SIR JOHN HENNIKER HEATON'S LAST DAYS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15121, 10 November 1914, Page 5

SIR JOHN HENNIKER HEATON'S LAST DAYS.

(specially ttrittex rox "ths press.")

(Br Me3 Jclias Grajhw.) GENEVA, September 14

Tho cable informed the New Zealand Press probably more rapidly than the London Press learned by telegram, of tho death of Sir John Henniker Heaton, at Geneva, on Tuesday last, September ~m. so well known is ho in New Zealand, and so much it seems to mc, have we for gratitude to him, that I think some account of his last days may be of interest, even although tho first thought pf us all is still for tho war.

About tho middle or end of July Sir Henniker Hcaton went to Carlsbad, io Austria, for tho sako of his health, which does not seem to have improved during his stay there. Indeed, I learned afterwards from Lady Franklin, wifo of Sir Benjamin Franklin, who were both in Carlsbad at the same time as -ir Henniker Heaton, that ho seemed very foeble, and frequently fell asleep even whilo talking to people. Tho war news naturally fctill furtner depressed him, especially as, being wholly derived from German and Austrian .sources, it gave the most woeful accounts of British misfortunes, and daily recounted an unbroken series of glorious victories gained by England's enemies. In such circumstances even a strong person's health was hardly likely to bo improved. • I" order to mako matters worso and to retain for tho Carlsbad hotels and also for thoso of the not very distant Austrian resort of Maricnbad, an excellent set of weuoff English guests, not only were all kinds of difficulties put in tho way of their having a special train to take them to the ...sviss frontier, but they were told all manner of tales, such as that Switzerland was overcrowded and no more foreigners would be admitted; that thero was famine in tho country, and famine in London —not enough bread, not enough provisions of any kind, whereas of course just at tho time many kinds of provisions had actually fallen in price owing to heavy supplies having been recently landed. More than this, tho Austrians would bring this false "news" or even forged and faked telegrams with hypocritical expressions of regret. Every morning the English would wake up to find a huge German or Austrian flag flying outside titcir windows, in order to impress upon them the glorious AusfcroGerman victories and the plight of the Allies, with Paris in flames, the French President assassinated, General French and his staff captured, and the British Expeditionary Forco in France annihilated.

Eventually it was the American Consul. Mr Hoover, who extricated at any rate some of the pent-up English in Carlsbad and Marienbad, securing a special train for them to the Swiss frontier, whence the Swiss Federal Railways brought them to Geneva by another special train. Mr Hoover motored to Vienna from Carlsbad, and threatened the authorities there in such a way that ho' gained his end. Even then, however, only about 250 English could bo removed —the elderly men and the ladies. Accordingly last week the train at length left, having on board '■ besides, Sir John Henniker Heaton, Lord Westbury, Sir Benjamin and Lady Franklin, Princo and Princess I>uleep Singh, Sir Philip and Lady Waterlow, and many other well-known English people. A number of the younger men, however, havo been left behind in Carlsbad and Marienbad, where they are virtually prisoners of war, and whore they are must remain no ono knows how lons. In the circumstances, of course, the train could have neither a dining car nor a sleeping-car attached. It arrived at the Swiss frontier (Buchs) at 4 a.m. on Friday, September 4th, and there everyone changed into the Swiss train via Zurich and Berne to Geneva, which was reached somewhat after one o'clock. Just before reaching Zurich Sir Henniker Heaton had some bread and cheese for breakfast, presumably all ho could get, and this seems to have made him ill. so that Lord Westbury telegraphed for a doctor to meet the train at Olten, and then, as no doctor appeared (most medical men were probably mostly away with tho troops or on military service), for a doctor to meet the train at Berne. At Berne, -where my husband and I met the train, we saw our own doctor, a French-Swiss, go on board it, and he eeems to have decided that Sir Henniker Heaton could proceed to Geneva. At Berne my busband went on the train, and travelled with Sir Henniker Heaton to Geneva, I staying in Berne to despatch telegrams. During tho journey he was talking for a time with Sir Henniker Heaton, who was lying in a. dressinggown, in a corridor carriage by himself, looking somewhat exhausted. It was fourteen years since my husband and ho had met, in Ireland, but Sir John recognised him at once, immediately noticing that ho had with him some English papers of August 26th. at which he was able to glance, saying, "I

have not seen an English paper sine© tho war broke out."

! By the time he reached Geneva ho I "was rather better, and, leaning on my I husband's arm, managed to walk along i the platform to tho hotel omnibus. J Directly he arrived, three specialists and Sir Benjamin Franklin consulted I about, him, concluding that his life could not possibly bo prolonged much. Lord West bury telegraphed to I/ady Henniker Heaton. Everybody telegraphed, in short, but so bad were the communications via Paris (under martial law, it will bo remembered), that to receive an answer to a telegram took much longer than, in ordinary circumstances, to receive an answer to a letter. Thus it was not until the day of Sir John's funeral, the lOih. that a telegram, asking for particulars, was received from Lady Henniker Heaton. But to telegrams sent (or supposed to have been sent) from Austria, there was never any answer at all, end "tho only inference to be drawn was that the Austrian officials had pocketed tho money and never sent the telegrams. These telegrams, moreover, were sent "reply paid! ,. Sir Henniker Heaton lay in what •was practically a comatose staie in Geneva, until he died. Ho roused, however, once, sufficiently to recognise and address by name a young Australian from Sydney, Mr Oswald Cheeke, who was staying* just then in Geneva, and who, having known Sir John and his family well, went to see him. and was with him when ho died. Mr Cheeke told him that he had written or telegraphed to some members of the Heaton family, and when those were mentioned by their Christian names Sir John seemed to understand. On the Tuesday, not quite four days after his arrival in Geneva, Sir John Henniker Heaton died, at 11.33 in the morning. My husband was in Geneva and 1 waiting in Heme, expecta telephone " menace or a tele-rain from my husband t ha* 1 "vas to co to Geneva also, where he had been since Monday afternoon and he then received news of bir Henniker Heaton's being wor*o. On Monday evening he telephoned to mo that Sir John was rather better, but on Tuesday, at noon, he telephoned the news of his death. I U>legrapbed the news from Berne to the London papers, my Inland telegraphed from Geneva, in the hope that ilone telegram did not get through tic othei would. It is in Pans, 1 *ho *'>' that the telegrams have oeen hold up, apparently indiscriminately, t. or . sC "™ l dovs 1 left for Geneva that attcinoon, arriving there that same cvoninrr I telegraphed at once to Mr Mackenzie, the New Zealand High Commissioner in London hop.. B «J« ho might receive the.. telegram early the' next morning, Wednesday and send mc a reply in the course of t..0 da" I asked, should I lay a wreath on' Sir Henniker Heatoii's grave on behalf of New Zealand. I waited all daj long on Wednesday, and then, as no answer came, and as 1 was .certain tb was owing .to bad telegraphic common cation, I ordered a large white wreath myself. On a phoefc of notepaper attached I wrote: "With.ever grateful recollection of Sir John Henniker Heaton, and of his Imperial woi km cementing tho bonds between land and the Mother Country. On behalf of the Dominjon of .New Zealand. —Mr and Mrs Julian Grande. . Two days later, on Friday evening, J received\a telegram from Mr Mackenzie—"Please place wreath on . i»« *rav# iith voiding, 'With New Zealand's loving and appreciative remembrance.' " So that I had correctly niter preted his wishes and sentiments. Meantime Lord tvestbury had bought a plot of ground in the Saint Georges Cemetery for 5)9 years. In Geneva, at the time, thero were not only all tho many Engiisn people who had known Sir Henniker Heaton in Carlsbad, and had travelled with Inm in the same train from Austria, but also Mrs Gheeke, of Sydney, and her son,, Mr Oswald Cheeke.. whom 1 have already mentioned, and Mrs Quirk, ot Melbourne. Mrs and Mr Cheeke chose not a -wreath to lay on the coffin, bnt the Commonwealth flag, carried,out m white and red dahlias and blue cornflowers. Blue flowers of tho right shade for the blue of the.Union Jack were extremely difficult to procure at this time of year, although there were plenty of beliutiful white, pink, and purple flowers, asters and gladiolus especially. Mrs Quirk, of Melb&urne, laid a great sheaf of •white flowers by the c-offin. Tho Commonwealth flag .in flowers was at tho. head, and a very large purple and white wreath, from Sir ' John's Carlsbad friends, at tho foot; the New Zealand wreath at ono sid«; on the top a beautiful sheaf of pink gladiolus. The coffin ," indeed, was completely covered and surrounded with flowers, and the English Church in Geneva, in the Rue dv Mont Blanc, where the service was held, was crowded, all the English residents attending and also all the English "visitors .from Marionbad and Carlsbad. After the service my husband and 1 drove, with Sir Benjamin and Lady Franklin, and a few other people, among them Lord "Westbury, Mrs Cheeke and her son, to the cemetery, which is outside Geneva, and muse be almost on the French frontier. It is in a beautiful situation, and in the early autumn is still full of flowers. After all. Switzerland, though not British soil, is neutral land, and Frenoh- ! Switzerland, in , whWi Geneva is situi ated. friendly to England, owine_ to many and old associations with English people.