[Editor: These items are extracts from the “General news” section, published in The Express & Telegraph (Adelaide, SA), 17 April 1877.]
General news.
Charles Colbey and Louis Mehrtens were charged at the Adelaide Police Court on Tuesday with assaulting George Alfred Elliott, a boy, on Saturday evening last. Mr. W. V. Smith appeared for Mehrtens (who was discharged), and during the hearing of the case was retained for Colbey. That prisoner was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labor.
An inquest was held on Tuesday morning, April 17, on the body of Mary Myles, a married woman who lived at Edwardstown, and who died in the Hospital on Sunday last. The Jury returned a verdict that deceased had died from inflammation of the lungs and effusion of blood into the brain; but that her death was accelerated by the violence she had received from her husband. The accused was taken into custody on a charge of manslaughter.
Only fourteen immigrants, ten of whom were children, were being maintained at the public expense on Monday, April 16. It was expected that to-day the number would be reduced to three or four.
The members of the Muff Cricket Club who have been chosen to play in the match with the All-England Eleven to-morrow are requested by advertisement to meet at the Clarence Hotel this evening.
On enquiry at the Hospital on Monday evening we learned that Mrs. Cook, the unfortunate woman who was stabbed by her husband on Saturday night, was slightly better than she had hitherto been, but that she was still far from out of danger.
On Monday, a large stone which was being hoisted to the top of the new Bank of South Australia broke and fell to the ground, breaking a portion of the scaffolding, and also slightly damaging some of the stonework in the front of the building. Fortunately no person was injured.
Colonial cricketers will be glad to learn that definite arrangements are being made for taking an eleven of Australia to India and the old country. We have it on the best authority that several of the leading players of New South Wales, Kendall, Midwinter, and Hodges, of Victoria, and Arthur and Bailey, of Tasmania, have consented to join the team, but the final selection will not be made until after the intercolonial match in Melbourne on Boxing Day. South Australia will have a chance of being represented in the team should one or more of our Adelaide players show sufficiently good form during the intervening months to warrant their selection. There are at least 16 good names now on the list from which to select, but the desire is to make the eleven thoroughly intercolonial and almost entirely amateur, but good enough to play against the county elevens of England. Coates will be captain of the team, and Bannerman will be included in it; in fact all the best Sydney bats have consented to go home if chosen, with the exception of Evans, who has not yet given a reply. After the Boxing Day match in Melbourne, the selected men will play a round of matches at Ballarat, Sandhurst, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. From Sydney they will probably return to Melbourne, and play a final match ere they take ship for India. They will play against the leading clubs of Colombo, Madras, Bombay, and Allahabad, and after their Indian tour will proceed to England. Mr. John Conway, the well-known cricketer and sporting writer, will accompany the team as agent, and under his experienced guidance it is to be hoped the Australian Eleven will achieve victory in the field, and make their tour a financial success.
At the instance of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Commissioner of Railways has given instructions that in future live rabbits must be forwarded by the railways in coops or cases. The Society has also asked that the same rules may apply in the transit by rail of poultry and animals generally.
Up to the time of our going to press this morning no report had been received at the Metropolitan Police Station respecting the finding of the man Cook, who decamped after stabbing his wife on Saturday evening, April 14. All the available police-troopers and detectives are searching for him, and every precaution has been taken to ensure his capture.
The City Council held a sitting of nearly six hours’ duration on Monday. The business to be transacted must either be very heavy, or the manner of conducting it very slow, for the Council now hold a weekly sitting, and still are unable to dispose of their work in a reasonable period. In our opinion the Councillors are too discursive in their discussions.
Mr. Yuhl, brother-in-law and in the employ of Mr. Robert Cameron, machinist, Kapunda, met with an accident on Saturday, April 14. He was attending to the engine, when he was caught by the belt on some part of the machinery, lifted up, and afterwards thrown free, by which he sustained a severe shaking. His clothes were completely torn from him. On being removed to his residence he was attended by a doctor, and he is now progressing favorably.
On Saturday evening, April 14, Police-constable Hammill reported to the City Coroner (Mr. T. Ward, J.P.) the death of Ernest Grunert, aged three months, a child of very respectable German parents, residing at North Adelaide. Dr. Wylde had been called in to attend the little one, but he found that death had occurred before his arrival. The Coroner made enquiries into the circumstances attending the death of the child, and decided that an inquest was unnecessary.
In consequence of the good batting shown by Mr. Giffen in the late East Melbourne match, he has received an order from Mr. E. T. Smith’s attorney, Mr. R. A. Stock, authorising him to purchase a bat as a recognition of the services he has rendered to the game of cricket.
Sunday’s report from the British Enterprise and the quarantine hulk was a satisfactory one, no fresh cases of sickness having occurred. During Sunday night a ketch headed up for the proscribed site. On being warned off by the patrol boat she continued on her course, but was ultimately compelled to anchor. On Monday she was permitted to proceed into harbor after a caution not to again trespass on the forbidden ground.
It is stated in the Melbourne Herald of April 10 that “the panorama of the American war has turned out one of the mort successful minor shows that ever came to this part of the world. For some years it has been the property of Mr. J. Raynor, who placed it under the management of Mr. Harry Stanley, and that management has succeeded admirably. At present the panorama is at Brisbane, and as an example of its popularity, it may be mentioned that although this is the fifth visit to the capital of Queensland, the last having been about 11 months since, Mr. Raynor has received advices from Mr. Stanley, stating that for the fortnight ending Saturday last the receipts were close upon £400.”
A young man named William Kaye, aged 19, formerly of Hindmarsh, died of peritonitis, in the Wallaroo Hospital, on Thursday, April 12. He was, it appears, first taken ill when working at the Railway Camp, at Green’s Plains, from wet and exposure, about the 24th March, after which he was laid up for 10 days. At the end of this period (says the Wallaroo Times) he recovered, and went to work again, but four days after, he again became ill, this time seriously, and was sent to the Hospital, where he was admitted on Tuesday night, 10th instant. He was then in a precarious condition, and little hopes were entertained of his recovery. Everything that could be done was done for him, but without avail, and the poor fellow died on the morning of the 12th inst.
A woman named Mary Miles, the wife of William Miles, a laborer living at the Sturt, was brought to the Adelaide Hospital on Saturday morning, April 14, in a very precarious state. She was suffering from fatty degeneration of the kidneys and liver, and she also had inflammation of the lungs. She lingered until early on Sunday morning, when she died. Shortly after her death the doctor was informed that she had been illtreated by her husband, and he communicated with the City Coroner, who ordered a post-mortem examination. There were several marks on her arms and legs, but none of them sufficiently severe to lead to the supposition that they were the cause of death, and in addition to this the doctor states that she must have died in any case, as her system was in a frightfully diseased state.
Source:
The Express & Telegraph (Adelaide, SA), 17 April 1877, p. 2 (Second Edition)
Editor’s notes:
Australian Eleven = the Australian cricket team (comprising eleven players)
bats = (in the context of the game of cricket) batsmen
ere = (archaic) before (from the Middle English “er”, itself from the Old English “aer”, meaning early or soon)
discursive = rambling; long-winded; speech or writing which digresses or wanders from the main narrative or main point (especially including a lot of information or opinions which are not particularly relevant), or which often moves from one subject to another subject (especially in an aimless, long-winded, or rambling manner)
inst. = instant; in this month; a shortened form of the Latin phrase “instante mense”, meaning “this month”; pertaining to, or occurring in, the current month
ketch = a small sailing boat equipped with two masts
post-mortem = (Latin) after death; a post-mortem examination or investigation of a corpse, to determine the cause of death; an examination or investigation of an activity, event, or matter after its conclusion or following its implementation (especially regarding a negative or unwanted conclusion or outcome); also spelt “post mortem” (without a hyphen)
the Sturt = the Sturt Hotel, Grenfell Street, Adelaide (South Australia)
[Editor: Added a closing double quotation mark after “upon £400.”]
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