Presentation.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1773, 15 November 1883, Page 2

Presentation.

During the evening Mr Jno. Hill, church deacon and lay preacher, was made the recipient of 11 \ovy valuable bet of books. The pio&entafcion was made by Mr Houghton, .senr., who, m disehaigin» the office entrusted him, thanked Mr Hill for the very valuable sei vices he had rendered the membeib of the chinch in the capacity of lay 1 cider, the duties* of which office he had satisfactorily discharged for borne considerable time past, and for which he lefubed to receive any remuneration whatever. He hoped he (Mr Hill) would accept the few books which had been chosen for him in the sph it in which they wei c offered, and as a small acknowledgment on the part of the congiegation for liis very valuable services on their behalf. The present included some of the best and most useful theological works of the day. Mr Hill, in a few well chosen remarks, suitably acknowledged the present. A very enjoyable evening having been spent, the proceedings terminated with prayer.

Tiik steamer Alaskas, of the Girion Line, last passage, is said to be the fastest on record. It occupied six days twenty-one hours forty minutes. Her runs were, respectively : 415 miles, 393 miles, 386 miles, 414 miles, 430 miles, 436 miles, and 310 miles— total, 2,784. A Skcon'd EuGKKf: Aram. — A murder worthy of Eugene Aram is reported from America. In 1864 a New York syndicate sent a representative to Mctamorae, in Ohio, who, while staying with a man named Ward, suddenly disappeared and was never heard of more. Ward thereupon became much richer, but dropped dead one day, and nothing more would have been thought of the matter had not one James West, who had also come into possession of money, suddenly felt constrained to make a deathbed confession. Ward had, in fact planned with West how they might murder the rich stranger from the syndicate. They engagedj the services of a butcher named Kirkbride, \\ ho cut the unfortunate man's throat with a butcher's knife, one dark night, while the others held him. They robbed him of 30,000 dollars and his jewellery, except a gold ring, which they could not pull off, and they eventually put him into a well on Ward's place, and filled it up. It was given out that the well had " caved in," and the three divided the money. West died after th's confession, but Kirkbride, the Burvivor of the three, denied and ridiculed the story. However the well was dug out and searched and there, a skeleton with a goldring on his finger waa found. The town wit wild,-