MAIL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 357, 6 March 1902, Page 1

MAIL NEWS.

London, Jan. 16. Two criminal cases are agitating Pan The first is the discovery of “ Jack the Ripper " named ITenri Vidal, an educated man, who has been making a practice of robbing doini-moudaines and killing them. He has already confessed to five murders and a number of others are laid to him. The other case is that of a baker, who in order to punish his wife’s unfaithfulness forced her into a bread oven and slowly baked her to death. Then ho wrote a confession, closing thus : 11 1 would have loved to bake my rival together with Mary, but she felt my suspicions and warned him. He is— - > a shoemaker. May all honest folk shun the betrayer’s shop. May the devil get his soul when he dies. Mary will bo found in the oven. I took oft her jewellery and placed it in the oash drawer counter for her nieces.” After taking this sealed note to the police the baker went homo and hanged himself. Mrs Anna Conover, formerly an American actress, who has been the soul of the campaign for preventing cruelty to Paris cab horses, lias been officially listed for decoration with the Cross of the Legion of Honor. Mine. Melba has returned by way ol Borlin. Her trunks were mysteriously rifled on the way. When her baggage was opened at the frontier of Franco everything was found topsy-turvy, and every article of value had been stolen. The German Railway Company on learning Mine, Melba’s identity immediately acknowledged responsibility. _ Premier Waldeok Rousseau in his visit to Toulon evinced intorest in a splenaid invention of the naval constructor of the arsenal there—a voting machine looking somewhat like a cash register and said to possess every advantage, _ guaranteeing secrecy, preventing repeating, enabling illiterate persons to vote easily. It does away with all writing and scratching. Five tickets, each having twenty names, may be voted simultaneously, straight or mixed. The results, automatically counted, immediately appear on dials at the back of the machine. New regulationsissued for telephone gins are causing endless amusement, One clause forbids their ever calling subscribe, s to converse with them. Another forbids them to answer flatteries, compliments or pleasantries from men subscribers. The telephone girls arc foib dden to make appointments over the wire, or to permit gentlemen, even though relatives, to wail Eor them near the office. , Juliette Adamson, an American girl has just been fined £8 for insulting over the wire a tradesman who failed to deliver goods at the promised time. Her defending attorney argued tuat as long as a subscriber paid, the State could not restrict conversation, but the Judge held that the State had the right to enforce an order regarding telephones just as it has regarding streets,