The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1907-09-07 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE PASSING WEEK.  An act of great bravery resulted in a young man named Arthur Hardiment being taken to the Norfolk County Hospital on Saturday with his left arm terribly injured. He was standing on the line at the Tivetshall crossing talking with gateman Bloomfield, when, just as the Cromer to London passenger express was dashing through, Bloomfield's eighteen-months old son emerged from behind some buffer stops and approached the up line. In an instant Hardiment rushed across in front of the express and saved the child, but the engine caught his arm and knocked him down. He had a miraculous escape from death.  Under extraordinary circumstances Dr. *alter C. Hirst was shot dead at his house in Westfield-terrace, Chapeltown, Leeds, en Saturday morning, by a patient, who afterwards committed suicide. The murderer was John William Harrison, a man f about 40, who had formerly been manager of a sewing machine firm. He had recently been showing sYmptoms of mental derangement, and by Dr. Hirst's advice it had been arranged that he should be placed under restraint. About six o'clock oh Saturday morning Harrison went to the doctor's house and rang the night bell. Dr. Hirst went himself to the door, and immediately it was opened Harrison fired two shots at him with a revolver, woundint him mortally. He then shot himself through the head and fell dead by his victim's side.  Unsuccessful attempts to swim the English Channel were made on Saturday by Wolife, Heaton, and Stearne. Holbein crossed in a tug on Sunday, and began the swim from the French coast. Ile bad to relinquish the swim early on Monday morning through illness. Ile had got more than half-way from the French to the English coast. and was in a favourable position for completing the task.  The Tsar paid a secret visit to St. Petersburg on Monday to attend the dedication of the expiatory church built on the spot at which Alexander 11. was assa6sinated in, 1881. • • • •  Colonel George Fits George, eldest son of the late Duke of Cambridge. died at Lucerne on Monday.  The strike at Antwerp on Monday extended to men handling coal and minerals. Lively scenes were witnessed during the day, the police being unable to prevent many cases of intimidation. English labourers at work were stoned, and strikebreakers were prevented from reaching or continuing work. In other cases revolver shots were exchanged. without damage, however, on either side.  It was admitted by Major Thackery (resident magistrate) at Tuesday's inquest on the victims of the Belfast rioting that he threw one stone. Both police and military occasionally engaged in stone-throwing, and he considered they were justified in doing so. At the time firing took place none of the military pickets would have been left alive if two more minutes had elapsed.  The Trade Union Congress at Bath on Tuesday passed the Parliamentary Commit-1 tee's report, in the discussion of which a personal attack was made upon Mr. John Burns and his administration of the Unemployed Act, and there was a long and heated debate upon the question of Labour unity arising out of a recommendation that efforts should be continued to secure a working arrangement between the different sections of the Labour party. The action of Mr. Vivian in assisting Liberal candidates against Labour was subjected to pointed criticism.