Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUNE 3. 1895. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On our fourth page fo day will be found a report of the meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce.

Patrirfc McM*nus perished in the snow at- Morven Hills on Tuesday. Deceased was a swagger lookiiig for worjc.

The Mayor of Paimerston has informed his Council that £3150 of the year's rates were ou-standing at the end of the financial year.

Dr. Kei.dall has reported to tha Board of Health, at Hokttika, a case of supposed leprosy, and it was resolved to put up a building in some isolated spot and provide attendance for the sufferer.

Mr J. D. Ritchie lately made an official visit to th? Government plantation at Wai rang', in the Wiikato, where 600 acres haye l?een planted with wattles. The trees are thriving, '*n» W l,'?" %s)s acres are to be similarly planted i» October pe^fc.

Two Palmerstoa residents are canvassing for Bigna'ures for a petition fco thoMinister of Education praying for the introduction of a religious text book into State schools. They are meeting with considerable suc^bss. It is probable, 6syjj tjie Otago Daily Tines,, that Mr Justice l)e#j»i k «t^n will preside over the sittings of the 'Supreme ooart in Invercargil^ which will be opened on the J.lth it ft., Mr Juttice V^ iUisms taking the sittings at T?m<iru coirmencinsr on the game date.

Letters addressed to the undermen tioned perrons were received during tho month of March from places beyond the colony, and are lying uncLim'd at the Afihburton Post Office;—R. V ley, D Campbell, J. Campbell, G. Chambers, T. Granger, J. Hearn, Edmund Retchford (3), James tyCurphy, Mrs J. F. Clarke.

The Palmerstori $tat}da rff} recods that on May 29 a young man turned £in£o!d was with his brother-in-law ende*voripg to separate a cow from her calf, when the animal rushed at Pinfold and buried her horn in his neck, tearing the windpipe find gjutyet, and then trampling on the unfortunate veWjBK f# low's body, inflict ing several bruises of a p^inful nature. One of the cow's horns wa? snapped off in tfre enpoijnter. Although the injuries received are of a serious nature, hoped are ept#rt»int4 of fintoW* jrecoyey

Dr Lamb and his mission party h V) arrived safely at New Hebrides.

From Auckland we leatn that a Rail- ! way C immisbiou of Enquiry, presidi d over by Mr Low?, one of tho engineers of tha Railway Department, and Mr Rose, the Auckland Collector of C»s oms, is sitting, and taking evidence with regard j to complaints alleged by one of the I employees for some lime at both New m k ker and Pukekohe, against Mr Coom, I who wa. for many years resident engineer for the permanent way, There were a number of witnes es. The result will be transmitted to the central authorities at I Wellington.

During the voyage out of the Tyne, which has j j«t arrived in Sydney with relief crews, one ot the boys employed on the ship was charged by a petty offic.r. before a cour mvtlial, with u;in<* obcene 'anguage. As ho was quite a lad, Captain Forking, the President, and the other members of the Court thought; that a punishment of twenty strokes with a birch rod would meet the merits of the case. While Captain Furlong w*3 delivering ihis finding the boy hauled off and hit him a severe blow on the chin. The Court decided that such an offence could nt be viewed otherwise than seriously, so it extended the sentence to twelve months imprisonment, and ordered that the boy should he dian^ssed from her Majesty's service.

On Thursday evening a concert in aid of the school prizs fund was held in the Ru&puna schoolroom, which most have given every satisfaction to the master, Mr H. Rawer, and to those who so ably assisted him in getting It up. The room was very tastefully decorated with ever greens and chrysanthemums, and pre sented a moat pleasing contrast wi h the bright dresses and rosy-cbeeked, smiling, happy faces of the children on the plat form. The chairman of the school coir* mittee, Mr F. S Oordeauz, presided The house was packed to the door, many "having to stand. The programme con sisted of items rather above the average of those obtaining at country concer s, and many were rendered with a high degree of artis+ic finish I comprised ! pianoforte solos by Mr E J. Hall; violin I duets by the Misses C. and B. Baliantynn; songs by Mies M Brown, of Chris church, md Messrs Burrows, Calder, and Erakine ofGeraldine; duets by Messrs Burrows and Calder, and Burrows and Erskine ; ' A little farm well tilled' (trio) by Messr Burrows, Calder, and Ertkine, which was well sang, and amusingly rendered. In addition there were several choruses given by the school pupils, under the leadership of MrsßaFnet.withaeuphonium >bbliga*o by Mr M. Dickie, which rtfbcted great credit on Mrs Rayner for the. pains she had taken In training them,' Jingle bells' befng especially good. Mrs Rayner and Mr E. J, Hall played the accompaniments to the vocal and viulin Items. Votes of • hanks to Mrs Rayner and the children ; r,o the performers and to the chairman, followed by the national anthem brought \ most enjoyable concert to a close. After the concert the room was cleared, and dancing indulged in till an .early hour. By no means the least interesting feature if the evening's programme was the distribution of prizes by the chairman They were given on the basis cf the recent inspector's report, which was a highly satisfactory one, ev6ry pupil passing M ntandard. The books seemed of a good substantial character, and were well bound. Appended is the pn'za lists- Standard VI -NellieMcLauchlan, Maggie Shields. Standard V —Minnie McLauch an, Robert D yle. Standard IV—Gerty Hunt, Mnud McLauchlan. Standard 111 — Albert Cree, Vulet McLauchlan, Wil ie Hunt. Standard 11-Fred Hunt. Chris'in* Fraser. Standard I — Beattice MoLauchlan, Lizze SeweU, Ma;y Sewell.

Ho Mi', way's Pills —Weak stomach — The wisest cannot enumerate one qu<rter of the distressing symptons arising from imper fect or disordered digestion, all of which can be relieved by those admirable pills. They remove cankery tasie from the mouth, flituency, and constipation, HollowayV Pills rouse the stomach, liver, and every organ, thereby bringing digestion to ih t healthy tone which fully enables it to convert all we eat and drink to the nourishment of our bodies. Hence these pills are the surest strengthened and the safest restorativ- s iD nervousness, wasting and chronic debility Rolloway's Pills are infallible remedies for impaired appetite, eructations, and a multi tude of ot-hsr disagreeable symptoms which render the lives of thousands miserable indeed. These p'lls arc approved by all classes.

MIDLAND RAILWAY

The following leitcrs hive been handed to us for publication : -- "May 30, 1895. Hugh Gully, Esq., Crown Solicitor, Wellington. Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of May 25, informing me that, under warrant from his Excellency the Governor, possession has this day been taken of the several lines of railway mentioned and described in the Midland Railway con tract ; and that notices have been served upon Mr Wallace, the company's traffic manager, aud also informing me that the Government intend at once to proceed with the construction of the works, and request ing me to forward to the Minister of Public Works any plans and specifications which I may have relating to the v neons true ted portions of the lines. With regard to your request that I should forward to the Minister of Public Works any plans and specifications in my possession, you are no doubt aware that such plans and specifications are the result of the appointment and work of persons selected specially for their pro fessional skill on such matters, and are therefore valuable proper'y of the company, and it could not be expected that I should part with the possession of them without the authority of my directors. —1 have, etc., Robert Wilson, Engineer-in-Chief and General Manager New Zealand Midland Railway Company." Christchurch, May 30, 1895. To his Excellency the Earl of Glasgow, G C.M.G., jtjroyernor of New' Zealand, etc., Wellington. May jt pleage your Excellency '—f. have the honpr tp intjmate that the act, on the date immediately following the anniversary of hsr Majesty's birthday, of taking possession and assuming the management of the railway constructed and then being managed by the company, is one which the company, with all deference to your Excellency, protests against as being oppressive, improper, and unjust The company has not been guilty of any 'wilful breach 'of the contract as con templated by Section 123 of the Railways Construction and Land Act, 1881, nor has any ' wilful default or neglect' on the part of the company occurred within the mean ing of Ola'use |:2 of the contract, so as to justify the step "referred lo t which I recog nise, of course, as taken on the advice of your responsible advisers. It would be out of place for me to discuss with your Excel lency the serious question thus raised, but I may be permitted to point out that all disputes, differences and questions touching 't^ui 1 construction, meaning or effect of the oontracjfc, or in anywise relating thereto, frskve previously been referred, in terms of tlhe contract, to arbitration.' (|ne of the jjffcjtrators is of your Excellency's own nomi nation, and, as your Excellency.'a advisers ape well aware, any delay that has occurred in the proceedings of the Arbitration (Clourb has not bpen dije to any wish, or conduct on the part of the company. The company desires to respect the Arbitration Court thus set up; and will, as soon as the opportunity offers, take the sense of the Court on the serious step to which your Excellency has been advised. In the mean while the company necessarily submits, but ynder ore tost, to the cost imposed on the company by your Excellency— a Btep which sannofc but pedpunfll"tQ th<e discredit and damage of tho colony;—I hive, etc', Rqb£rt Wilson, Engineer-in-Ohief and Genera Manager and Attorney for New Zealand Midland Railway Company, Limited."

INFLUENZA.

Jfothing is easier of cutre if taken in time. The after effects are' watde<jl of by Ukiog y??\Wi Soha^pi Wop uUrip|. ' '

The Crime of the Century

▲ Rclffn mf Horror

Otago Dally Times Own Cor

San Francisco, May 2

There has been but one subject of! conversation from Easter Sunday until this hour. All other news has occu pied a secondary place in the press, the dibs, the hotels, the shops, the offices, the cars, and the streets Men and women who a re not in the habit of bothering themselves about any matter outside their own present wants have at last been pulled up with a short turn and compelled to consider where they are. It is hardy necessary to say that this all-absorbing topic is the foul, crime with which the world was thrilled during Easter week, and it is still less necessary t< | idd that any crime which can hold the attention of a city with so notorious a record as that of San Fraucisoo is a crime unique in the annals of murder. Nor was the public conscience in any way dulled by the reign of horror to which we were becoming hardened. On the con trary it would rather seem as though our shameful apathy to the preceding slaughters was killed by the awful climax, and replaced with an indigna tion as violent as our previous interest was indifferent.

Glance briefly at the record since January :—A young man is found at the foot of the stairs in his own store, huddled up in a heap, with a score of wounds in his body, any one of which was fatal. An officer in the discharge of his duty was shot down from behind like a dog, and to die a dog's death. A newspaper editor within the shadow of the Palace Hotel is assaulted and shot —almost unto death. A young couple in a fit of maudlin sentimentality hire a room in the same celebrated hostelry, and in the dead waste and middle of the night the youth shoots the girl, and then himself. Two men, at five o'clock in the afternoon, on crowded Market street, have words, and fire shots, whilst women and children shriek and faint, One dies from the wounds inflicted ; the other, I suppose —for it is uncertain—may be in gaol. Nor do these represent all the crimes. The morgue is rarely without its tenants, the press never without its latest sensation, and shootings and stabbings are so common that not more than a few lines are devoted to them. But with all these, and more, the climax found even San Francisco un-1 prepared to accept its crowning infamy wi* hout a thrill of fear as universal as ( it has been prolonged. The object of this letter is to present in a condensed and authentic manner a history of a crime destined to be famous long after those immediately concerned have passed away. MISS BLANCHE LAMONT was a young girl of twenty, living with her aunt in this city, and studying to qualify herself as a teacher in the public schools. She was modest in demeanour and conversation, somewhat shy and reserved, beautiful in figure and appearance, very desirous of improving her mind and fitting herself for her chosen vocation, and an attendant at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in the south-west portion of , this city. Unlike a very large number of the young women of this city, she rarely went out of an evening, and then only in the company of her relatives. Her life, in brief, was quiet, unevent ful, and with nothing more exciting than a church social or occ-vsional visit to the theatre or concert afforded—the last, one would imagine, to create feelings other than those of respect, friendship, or affection in the bosom of anyone. On the 3rd day of April she left her homw, attended the Normal School as usual, and leaving there in the company of three other school companions, said " Good-bye " to them at the corner of the street, and boarded the car for home. This was the last any human being, save one, ever saw of poor Blanche Lamont.

The next person to be brought upon the scene is

MISS MINNIE WILLIAMS.

This young girl was a little younger than Miss Lamont, and much weaker and slighter physically. Her parents had been divorced, and she wag living as domestic servant and friend with a Mr and Mrs Morgan, in Alameda, but was in the habit of coming often to this city, more especially as she was anxious to keep up her membership at the Emmanuel Baptist Church and had friends in the societies connected therewith. Her good employers (the Morgans), however, having made arrangements to leave California, and take Miss Williams with them, the latter came over to spend a week in San Francisco, arriving on the 12th day of April, On this evening there was to be a social gathering of some of the young church people at the house of aDr Vogel. Little Minnie, reached the place at which she was to stay—a Mm Voy?s—about 5 o'clock, andlefjb there, cheerful and happy, at 8 o'clock to attend the pleasure party at Dr Vogel's. This was the last any friend ever saw or heard of her alive A darkness- fearful and terrible, had fallen upon these young and innooent Creatures. EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH stands in a comparatively narrow street, out near where the old Franci scan Fathers loved to dwell and build their houses and homes of religious and philanthropic work. It is much like many another structure in this city, built flush with the sidewalk, having at one corner a belfry and tower, with a basement used for school, reception, and cooking rooms; the first floor being the auditorium, or church proper, with the pastor's study, lavatory, and various classrooms^ and then the gallery. All Protestant churches here, t may re mark, have a room set apart for the pastor's study, and in which th§ pastor receives any visitors at any time—a custom that; has met with some strange criticism of late, However, such is the Emmanuel Baptist Church, having a? its pastor a certain Mr Gibson, who was, I have heard, a pupil of Spur geon's, and apart from the fact that two of its former pastors met with a violent interlude—one having shot a newspaper proprietor, and the other haying commj.tte,d suicide -there is little to mark it from other buildings In this church, as in every other, it is customary to decorate the choir, pulpit, platform, and other furniture with lilies, 1 roses, ferns, and the like—lovely sp«Gimeu3 p{ pature'i gifts to Q»ti<

fornia, at Easfcertime, and for this pur pose a party of young ladies went to the church on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday There was, of course, the usual laugh ing and chatting, and one lady desired to see the book 3in the library— a small room some Bft by 10ft off another room on the basem ;nt floo". One of the girls went to open the door but found th 9 lock—a very slight affair —whs broken, There was a little joking at this, and some " Oh "ing and i " Ah "-ing as they tried to open the | door. Tt gave way at last, and there, lying right across their path, covered with cruel wounds, torn, dishevelled, foully outraged, and surrounded with blood, was the body of Minnie William*. It is not essential to a clear com prehension of this crime to dilate upon the horror of the discovery, or the fierce indignation that ran through the city when this, San Francisco's latest shame, was proclaimed far and wide. That an jnnocent child had been the vntim of such a carnage of blood and lust within the very walls of a temple dedicated and sanctified to the service ot the God of Righteousness, and while the white lilies were everywhere gleaming in honor of that day upon which the Christ of Qod rO3e from the dead, this was a contrast so appalling as to appeal to the most indifferent and callous, But is was not until EASTER SUNDAY that the full tide of horror swept over the dreadful city. The morning papers had proclaimed the deed with, perhaps, more ghastly details than were neces sary', and there was a wild rush to the scene of woe. A.las ! the half had not been told. Immediately upon receipt of the news of Minnie Williams' death the chief of police gave strict instructions to his men to take entire charge of the church and search it ilioroughly. It afterwards came out that Chief Orowley, when giving this order, told his men what they would find, the chief having come to a very rapid and correct judgment, and his reputation has been considerably and justly enhanced from his work on this deed of blood. From cellar to basement, from basement to auditorium, from auditorium to gallery, from gallery to belfry, and then the search party mount the fourth flight oi stairs. They reach the landing, the light is thrown swiftly around, and then—a cry, a rush forward, and there, stark and nude, under the shadow ol the slanting walls, placid, calm, bui fearful to look upjn, lay the body oi Blanche Lamont. RECEPTION OF THE NEWS, How can I describe it 1 How car I hope to picture this modern Nine vet in the first flash of its pale-faced terror 1 The streets rang with the cry oi " Murder ! " The papers issued extras men, women, and children purchasec them hurriedly, and opening then then and there, stood gulping down the news. As we sat at meals, or reac in the quiet of the eventide, the wore ''Murder" was shouted through th« ; windows and doors and basements , and people started as though in fear oi they knew not what and drew closei together. And so on through th< , night. The last sound that man] hundreds head ere their eyes closed ir sleep was the one horrible cry o! "Murder!" Nor did the next daj yield any rest, the same haunting crj came up from the scores of newsboy! in the busy thoroughfares into offic( and store and workroom. Businesi was conducted in a spasmodic manner for no rnitter how urgent the occasior men found the dark shadow of the gruesome tragedy was over all. Anc as the details became better known tin horror deepened. Blanche Lamont must have entered the church some where about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and in less than an hour she had been outraged, choked to death, and carried bodily from the lower rooms of th* edifice up to the auditorium, from then into the gallery, then clear down thf church to the belfry door. Here began the most laborious portion of the wicked deed. The body was alternately lifted, carried, and dragged up the four narrow flights of stairs to the highest floor, and there stripped of every shred of clothing and laid carefully and methodically at full length in one corner. The head was turned so that the telltale drops of blood, oozing from the mouth, might not drip through the cracks, and the shoulders and loins were raised on chocks of wood, thus permitting the air through the slanting shutters to play freely around the corpse and carry off the odours arising from decomposi tion. It was further apparent that the fiend had concluded, at some con venient opportunity, to hack the body to pieces and dispose of them at leisure, as a small axe, missed from the basement, was found in the tower near the body, This done the clothes were taken by the despoiler and hid in all kinds of out-of-the-way places. He climbed some 20ft up to the rafters, and bound here an article and there another around the timbers, and this sq cunningly that it was nqt possible to, see them from th,e landing or to distinguishable them from cobwebs. The poor girl's books were carried clean across the church on the beams between the ceiling and the roof, and thrown down a cavity not one person in a hundred would have noticed ; and so with hat, shoes, and linen. Every article was hidden with the aim to hide any chance of identi fication after decomposition had so far progressed as to destroy any possibility 6i recognition. This done, the murderer left his prey, slunk down the stairs, fastened the door, broke off the handle, and went out into the great world unseen, perhaps unknown. And the days passed by, and the Sunday came, and the church filled, and service of song, and prayer, and ex hortation was celebrated, and the tones of the organ blended with the voices of the young innocents and asc -nded to the belfry and lingered around the body of the murdered girl, and the author of the pitiless crime mixed with the other church members and sat in his usual seat during service ! The death of Minnie Williams was immeasurably more diabolical. Both girls must have been mercifully stricken dead with terror when they, in a momenj/j felt the cruel clutch of the tiger's fangs at their throat?, and realised the Christian with whom they had confidingly entered G6d's house iwas a fiend incarnate; but little Mianie Will|au)«'« body wa« backed

most cruelly. The wrists were nearly severed, there were thrre terrible gashes in the breast, the forehead was cut, and three pieces of linen, torn from the child's own clothing, had been literally forced down the throat with a pointed stick. The table, walls, books, floor were splashed with blood—in truth, no fouler deed ever shamed our common humanity. There is only one series of crime in recent years to which the above has been compared, and even this is not so infamous. I refer to the murders in Whitochapel some years since. But these last were, apart from their revolting execution, destitute of the youth, innocence, and associations of the crimes in San Francisco. If a girl is safe anywhere, surely it is in the house of prayer; if maidenhood is respected by any, surely it is by one who c'aims to be disciple of the Alan of Galilee; if confidence, simple frith in one another, purity, honor, morality are to be found in any place, the church is not the last in which suih should be found. It remained, however, to be shown that a church may become a charnel house and the temple of Christ a fit abode for lust and slaughter. And this brings me to the point: WHO WAS THE "MAN"? The police did not take long to decide. Within a day of the discovery of Minnie Williams' body word had been signalled, by means of the helio graph, from Telegraph Hill, in San Francisco, to a signal practice corps on Mount Diablo, across the bay, that one of its members was to be arrested, and that they were to expect the officers very promptly. There was a good deal of chaffiing and laughing when the signal was read, and Theodore Dur rant, the party "wanted," was as merry as any. Durrant is a young man, 24 years of age, living with his parents in this city,,and, until the authorship of the Emmanuel Church butcheries was ascribed to him, was supposed to be a model youth. He is a senior student at the Cooper Medical College, a member of the National Guard, assistant superintendent of the Emmanuel Church Sunday School, and secretary to the Society of Christian Endeavour connected with the church. The history of the past few weeks, however, has marked him as one of the most remarkable men ever placed in si awful a position. Never once has he lost his nerve, and never by the least sign has he given a hint of admitting his own guilt. From the moment of his arrest, during the journey to the ferry steamer, through the surging crowds, penned in a room surrounded by police, rushed from off the boat with thousands crying and swaying about him, viewing the heaving mass as it approached the prison van,, ravenous to get near him, and only prevented by the revolvers of the police, or in his cell, the coroner's room, and the courthouse, never amid all these scenes, tnd under a charge more horrible than any yet laid to the door of a Californian suspect, has young Durrant lost his nerve. Not that his bearing is the calm dignity born of the consciousness of innocence; nor is it its extreme of reckless bra vado, bat it is a bearing begotten of an apparently absolute insensibility to the awful nature of the charges. He re ceives visitors, laughs and jokes with his mother, complains indignantly that certain friends—notably the pastor of the church—had not called to see him, views the ghastly evidence of the crimes without disgust, hears the most revolt ing details of monstrosities for which many hold him to be responsible, with the same apathy or interest with which he would listen to a class lec ture, and never, by look or deed, has he borne himself as the normal man under such a burden may be imagined to act It is true such deeds as those I have narrated, being rare in the calendar of time, necessitate a rare type of being to execute them. The ordinary Jiurderer does not murder as Durrant is supposed to have murdered, and does not—cannot—act as Durrant is acting. In fact, assuming, the guilt of this young man as proven, there are many people who claim the acts done were beyond his control and clear evi dence of a mania not unknown to medical science and of which many like cases may be found in a work, well known to Dur rant, entitled " Psychopathic Sexualis." The perpe trators, says this work, are largely irresponsible, do not themselves know they have committed such acts, and should be rather pitied and, when caught, confined Such reasoning may be perfectly sound, but U hardly adaptable to our workaday, matter-of fact world, and I am doubtful if it will avail, in the present case. In any event, however the poiut at this hour is not so much ooe of mental responsi bility us did Durrant shod the innocent blood of two girls who confided in his honour and the sanctity of their sur roundings ? WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? Durrant knew bot;h yoqng wotnen. He had met them at church, at schools, at socials, at mutual friends-. In vir tue of his official position' in the church he had every opportunity to make him self useful and obliging to the ladies with whom he was associated. Nor id his wo k end here. He was a bit of a mechanic, and made himself handy in repairing tho electric apparatus and the like, when necessary, and he could sing a little and p*ay a little, and, altogether, help to pass the time plea sently. Of course he saw the young ladies homo now and again, but did not appear to have any marked pre ference for any one in particular. On the 3rd of April he accompanied Miss Lamont on her way to the Normal School, and, hiving left htr, declares he never say her again. Three ypunfif ladies, positively identified Durrani as, the perfon who left Miss Lamont at 3 q'clqck the s,atqe aftqrnqon and entered the cars with her. Nor does there seem any reason to doubt them. Girl like, these young women had a good look at Miss Lamont's " young man," and have no interest whatever in the case otherwise: in fact, they were reluctant to come forward at all. It takes about three-quarters of an hour by the cars to reach Emmanuel Church —Durrant admits he promised to loan Miss Lamont a copy of Thackeray's • Newcomes " —and at 5 o'clock young King, the organist, who had gone in ;he church to practise,' says he' was itartled when Durrant oame into the 'com with his coat off. dttit on h^j

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN: MONDAY, JUNE 3, 1895.



• siness N otic 33 \ "■ " BAirYrivrE& —:o: I NO MONEY- NO MONEY |~T is almost impossible lo give things awiy, but never mind, com3 and try G. J. NEILL FOR IMitI'KRY, CLOTH IIV«, & BOOTS Make no error ; he is cheaper than any other in Canterbury. >; o— '— I rt»s Goods 411 Double Width Dness Goods Is 6i now Is White Calico, U ltd da m Double Bed white Twill Sheeting, 9Jd Flannalluttas 2* lid down Plaids, 8} J a;»d 6JI fowls, 24d each Cretonne 3*d Blanket*, Banket*. Double Bed Colonial All Wcol Flannel, white, grey, and pink, Blankets 25s 6d, reduced to 18s 8d Bji Ladles' and Children's Ulsters and Jackets Corsets, Corsets MiUnery at joar own price Ladles Stockings 6d olcTtbTing. Men'- Tweud Suit, 18s 6d Colonlil tfeary Tweed Suite, 32s 6d, re- Men's Saddle Tweed ftouaws, (»U wool) doced to 21s 6d. 13a 6d Men's Tweed Trousers, 6a lid Men's Tweed Orerce%ts with o%p<*» Ws 6d Boys' Suits, 3a lid BojaOips, 6 J etch Socks, Shirta, and H»ts,»t your own pnee bootsT^boots. The maker of our Boots guarantees satisfaction, or he will replace them. N KILL'S FOB BOOTS. Men's Bluchers, 4s lid Men'e Balmorals, 7a 6d Children's Strong Leather Boots from Women's Strong Leather Boots, 5s lid 3i lid, this Is no rubbish Women's Strap Shoes from 4s lid Women's Carpet Slippers, Is 3d. % q. jT"neTll PRIBD LAN D B R'S CORNER, BAST STREET, ASHBURTON. Agent fcr Yarmouth Oil Skins. FLETCHER BROS. ARE SELLING /~1 RAIN AND PEA FED BACON AT FACTORY PRICES. IT Finest Cured Hams — ... 7|d per 1b Finest Cured Bacon (pale or smoked) 6£d per 1b Finest Cured Rolled Bacon (Pale or Smoked) 6£d por lb Finest Lard in Bladders 5J per lb Fine3t Lard in Sausage Skins ... ... 6d per|"lb Sterling Factory Full Cream Oliee3e 6d per lb Fern Leaf Separator Batter Best Dairy Butler 9<l Per lb Prime Dniry Batter 7d & 8d per )b COFFEE. COFFEE. COFFEE. »—,_ We arc giving Special Attention to our coflees. The Berries are selwtei with the greatest care, freshly roasted to our order, and are ground on the premises daily and are only mixedwith a very small per ccntago of chicory of the finest quality. We can conSdently recommend; it as superior to anything in the market. No 1 Coffee Finest Quality, Is 81 No 2 Coffee, Good Quality, Is Get No 3 Coffee, Good Valne, 1« 41 Pure Coffee 2* OJ Whole Roasted 2s Od KEROSENE.. KEROSENF. KEROSENE 1. When you are requiring Kerosene it will be to your advanta^ejto enquire our price before buying elsewhere. POTATOES — BEST BLUE DERWENTS, 3s lid per bag. Delivered; within the belts. sg£- NOTE ADDRESS, FLETCHER BROS, CISH SUPPLY STO)R:ES, EAST STREET, ASHBURTON. OUR MOTTO—The Best for the Least Money. jPUE j.*£lGl£3T AND MOST GENUINE CLEARANCE SALE EVER HELr X IN THE DISTRICT. Crowds of C«»toiner», Genuine Reductions, Immense Bargains. REALISATION! CLOSING UP! TUE WHOLE STOCK to be SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE THIU PEOPLES OPPORTUNITY. AVAIL YOUR3KLVKS OF THIS GOLDEN PRIVILEGE. NOW'S THE TIMB TO GO TO THIS CHEAPEST MARKET. Everybody who has paid us a visit has gone away delighted and astonished at the low prices of our good's. Renromtor this Sale is now on at— W. W. SPENUffiR & CQ^, ARCADE HOUSE, BURNETT STREET,



Wanted. j Tj (Mi—Riding Sadvile, ah-o Macintosh j ■*-* strapped on saddle Finder re- j warded by leaving at Butler 3 Hotel ,613/ BOOKST \LL — The Cheap Sale of Books will be continued at the Bookstall.—J Mirsden. OA f|AA BUSINESS Envelopes. 41/,UUU4, per 10 00, cash, to clear. Five quira pickets of Cream La:d Note-paper at 91 packet.—H M Jones. V\T ANTKD, Everybody to try a pur of ** Mouse Slippers, o;Jy la. Mellor's Zealand ia Boot Store. /LARSON ANI-Tco'S Stocktaking !«ale v Now on. Grooories, Ironmongery, Brushware, GtasS and China, at very love prices for cauh. 5 129 /"CHOICE New Season Fruit. Grapes, *S Peaohen, Pines, Plums, Bananas, Apples, Apricots, and Tomatoes ; the best in town.— adasxi, Stundert>' Buildings ORDERS for dyeing gat men ts of every description left at McOallum's, Tanored Street, or Mrs Styles, Barnett Street, near Brigade Station, will be attended to by John Graham, a dyer of foity years' experience. 5 155 ROBERT ALCORN has opened n Baker's Buildings, next the Court house, with a stock of Clothing, etc., bought at Edwards, Bannett's and the Eaiapol Sales, the cheapest lot of goods ever brought to Ashburton. Also an assortment of Boots. /IT ANTED Everyone to call at VV Meiaor's and get his price. No one asked to buy. I CASH, CASH. Drapery, Boots, Cloth ing, etc. New Goods just opened. Everything reduced for Cash.— H. C. Seoers, Melford House. WANTED Known—Spectacles, Eye Protectors, Goggles, Folders, and everything in the optical line at S. S&msk's, Optician. SPKCIAL NOTICE.—Suits aad Single Garments made to measure. Fit and style with prices to suit the times Large purchase Heavy Ktiapoi Trousers aid Knit Underclothing.—Mitchell and Turns*. WANTED Known—Ladiet/ Lasting Slippers only 2s lid—U>u»l price, 4i 6d — Melloi's Zealandia Boot Store. WANTED Known—Ten per cent under Chrlstchurch prices at IVlellor's Zealandia Boot Store. fTTANTED Known—Small ProEts VV and Quick Returns.—Mblior's Zealandia Boot Shore.



¥7 ANTED Known — Meilor's Zea 'V landia B >ot Store is the Cheapest •Store for Boots and Shoes. TTTANTED at once—Klua Derwent v" Potatoes. Apply Fletcher Bbo-i, East Street, Ashbarton. IIfANTRD— Everyone to visit our \V Large Show Room now replete with r.ew styles for the season.—Mitchrix i vnd Turner. pHOICE FRUlTS.—Peaches, bananas. ©ranges, lemons and tomatoes, a^ H. A. Flower, Fruiter and Confectioner, East street. YIJ AN TED.—IOOO Men to look at (he VV Chap Drapery frrm Australia. •it Melbourne priaes. " Th«B!ue House '' •s the place to got it-, at lha Corner fi Xrcadfl, and do^.'t yon forget it. 4 240 WANTED Known—The "Unrest and Beet shop for Erenfnsr Shoos in s'lburton —Mel!or's Zwlandh 800 ■^tore, «TaNTKO Known-Football Boo's, » sir« "oal kiokern; they never fail —Mellor's Z9ilandia Boot St^re. fTTAKTiiD Kn wn — Great Bajgainp V are now bafng given for Caxh i> ill departments. Bflfrre laying or,t your money for Drnpf>ry. Isoots, ec . give us a call.— H. 0. Skger=i, Me!f >rd House. % LL A c-iunts Osringj to Jossph *- Taylor, East streot, A'-hburton ■nast be paid on or bef re Rionday. May 2). or will be sued for withour farther notice. All goods wi'l be sold for Cash Only from this date. 5 99 TI^ANTEDKNOWN. -Thecelebrated * Yarmouth Oilskins can be ob tained at W. H Collier, "The Corner." BACON, BACON. Grain and Pea fod at Factory prices. Finest Smoked Pale Hams 7M per lb, Finest Smoked Pale Sides and" Rolls 6£i per lb Finest Factory C-eese 61 per lb Note address—Fietcher Bros., Cash Supply Stores, Ashburton. Y\T ANTED K^own — Mrs Hoopeb '» (monthly nurse) is open to accept engagements. Apply, by letter, to Mrs Hoopeb, Alford Forest Road, Ashburton 11*131



I fXTAINTSD KNOWN.-Warm carpei » » slippers for Winter wear, girls 9d, Is vranm'a Is 91.— W. H. Collier, ' The Corner." OXANTED Known—Mothers, be wis<? » and buy your school booti at Melior's Z *laidia Boot Store. WANTED Known—Bargains to be had every d y at Mellor's Ze;s 'andia Boot Store. tX/ANTED Known—l have good W Bluchers, only 4j lld.-Mellor's Z ;alandia B >ot Store. OWN Make in Ladies' and Children's Underclothing, Aprons, and Pina fores ; also a good assortment of Calicoes, tfuslins, Flannelettes, Trimmings, etc., at Mrs Alcokn's new shop, Bake?'* Buildings. BANG! Bang i Bang ! My new Bea son's stock of Ammunition to hand Eley's, Kynock's and, Glut) Cartridges, Powder, Shot, Caps, Wads, Cases and all sporting materials of the first quality afc J. W. Hardley's, Ou» Bpporinm W"~~AIfT E tTkB 0 W NT-- F. t Jermim, leading Confectioner and Fruiterer of Ashburton, East Street, next the Corner. lee Cream?, Fresh Fruits, Confectionery, Summer drinks of every description. Ice ah reasonable rat«R. Ladiei Room a specialty 1*153 BOY'S and Girls Own Annual, British Workman and Workwoman, Infant's Maga^ne, Tiw prize, Child's Companion, Children's Friend, hltth Dot, Family Friend, Band of Hope, ¥owg England, and other New Bocks at Lowest Fr^en.-^- L. F. Andrewes ano Co. 11 £$ XTOTICEI Notice Sport for all iN Guns let out; on hire cr sold on tirna paywentsi- Having a professional Gunsmith owe premises, I undertake to repair Guns of m$ 4j3Wßription, Gun fittings in stock. Priqe.3 10.jr.w7. W. Haudiby, Ironmonger, etc' ( WANTHD Known —Lowest possible prices for Men's Knit Undet clo lhin2, Shirts, and Heavy Boo*iß.=- MITCHELL AND TcttKßtt. " New VmwTriwn-'Lattft Smut



Wanted F. ANDItKWKS &CO.-1 Sale now • on of Surplus Stock of Fancy Goods, Toys, Books, Stationery and Account Books, and all at greatly reduced prices for cash, at L. F. Anhrewbs <fr Co 11/ ANTED Known—We are reducing j V\ the whole of our Drapery, Boots, ! Clothing, etc, For Cash. New Dresses, I New Jackets, New Hats, etc , will all be reduced —U. 0. Segeks. Melford House. WANTED Known —The Misses Ukqxjhabt havo started Drees* making, and having a thorough knowledge of the business, combined wilh moderate charges, hope to receive a snare of the public patronage. Address: Tancred Street, next to J?.. VV. Hall. Herbalist. GUNS ! Guns! Guns ! My new stock of Gunsj ust to hand direct from the manufacturers. Double and Single Barrel Breech Leaders, Rifles, etc. In spectlon invited. No old stock to select from at J. W. Hardlby's Sporting Repository . WANTED Known—That lam hold ing a Sale at Reduced Prices for One Month. Come for Bargains. I have the advantage over nnny in the trade for the simple reason that I have no partners to pay dividends to, or interest on loan to carry on big concerns. But I boy and sell none but the best, no trash to draw the unwary. Repairs as usual, done at Once.—J. Moison, Boot Store, East street, Ash burton. 6 138



WINTER. 152 Men's, Boys' and Youths' Tweed Overcoats, with Cape, to be cleared this season at 20 per cent under ordinary prices 69; Boys' and Youths Mac'arlane Over coats, new shape, to be Sold at 12} per cent lower than last season 28 Boys' Double-breasted Roefers'from 10s 9d WATERPROOF COATS. Our Coats are to be seen all over the Country.* , SPECIAL. Indies' Waterproof Cloaks made to measure ; all Sewn Seams*] [ A SHBURTOK T3LANKBTS, Large Double Bed Size, * WINTER BOOTS. It will pay you to Buy your BOOTS from the NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. ALEX HENDRY, Manager. CERTLEMEH i WI-HIKG to MAKE A NICE PRESE T TO A LA 0 V HTML 1; r'o well 'o see Ihe puce! of NEW AND BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED GOLD BROOCHES wMch S. S A L E X, Watchmaker and Jeweller, East; street, has to arrive direct from Home in a day or two. These Jiro^shes are of the VERY LAJ'EST AND OHOIJCES 4 T DESIGNS.