal passed into the possession of Mr John Dougherty for a mixture which he described as a "business brace-burned to account 25 years ago in quenching the thirst of Southerners. Half a pint of champagne, a "pony" of brandy, a glass of Apollinaris water, a lump of sugar, three or four drops of Angostura bitters, and lemon peel wero all to be found in this prize drink. Eggs and milk, benedictine, "vermouth," anisette, "hard" liquor, brandy or whisky, wero resorted to by non-successful competitors, but Mr John Dougherty with the simplest concoction carried the day, Will no one try his skill hero / \ in the same direction ? Cooling w> drinks are the great want of tho day. 1

French Refugees, An unseemly encounter took place in Regent-street 011 the afternoon of May 18, between two of the most famous of the French refugees at present in London -Hons. Henri Roohefort, the editor of Llntnmn§eant, and the artist who has now become familiar to Londoners from his frequently eceu signature " Pilotell." The latter, who, as well

as Eochefort, was deeply implicated in the tragedy of tlio Communo of Paris, has long been a resident in London, nnd M. Bochefort Ims for a fortnight enjoyed, with General Boulanger, the hospitality of this country, lfyom hoing in tlio days of the Commune colleagues and fast friends, tli6 editor and the artist, ■in consequouco of ono of thoso quarrels which so often set Frenchmen by the ears, became the bitterest of feuemies, Roohofort, usually steeped 'n gall, has often lampooned his quondam friend in articles in his journal, and the artist on his side has not let slip many opportunities of carping at lTOiefort and his friend Ic bran general. With dements 60 imflammable it required hut n slight occasion to blow tho long, standing quarrel into open flame. That occasion occurred on the above date, when Eochefort was walking down fiogent-street with a young lady on his arm, a relative of his ... &te wife. While tlio latter were rshopping some kind friends stepped into the Cafo Royal, where artist Pilotell was spending tlie evening with somo friends. Pilotell appeared to liavo resolved on the spur of the moment to encounter Eochefort, and acting 011 that resolution went up to him, and, according . to the account of a bystander, shook him by the collar and then slapped him in tho face with his glove. Hoohefort at once carried his hand toliisbreastpocket andeudeovoured . to draw out of its case a revolver, retell, it is averred, then called out foPtiie police, and the latter arriving, the famous hre-eator was arrested and led off to Vine-street Police Office. Ho was bailed out almost immediately, but appeared before the magistrate at tho Marlborough Street Police Court on May 20th, charged with presenting a loaded revolver at M, Georges Pilotell. The case created considerable interest, a great number of Frenchmen being anxious to get into the court. Mr Hiunay, hearing the evidence, called upon M. Eochefort to find two sureties in £SO each, or one in £IOO, to keep the peace for six months. His Worship said he would grant process for assault against the complainant if Mr Eochefort thought it worth while to ask for it, but this was declined, M. Bochfort preferring to treat M. Pilotell with contempt. The required surety was at once put in. The whole thing was described by M. Bochefort's counsel as a " two-penny-halfpenny" affair.