FAMOUS "WHISKY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 218, 15 September 1939, Page 9

FAMOUS "WHISKY."

OLD RIKSHA PULLER.

FORTY YEARS ON THE JOB.

1

XiAST WISH UNFULFILLED,

DURBAN". "Whisky," Maritzburg's famous riksha poller, is dead. He died in Greys Hospital after an illness of a few days. He was more than 60 years of age and had been pulling a riksha for 40 Tears.

In 1925 arrangements were made for "Whisky" to pull the Prince of Wales through the streets of Maritzburg. The plan was, however, changed and the ride never took place.

When the Prince arrived in Rhodesia he sent a personal message to "Whisky" regretting that a misunderstanding had prevented him from taking the ride. "Whisky" had this letter framed and its companion on his wall was a photograph of himself with his very clean riksha and his very elaborate costume. The day before he died he told one of the nurses that he wished he had enough money to travel overseas to see the Prince of Wales.

Before going to hospital he gave his two precious pictures to the proprietress <?f the riksha yard for safe keeping. Proprietors of riksha yards in Maritzburg say that "Whisky" began pulling at the start of the Boer War. He spent the greater part of his life in Alaritzburg and was a very well-known figure in the streets.

He had a magnificent physique, the most elaborate costume of all pullers and a spotless rikslia.—Natal "Mercury."