The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI.WEEKLY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1208, 15 December 1882, Page 2

The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI. WEEKLY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1882.

The half-yearly meeting of shareholders in the South Hopeful Company wad held at Mr Wise's office on Tuesday last The reports and balance sheet were received and adopted, and the following were reelected directors for the current term : — Messrs. P. Murphy, J. Butler, J. Quigley, P. Q. Caples and P. Butler. Mails for the Australian Colonies arid United Kingdom, per Manapouri, close at the Bluff, at noon, on Friday, 15th inst. . It is not often that the proceedings of •he Magistrate's Court, Beef ton, afford juch entertainment to loungers, but occasionally "constant subscribers " do meet with sume slight reward for their attendance. A case of this kind occurred on Wednesday last. A man named Gurth, a foreigner, summoned a conntryman for assault, and the nature of the charge will he best conveyed by giving the de- ' fendant's statement, as nearly as possible, in his own words. Gurth, it may be as well to state is a Dutchman, It was a3 follows :— "I lif at Antonio's Flat, und I come to Reefdon mit der ball. I schdop' }<y Torsiu's Hodel. Vel-und-goot. Coome doo o'clock in der morning, afder I bin arid der pall, I make a schdart to go ome, wud I cull by Tui-son's Hodel fora class of peor, but Torr;on vaa schnot, und I dry py <„'■.i chrany' a Hodol, ver T gett me p'.icr, i*ii«l df.-i\ T tiitikc von Hclidari. tnorc njidil 1 • f r -ji i 'inc. 1 hnf r,ut 7.0 nuioch m:.c_ a,<

pcnHHHHfeeer c vC ] irane , und he zay dot nmK^ett&T I vash py my 'ome, so I cay, 4 das is reicht, myneer,' und I vas leave him by de toor open, und go mit de Grey road walking. Vel-und-goot. Yen , I r.» go aboud me mile from Preens Hodel, I zee creeping zomedings on der road. It vaa tark, und I can't ze vat it iz, zolzay, 'who you vas,' und Igo ub und zee a man creeping out of der drain. I vas frighten, und schdan schdil, und he make von joomp, und catch me mit von hand by de peerd, and de oder py der neck round.- .He vas pig man,~but I make I hard schdruggle mit him, and we fall, him under. . So fast I can I get ub und run avay quick, myhatvidout. I run by der bolicfecamp, und ye go pack, put daTe ish no man, und I get my hat not. Next day I go mit Cochrane'a Hodel und dey gif me my hat. I schware py dot man (meaning defendant). He haf no peerd, and I schware by him." This recital of this modern Hans Breitmah was listened to with consuming interest by the auditors, by the police, and by the Bench ; visions of attempted highway robbery and murder at once arose in the minds of all present, but Mr. Cochrane was called for the defence and upset the gravity of the whole affair by stating that Gurth was intoxicated when he left the hotel, going off without his hat, and further that defendant was a cook in his (witness') em- ■ ploy, and for a certainty went to bed at 9 o'clock on the night in question, and never left his room till the ordinary hour on the following morning. Mr. Oochrane further stated that Gurth had told him that he had sustained the injuries complained of through running his head against the wood-work of the Inangahua bridge. In this aspect of the affair the Bench dismissed the summons, being evidently under the impression that Gurth was ignorant of the real strength of Reefton whiskey. In order to fully meet the extra traffic likely to be caused between Reefton and .Greymouth during the ensuing holidays, Messrs Mitchell and <. Campbell have decided to run a daily coach to and fro, the fares being reduced to £2 for a return ticket. The first coach under the new arrangement left yesterday morning at 7 o'clock, and the running will be continued daily, (Sundays excepted), throughout the holidays. Messrs Mitchell and Campbell have also undertaken to carry a daily mail each way during the extra service, which will prove a great boon to business people . The reduction in the fares will no doubt encourage a large additional passenger traffic between the two places, and particularly during the race week. We feel sure that the spirited contractors will be well rewarded for their enterprise. The Golden Fleece Extended Company started crushing on Monday last, but in . conesquence of the great scarcity of water, the battery cannot be kept, fully employed. The water has been short for some time past, but the present unprecedented continuance of dry weather threatens to bring crushing operations to a dead Standstill. ■ .. Steers and party, contractors for supplying 3,000 ft. of sawn timber for airpipes and rails for the Venus Company, Murray Creek, have completed their work. The contractors driving the company's low level, have been harassed a good deal of late by bad air, but as soon as the airpipes have been fixed in position additional hands can be put on, and the work pushed a-head with greater speed. The distance now in is about 400 ft, and. the contractors have still 160 ft, to go to complete the required distance. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times telegraphs that DeNorval, the asistant bailiff at the Magistrate's Court, has not been allowed to resign, but has been expelled from the public service, in consequence of his connection with the destination cases. The Hon. Mr Johnston, Minister of Public Works reached Hokitika yesterday, and provided thatjhe does not visit Reefton, he will proceed from Greymouth to Westport by steamer. We trust, however, that the invitation to Reefton will be acceded to. The visits of Ministers to the West Coast are bo few and far between that it would be a pity not to exhaust every effort to have this place included in his line of travel. A refreshing item of intelligence reaches us from the South Hopeful mine, Boat, man's. The Mine Manager reports that after trenching he has traced stone along the hillside for about 150 feet in 'a north and south direction, and putting in a shallow surface level, he cut the reef in solid country. The lode is unlerlaying west, and is from four to eight inches thick, and carries a splendid prospect of gold. The manager recommends that the reef should be further prospected in the present level and then sink a winze on it to the next level, The stone is of the rusty character, so well thought of in that locality. During Monday morning last, when the bush fire was at its height round Reefton, the local insurance agents, justifiably anxious for the safety of the town, telegraphed to Greymouth for a second fireengine and a supply of hose. The brigade there with praiseworthy alacrity met at once and decided to despatch an engine and three officers for Reefton, but happily a subsequent telegram from here conveyed the intelligence that the worst of the danger was over, and that there was no need for the assistance so promptly and generously offered.