MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 416, 14 January 1875, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

At Plymouth, a builder, named William Thomas, and his wife, Amelia Matilda, had for some months past lead unhappy lives, to which the husband's intemperance contributed. They resolved to separate, and repaired to the office of the Town Clerk, who is also a practising solicitor, and a draft of a deed of separation was drawn. Tne solicitor knowing Thomas to be a man of property, urged a more sab* eUntial allowance than he would assent t>, and Tho&M repaired to two other solicitors to have the deed drawn, with' a similar result. On Wednesday afternoon, Mrs Thomas called to see the Town Clerk, and while there waiting for him, her husband called, bringing the deeds with him, and asked if his wife was there. He was shown up to the room, and after they had talked a few minutes, not, so far as was heard, angrily, Thomas went out, went direct to a cutler's and purchased a razor. He returned and went up stairs, and threw himself down on a chair beside his wife. She had, in his absence, told one of the clerks that her husband had threatened to will away all his property from her, and said he should be transported. A minute after he had returned, shrieks were heard proceeding from the room where Mr and Mrs Thomas were. The clerks rushed up, and the unfortunate wife fell into their arms, blood gushing from a fearful wound in her throat, and, without saying a word, died in three minutes. Meanwhile the husband looked at her through the room door, apparently to satisfy himself that she was really dead, and then returning into the room sat on a box and cut his own throat so completely from ear to ear that he seemed to be dead by the time the terrifiedclerks reached his side. The tragedy has made a painful impression in the town, being the second affair of the kind within a {ew months. The following mai be looked upon as a very important decision, as touching acceptances discounted by BankingCompanies and Corporations. It was delivered lately in Melbourne by Judge Pohlman, whom we believe, in matters relating to the rules, laws and regulations applicable to commerce is alloyed to hold a very high eminence. The question which came before him was as to the right of a bank to debit tbe account of an insolvent, with the amount of a dishonored acceptance. The trustee of an insolvent firm — Messrs Morris and M'Murray — made an application to th© Court for an order directing the Union Bank tp pay him - £175 Is Sd which was the amount in the bank to the credit of the insolvents when they failed. The application had been resisted by the bank on tbe ground that they had only £23 in their hands to the credit of the insolrents. Certain facts were admitted by both sides at the hearing, from which it appeared that before Morris and M'Murray failed they accepted a bill of Burry, Leech and Co., for £162 Is Bd. The bank discounted the bill, placing it to the account of Bury, Leech and Co., and when the insolvents failed tßey (the bank) claimed that they were entitled to deduct the amount of the bill from the sum to the credit of the insolrents. His Honor decided that they were bo entitled) wad gave judgment in favor of tbe bank. The following has been handed to us {Bay of Plenty Times) for publication. We omit names :—": — " Wairoa, November 29. Dear Sir, — I received your letter too late for the last mail. What you have read or heard about the death of Buihi Kawana (Lucy) is quite correct — it really beggars description ; if I had not been an eye witness I could not believe it. Since you wish to know the particuulars, I shall attempt to describe them : Previous to Lucy's death a womau named Pia died, and at the tangi rum was freely distributed, The gathering of the people was not so numerous, nor did the natives become so outrageous ; but Lucy, with several other women from here, imbibed quantities. I have seen the women empty a pannican full of rum, without drawing breath, drinking it like water. After Pias body was buried, Lucy centinued to drink until .she was taken sick with bowel complaint. T)r Cowan was called in. and found her suffering from an inflammation of the bowels, and prescribed for her. That night an eld Tohunga fellow at Waitangi had a dream, in which he caw a dog devouting Lucy's bowels. The news of this dream reached here the next morning. Superstition (priestcraft) predominated ; the medicines were no longer administered, and persuasion or entreaty could not bring them to reason, They commenced praying for her in all directions until she succumbed and died on the second day. The corpse was taken to Paora's whare and laid out in state, decorated with ieahers, greenstones, and the pictures of your family. Being opposite, I could see all the fun. I have seen an account of an Irish wake, but this tangi beats it : men, women and children (they wero all represented) were all drunk, yelling, shouting, dancing and fighting all at the same time, but in different directions. Tbe contesting parties fell over tbe coffin, and knocked the body down. While all this feasting was going on, which lasted a whole week, until the body was buried at Kariri, the quantity of provisions consumed has left these people without anything to eat, which has caused them to dig up their peed potatoes for food. If their crops in the ground should prove a failure they must starve. I can form no conception of the quantity of spirits consumed on this occasion. I paw, along with another European, eight pack horses returning from Tauracga loaded with nothing but rum, several of them having three fivegallon casks ; there were also supplies received from Maketu and Ohinemutu. In general the natives of this locality are the most dissipated, lazy lot that I have seen.- So bug as. they quarrelled amongst themselves, I did not interfere, but when they attacked the white people I went to Captain Mair about it, who sent two constables over, who bought rum from two of the natives.