At the start of the St Clair Handicap of two miles, Lottie Direct led out from Darkest, then coming Bundaberg. Peter Dean did not go off kindly, and broke opposite the stand. At the end of six furlongs Lottie Direct was leading Darkest, then coming Bundaberg. There was little change over the next lap and commencing the final five furlongs Lottie Direct and Darkest were running together, two lengths in front of Bundaberg. Then came Our Lady and First Fashion. First Fashion broke at the far turn. Lottie Direct led into the straight, but broke, and Bundaberg ran to the front, and came on to win by nearly two lengths from Darkest in 1min 50 4/5sec.
Fire at sawmill
The Dunedin Fire Brigade received a call at 11.32 last night to a fire in Hogg and Company’s timber mills. The fire had a good hold in the centre of the building, particularly in the drying-kilns where a considerable quantity of timber was in flames. The city brigade received reinforcements from the South Dunedin station and soon had the outbreak under control.
Plucked from the gallery
A rather unusual incident occurred at the Supreme Court yesterday when a jury was being empanelled in connection with a case of alleged malpractice. The usual panel of 40 jurors had been subpoenaed for the criminal, sessions, but the 12 men who had served on a "ringing-in" case had been discharged by his Honor from further service during that session, and another 12 had retired a few minutes previously to deliberate on an assault case. This left an attenuated panel from which to choose a jury. Counsel for accused exhausted his right further to challenge when he had asked six to "stand aside," and the Crown Prosecutor, who has unlimited right to "stand aside," had still six seats to fill when all names had been drawn from the ballot box. The names of those ordered to stand aside by the Crown were then put back into the ballot box and two were selected. This still left four vacant seats. His Honor Mr Justice Reed then ordered the court doors to be closed, and the Court Usher (Mr A. Juriss) was then instructed to take the first four men in the front row of the spectators in the body of the court commencing on his Honor’s right hand.
The court was crowded, principally with medical students, and the first man selected was a well-known University footballer, and he was followed by three others, some of whom were carrying their lecture note books. The students appeared surprised when called on to serve their King and country and the laughter which greeted them as they filed into the jury box was reminiscent of a vaudeville performance, and but the merriment was quickly suppressed by the stentorian call of "silence" from the Court Usher.
Celestial event witnessed
The transit of Mercury across the sun’s disc was clearly seen from the Beverly-Begg Observatory yesterday morning. There was a large number of members of the institute and visitors present, and the first contact was at 9.15am in accordance to the time predicted. The atmospheric conditions were excellent. — ODT, 9.5.1924
Compiled by Peter Dowden
