ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1316, 4 December 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

A feeling of horror spread through the city last Friday, when it was known that Miss Marie Dobie had been cruelly murdered at Opunake. The y-'ung lady was well-known, especially in Parnell, where she had resided for some time with her mother, sister, and hi other. She was very clever and very accomplished, heing an excellent artist. She contributed a laige number of sketches to the Graphic, of which paper her uncle is proprietor and editor. Her sad death is the consequence of misplaced confidence. She was, for some time, at Fiji, and while there, used to go among the natives, without any escort except her sivster. She was on a visit to her sister, who is married to Mtj'ir Goring, who is stationed at Opunake, and, linfortunately, went out by herself— never to return. There is some very slight satisfaction in the knowledge that the miscreant, who committed the murder, h.i> been arrested and has admitted his pruilt, but not his motive. I do not think that the crime has any political significance, for, if it had, the natives would not have came forward bo readily to give evidence against Tuhia at the inquest. Mistortunes never come singly. While the excitement about the Opunake murder was atil* height news came of the murder of Lieutenart Bower and five of the crew of H.M.S. Sandfly, at one of the islands of the Solomon group. Lieut Bower, who was here some timo ago, in the Danre, was much liked and respected by all who knew him. He had only recently taken command of the Sandfly, succeeding Lieut, florae, who was married to a daughter of that scholarly but eccentric gentleman, Mr Singleton Rochford, whose narrow escape from drowning was duly chronicled in the newspapers some time ago. Mrs Home fell into ill-health, so her husband obtained leave of absence from his ship and went to Wellington where ie was appointed Sergeant-at-Arms to the General Assembly, and Lieut. Bower was appointed to succeed him in the command of the Sandfly. Had it not been for Mrs Home's illness, the victim of the Solomon Island massacre would, in all probability, have been Lieut. Home, instead of Lieut. Bower. We have had a tragedy nearer home than Opunake or Solomon Islands, as last Saturday evening Mr Robert Brown, who was well-known as a talley-clerk on the wharf, died suddenly, and it is believed that he committed suicide. A paper was found ne.ir him, after his death, on which were the words, " My wife is a beauty — a gem. Good-bye," but, from whit I can hear of his wife, I am afr.iid that the words were, as Arremus Ward would say, " kinder sarcastic.' 1 To proceed to less painful subjects. The Ob\errtr last week made reference to the Rev. C. M. N4-OD. of St. P.iul's, as an Oxfordman, and accused him of Oxford priifgishness. I happen to know Mr Nelson, iind to know that he is not an Oxfordman at all, but .in M.A. of Cambridge, and I would strongly adwse tho Editor of the ()b*t,rrcr to take pains in future to ascertain th it his statements are correct. It would seem that '• women's rights" is an old story iv Amoiic.i, as " Silver Pen," thp S.m Francisco correspondent of the Herald, in referring to the debut of Miss Nellie Colhonn as an actress, writes : " Miss Nellie Colhoun is the grand niece of one of Ameriei's jrri'atest statesmen of the same name." If the name of the statesman was Miss Nellie Calhoun, I suppose the statesman was a lady, and th.it stateswoman would have been a more appropriate word to use, and th.it women took a. promiuent place in the politics of thobo days. At any rate, the subject io worthy of iurther investigation. I heard a very goo 1 story, the other day, which, I think, is worth repeating. Annng .1 party of gentlemen was one who was i^ivon, just, a little, to pxiggeiation. Hi 1 mentioned that a tow days before lie h.i.l boon driving along a certain ro.ul. !!o sii'l, *' I w<i3 driving two tall horses rinilria and was in a tall rlog-cirt. In f.ict it was altogether a tall turn out. When I g.it near the tuin-pikc irate I siw that it ay.is closed (tho confounded thing is always closed). 1 did not war-t to be kept waiting, so I ju-.t touched up (he hoises, they went right at the irate, an.l climii over it." Of course the other gentleman exprew?d their surpiisc at t,h^ feat, but one uf tlunn. a very quirt lo iking man, said, "Well! it may se-nn str invre, bu l - so-nolhiuir similar occuved to nn th-i other thy. I wis driving along the s.un<j road. Iwis in a low pony c utmijp, \ua\ w.us drmnir a pair of low ponies. Intact it, was altogether a low turn-out When I appro \chod the- turn-pike irate I s\w it was closed (tV couf ouded thing i>. always clos >d). 1 did nut want to "-o I just touched up the poui'j.s and — '-You don't mean to say you drove th" ponies over the turn- pike gate ? said the former speaker. "No," wa-i the quiet reply, "1 drove under it." Last Saturday, the Amateur Athletic Club held their Spinur Meetms? on the Domain Cricket Ground. The number of spectators was unusually small, owing no doubt to the showery weather, and there did not scorn to bo so much interest as us>u il in tho v.uious races. Hn\ev< j r. they wore will contcsteJ, and the best men won. Th" hau'licappe" evidently undervalue 1 Lts, wh) vva>, to usy a sporting phta-e, " thrown iv," as ho wo:i tho mil" and (|u liter- -nile rices enily by tho distance allowed him at the ut.irt. Sir Arthur Gordon's reception at Wellington seems to hive boan very much better th m that ace mleJ to him here. No doubt that is accounted for by the fact that the Wellington people h,id as many days', as the Auckland people had hours', notice of the time of his arrival, and that the Miyor of Wellington was able to make arrangements for tho reception himself, whereas the matter here was in the hands of a Deputy- Mayor who was evidently not au fait in matteis of the sort. Death has carried off one of the most resrnlar diners at the Cafe 1 . This was " Jim," a .splendid, larsre Newfoundland dog, belonging to Mr Lwrence Nathan. He used to come to the yard-gate of the Cafe', every day at half -post two o'clock, and stand patiently waiting there until someone opened the gate ior him. Then ho used to enter the yard and get his dinner. He was not sau-jy, for he always ate what had been left on the plates of the other diners. Ho had one fault, however, and one which would bring ruin on the proprietor if it were general, and that was that he always went away without paying for his dinner. '• Jim," was somewhat a hero. He had been given to Mr Nathan by the captain of the " Glenlora," and nothinur pleased him more than to take a walk down the wharf. When one of the storemen went to the wlia-f with goods for shipment, "Jim" used to go down, too, carrying the receipt book. He was trotting along the whaif one stormy day, with the receipt book in his mouth, when he saw a poor little dog in the water, almost drowned. "Jim" was not like the young man who refused to go to the assistance of another who was drowning, " because he had not been introduced." He dropped the receipt on the Avharf, jumped into the water, seized tho little dog in his teeth, and swam to the nearest stops Avith him. I am glad to soe by the London telegrams that a matoh between Laj'oock and Hanlan for CoOOaside and the Championship of the World, has been arranged. I sincerely hope that Liyoook will bo sue-

- cessf al. If I were a betting man I would put my money on him, but betting is one I of the vices to which I am not addicted. So Mr James Stewart, D.E,isoneof i the victims of the policy of retrenchment. I do not like to appear to hit a man when he is down, but, as I have expressed my opinion of that gentleman before, I do not hesitate to say that I approve of the action of the Government. St. Mdngo.