The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1908-02-15 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE PASSING WEEK.  A terrible tragedy occurred at Fernley, near Hendon-on-Thames, on Saturday night, a gentleman named Holmes, a brewer, killing his wife and daughter, and also his cook, and • young maid servant. His dead body was afterwards found in, a wood three-quarters of a mile from The house. At the inquest the evidence proved that 'Hr. Holmes had suffered for a long time from depression through illfille.llllB, and had had financial losses recently. Everyone described him as a kind-hearted man. He killed himself with • .very bargebore revolver, and the bullets which caused the death of his wife. daughter, and two servants fitted this. The four women died instantaneously, and Holmes himself was shot through the heart. The jury returned a verdict that the women were murdered by Holmes,. who 'committed suicide during temporary insanity.  The Board of Trade returns for January show that the imports amounted to 2311,368,338, a decrease, compared with the corresponding month of last year, of £4,166,488. The exports, which amount to £34,407,767, also show a slight decrease of 116€2,840. _  . • •  In the annual report of the Secretary to the Board of Agriculture regrgt is expressed at the indifference of farmed towards the advantages which they admit education confers upon their sons.  S • • • Remarkable evidence was given by the accused during the hearing of the trial of Frans Von Voltheim. charged with blackmailing Mr. Solomon Joel, a millionaire Rand magnate, by means of threats. Prisoner denied that he was guilty of blackmailing, and said that he simply wrote to Solomon Joel requesting money promised him through having arranged with "Barney" Barnato a plot to overthrow the Boer Government. The plot was made a year after the Jameson Raid, that President Kruger should be removed by assassination or otherwise, and another Boer of position elected Premident. This, he claimed, would have obviated the Boer War, and have meant the Barnato firm making huge sums through stoekjobbing operations. He also alleged that he shot Mr. Woolf° Joel, brother of the prosecutor, in self-defence, and that numerous attempts upon his life, instigated by Mr. S. Joel, had been made. On Wednesday prisoner was senipced to 20 years' penal servitude.  • • • • Delegates of the United Government Workers' Federation, meeting at Woolwich for their annual conference. condemned the action of the Government in discharging employees from the Arsenal and giving unneoessary work to private contractors.  By the sinking of the Barrow schooner Pool Fisher, the crew of eight men were drowned, the Dutch steamer Vondel, which collided with her, failing to find any of tie slalom, although boat 4 were put out to search for them.  S • •  On Monday, the anniversary of Dickens' birthday, the National Dickens Library was presented to be housed in the Guildhall Libpary. The presentation was made by Lord James of Hereford, who is president of the Hoz Club and a vice-president of the Dickens Fellowship. The Lord Mayor, Sir J. C. Bell, formally received the gift on behalf of the Guildhall Library.  Exciting scenes were witnessed at Westminster on Tuesday, when suffragettes raided the House of Commons. At the " Women's Parliament" a resolution demanding the franchise was carried, topther with a rider authorising a deputation to at once wait on the Premier. Accordingly a move. was made for the House of Commons, where the women came into conflict with the police, many of the suffragettes showing a violent determination to achieve their object. Another section of the suffragettes brought into use two stirniture vans. It was the behaviour of the women who had driven up concealed in cue of tb,seo y_elsicles that led to repeated Encounter, with the police and many of the arrests. On Wednesday the prisoners, 50 in number, were ordered to find sureties or undergo varying terms of imprisonment. All elected to go to prison. * • • •  At Belly Park, Birmingham, on Saturday, a oarpenter went home and shot his wife and two children as they lay in bed, the injuries inflicted proving fatal in one case. Ha had been out of work but obtained temporary employment on §,aturday, and with the money he received he purchaaed a revolver. • • • a  Mr. George Meredith on Wednesday morning received a heavy mail of lettere of congratulation from hie many English and American admirers on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. The veteran author et in the best of health, and he took advantage of the warm springlike weather to go for hie customary drive in his donkeychaise at Box ECU There were many early visitors to Mr. Meredith's hones to prevent their good wishes, and shortly after noon Mr. Anthony Hope headed a deputation from the Society of Authors, who presented an address. • • • • •  A man. named M'Auley, who had fallen forty feet in a Belfast shipyard, and was seriously injured, had a terrible experience while being taken to hospital. The harem attached to the ambulance suddenly bolted, and dashed away at a terrific pace, ultimately colliding with a lamp-post and smashing the ambulance. The driver was thrown to the ground, and M'Auley was taken to hospital in a grocer's van.  "Daily Talagiaph" New York telegram says that Mn. Rasa. h Stanhope,who caused the arrest of Signor Enrico Caruso, of the Metropolitan Opera House, on the charge of annoying her in the New York monkey-house last year, wee an Tue.:lay fined one cent, for intoxication and diaordeily conduct. When Signor Caruso was informed in the afternoon that hie old enemy had been fined, as stated above, he seemed very jubilant, and said: "Now my vindication is complete before the world. I am a happier man today than I have seen for a long time."