Papers Past | Newspapers | Taranaki Herald | 23 May 1896 (2025)

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1896.

Inspector McGovarn, who succeeds the late Inspector Thomson, in charge of the West Coaßfc of the N«rth Island police district, arrived here by train on Friday night. Last evening a very successful practice of the Cantata '"The Haymakers'" was held. If that in any criterion there is a treat in store {or musifeal pe«ple next W-ednefday evening. A. Napier Justice of bhe Peace, Mr Fred Button, sue 3 (Jrehdell, native interpreter the ether day for £3 3s for attesting sighfttutas of natives to deeds, and the use of time and office. He mentioned a number of namei of lawyers as charging such fees, contending that ha was equally entitled. * Oornford, f *r the defence, quoted Jotinstone'a Oath for Justices, under which they are bound to accept no payment for services as Justices. Button denied that he had ever taken any such oath. The magistrate, after hearing argument, non-suited him. The remains of Peart, the diver, were honored with a funeral such as few, except the very first public men in Sydney, have had. All along the line of route from St Vincent's Hospital to the Wavorley Cemetery was thickly lined with people. Behind the hearse walked Messrs Tom and Dan Fitzgerald, and eight of the performers acted as pall-bearers. In the cortege were Mr Bland Holt and other well-known members of the theatrical profession. The service was conducted by the Rev Father Birch, and a requiem, composed for the sad occasion by Mr Wallace, was sung by a quartette from the Lyceum Theatre. A canard was circulated in Waitara on Thursday evening that Tukapa had de feated Star in the senior football match played that afternoon in town, having put up 5 points to 3. The report soon gained currency, and Tukapa supporters, who had been to the races, could be seen shaking hands with each other and "wetting" the supposed victory with something stronger than water, while others, who, no doubt, go on the principle that " nothing succeed* like success," also ventured to express the opinion that all j along they knew Tukapa would put the Stars down, and that it was only their innate modesty that had kept them lilent. When the town visitors left Waitara the report was accepted as a fact, and it was not until town was reached that the result of the game was known. The timber fellers of Sweden, Norway, Russia, and several other countries, as well as those of Canada, have st Way of felling forest giants which beats anything that can be done with an axe in the hands of the most experienced woodman. It is oae of the most simple operations imaginable, and consists of binding a series of compressed cakes of gnn-cotton around the tree trunk with a small copper wire. To this wife a battery of sufficient strength is attached, and at the proper moment a current of electricity is turned on, which explodes the gun-cotton. The force of such an explosion has the effect of fell'ng the tree instantly, the several portions of the trunk being almost as smoothly divided as though the work had been done by a saw. As briefly announced on Thursday, the body of Mias Norah Watkin, who disappeared from her home at Onehunga on Saturday last, was discovered in the Manakau Harbor on Wednesday, The New Zealand Herald gives the following particulars of the discovery of the body : — " A search party in a boat had their attention drawn to a quantity of twigs and grass on a ledge of rock above high water mark, in a bay on the north side of the harbor, about two miles from Onehunga wharf, and on looking up to the top of the cliff they observed aB opening in the bushes and scrub, as if some body had crushed through il, and on rounding the point they found the body of Miss Watkin floating face downward in a pool just below the ledge of rock to which their attention was fit's t attracted. A closer examination of the face of the cliff showed the marks of three fingers, as if some person had grasped as it to stop or check a fall, and there is also a broken projecting ro»t, of which apparently Mias Watkin had taken a grasp during her fall, but it gave way with her and marks on the ledge of rock indicate that the body Btruck on it and then rolled or rebounded into the pool into which she fell face downwards. From the appearance of the body it would appear that she was stunned by the fall and drowned MpleHsly in the pool. From the apptarsneo of the body it had been some considerable 4ime in the water. On following up the traces of deceased to the spot where the body was discovered, home footsteps were found on the top of the cliff leading from Hillsbro Roa'l to the waters' edge, and tbeie seem to show frequent marks of slipping, as if Miss Wntkin had either walked along in the dark and stumbled, or been in a state of mental aberration, and the footSteps were traced to the break on the bushes at the edge of the cliff."

There will b* no issue of the TARANAKt HERALD on Monday next (Queen's Birthday)-, The Glenelg and Gairloch took away 110 head of cattle from the breakwater on Friday. According to the Settler Mr Duthie'a meeting at Stratford ended in cheers for ! the Government. The Rev. C. H. Garland will deliver an address in Liardet-street Church to-mor-row (Sunday) evening to young m«n,— , Advt. The tfew Plymouth delegates to the Prohiblttoa Conference at Hawera on Friday wer.e Miss Ahier, Meters .Ahier, S. B. "White!, H. Goodaore.and W.Cqllk The Hawera Cha.n&efc of Commerce is going to make ah endea /our to obtain a reduction in steamer rates between Waitara, New Plymouth, and Onehunga. Could, not tho New Plymouth Chamber co-operate ? The celebration of theJPremier's birthday on June 22nd will take the form of a social and dance, and ho will be presented with an illuminated address. Two members of the Recreation Ground Board, who have been canvassing for annual subscriptions, report that so far they have met with few- refusnls, A list will be published at soon as the canvass is completed. We would give a final reminder of the Grand Ball to be held in the Drill Hall on Monday night, A platform has been erected for tho benefit of spectators, the fleer is itt splendid Order and everything points to a most sucessful iSsne. There was a faif attendance Ifa the Alexandra Hall bn TnliWday falgbfc tp WittiJSSa fcfyft jtfttng •exhibition given by Professor C. Richardson) a coloured pugilist, who claims the championship of New Zealand. The Professor gave a clever exhibition, and demonstrated that he is an adept in the manly art of selfdefence. The publio of Westdwn and locality are notified of a public meeting to be held on Tuesday night, the 26th mat. when a varied programme will be gone through,' and a Band of Hope formed. Parents and friends are cordially invited, and it is hopod will endeavour to secure the presence of all children and vouDg people. Up to April 7th, the amount of butter imported into the United Kingdom from New Zealand for the season was 48,104 cwts, against 42,207 cwts the previous year. All the Australian colonies showed a decrease, Victoria from 196,133 cwt in 1894-6 to 140,277 cwt in 1895-6. New Zealand choeso fell from 30,722 cwts to 26,818 cwts for the same period, and Victorian from 2877 cwts to 16owt. A number of alterations have been tnad» la tne Telegraph and Postal Departments in this district. Mr Fookes, who is to bo transferred to Wellington, will be replaced by Cadet Noble, from Stratford; despatch clerk Bishop to be promoted to a cadotahip, and the appointment confirmed on his passing the Sixth Standard examinati6n in six months. He is to be replaced by the senior lettet carrier or other carrier (if more suitable), the carrior to be replaced by the senior messenger. One additional messenger has been approved. Messenger Townsend will be transferred from Waitara to Stratford* as cadet, vice Cadet Noble to New Plymouth; a new messenger will be appointed for Waitara: Cadet Noble will be sent, from Stratford td New Plymouth, and will be replaced by Messenger Townsend from Waitara, as cadet. Several months ago, James Thomas Piper, farmer and grazier, sued the Bank of New South Wales, in Sydnay, to recover damages for malicious prosecution by the bank for selling mortgaged sheep without the written authority of the mortgagees. It appears, say* the Herald, that Piper was committed for trial by the Cowra magistrates, but the AttorneyGeneral declined to prosecute, and Piper subsequently sued the bank,' and brought evidence to prove that he had verbal authority from the manager of the Cowra branch of the defendant bank, to sell the sheep. This was denied by the bank, but the jury returned a verdict in the plaintiff's favour, with £1000 damageß. ' The bank appealed, but the Full Court, by majority, discharged the rule with' costs. For some time past the Wesleyan choir have (with the assistance of several friends) been practising the popular cantata, "Haymakers," which Ihej had intended giving for the purpose of raising funds to purchase new music for them selves, but finding that the Recreation Grounds Board were very short of funds, they have generously decided to give tho net proceeds of Wednesday's entertainment in aid of the Recreation Prounds. As we all of us derive benefit from these grounds, it is to be hoped that the choir, who have thus taken the matter in hand, will be rewarded with a full house, and, apart from the fact of assisting a good cause, those who attend will have a pleasant evening's entertainment, as the piece abounds in very pretty music. We learn that this cantata has proved so acceptable in* other places where it has been given that it has invariably had to be repeated ; in some instances it has been given three times, and to crowded houses each time. We would therefore recommend all who wish to see the grounds recaive benefit from this effort to do their best by going themselves and inducing their friends to do likewise, so that the result of Wednesday's performance may be a handsome addition to the Board's funds. The billiard room (says the Otago Daily Times) seems to have triumphed over the youths' reading room in the North-East Valley. The latter institution was opened by a committee of philanthropic residents last winter, and at first the youths of the district took considerable advantage of it, but eventually what in the committee's report of the session's transactions was euphemistically described as a counter attraction — which proved to be a billiard room opened at the south end of the Valley - reduced tho attendance by 40 or 50 per cent. The green cloth is still in j use and the cue is nightly wielded in the Valley, but, notwithstanding the fact that this might be assumed to constitute an argument why tho promoters of the read ing room should double their efforts, the youths' raiding room h a thing of the past. This reminds us «f a somewhat similar institution started a year or two ago nearer home, with a great flourish of trumpets. Rooms were hired and furnished, papers and games supplied, among ' the latter cards, and the young idea became initiated into the art and mystery of poker, euchre, and such like innocent amusements. But, as in the North-East Valley, the reading room is closed, though the boys have not forgotten the gentlo games they learnt there. A horrible scene occurred at Chicago the other day when a huge elephant named Empress attacked and killed her keeper, Scott. The latter opened the door of the birn where the elephant was, for tho purpose of bringing her out for exercise. He took the elephant into an alley leading to the street, and when she knelt in obedience to his command he mounted her head and stood thero for a few minutes. He then struck with the hooked Btick carried by elephant drivers the back of the annual's right ear. She knelt again, and Scott jumped to the ground. As soon an he was down Empress roso, and, giving an angry shriek, seized Scott with her trunk, and, whirling him twice round in the air, threw him with such force across the alley that he broke the doors of another barn and fell inside. The elephant looked at Scott a moment, put hertrunk through the hole in the door, and dragged him out again, and then held him against the wall while she crushed him with her tusks, finishing by throwing him into the air. The elephant then ran off to the barn, Scott dying while being taken to the Hospital. Empress, who is believed to be about 100 years old, had already killed two men in America, Scott being her third victim, and had previously killed two men in England,

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