DEATH OF MR. THOMAS DWAN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 129, 28 November 1906, Page 2

DEATH OF MR. THOMAS DWAN.

AN INTERESTING AND VARIED CAREER. THE STRENUOUS LIFE. Soldier, journalist, auctioneer, merchant, schoolmaster, miner, contractor, sawmiller, brewer, Thomas Dwan, who died at hia home in Nairn-street yesterday afternoon, aged 79 years, was all these and more. The late Mr. Dwan was a well-known figure in Wellington for the last 20 years, but perhaps few, save his intimate acquaintances, aro familiar with his many-sided career. ' He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1827, and when quite a young lad left his native land with his parents for Canada. Here, as a boy, he imbibed all the strenuousness of the Americans. After attending school in Canada his parents sent him to a well-known grammar school at Whitehall, in the United States, and manhood saw him in the West Point Military Academy, where he graduated and obtained a command in the United States Army. ON ACTIVE DUTY. His soldiering , was not of tho theoretical variety. He took part in tho fighting in- the Rocky Mountains, Salt Lake and California, with the Indians, and on more than one occasion escaped with his life by a hair's breadth. Mi 1 . Dwan was also in San Francisco at the time of the invasion of Nicaragua, by General Walker. In fact, he joined Walker's forces, and was present at the biege of Revas, the taking of Granada and the battles of Leon, Viejo, Managua, and others. It is recorded that after severe fighting and privation tho country was occupied, but was not retained very long. The greater part of the corps to which tho late Mr Dwan w;\s # attached, and which entered the country on the Pacific side, had to cut its way through tho dense forest to the Caribbean Sea. During this expedition Mr. Dwan was moro than once carried off the field for dead, but his strong constitution carried him through. It is said that some years ago thero were men in New Zealand — and there may be to-day — who had served under him in these engagements. Towards the close of the invaders' campaign a, number of Walker's men, including Mr. Dwan, were taken on board a British gunboat and landed at Key West. Mr. Dwan then returned to Canada, and when it it told that he took his negro attendant with him and liberated him on Canadian soil in order that he might enjoy the fruits of liberty, a glimpse of one of his best characteristics is apparNEW LANDS. Tho gold fever was at its height in Australia in the fifties, and in March, 1857, Mr. Dwan set foot in Melbourne, where he promptly set up in business as mining speculator, storekeeper and journalist in various towns. The volunteer movement was' also in the air at this time, and the old military instinct asserted itself, with tho result that the subject of this notice organised and drilled a detachment of "the Prince of Wales Light Horse" at a town called Inglewood, of which he subsequently became major. In 1805 New Zealand attracted him, and he landed in Hokitika in that year, when gold-mining was about the only thing a man lived for on the coast. As agent for Spence Bros., a firm of Melbourne merchants, he was commissioned to start business on their behalf at Hokitika and Okarita. The notorious "Maungatnpu murderers"—Burgess, Kelly, Levy, and Sul- • livan — were theie nbout this time, and on at lenst ono occasion Mr. Dwau came perilously near losing his life at the hands of these murderers. He used to tell how he was riding from Okarita to HokitikiCbne 1 evening with a considerable sunV'of ' money. Ho was pursued by the gang of desperadoes while waiting in tho darkness of the night to allo.w tho tide to recede in ovder th&t he might get round the bluff on the coast.- When his pursuers looked dangerous he drove his spurs into his horse and headed for the sea. The animal was a noble swimmer, and landed his rider in a phice of safety. Mr. Dwan's previous experience as a cavalry officer in America had convinced him that every horse should be taught to swim if he was tq be of any use in a new or unsettled country. • AUCTIONEER AND MERCHANT. When the "rash" broko out at Charleston deceased conceived the idea of setting up on his own account as auctioneer and mcrchmnt at Charleston 'and Westpert. He remained in the first-mentioned town for a number of yeais, and for a considerable timo was, with Mr. R. C. Noill, joint proprietor of tho Charleston Herald. The life of an auctioneer was not all Toses in those days.' If there was plenty of gold thcro were mortgages and debtors ; and an aggrieved party was not always particularly lnw-abiding in its choice of means of redress -where redress was considered necessary. The owners of "The Dublin City Ulaim" got into financial difficulties, and tho bank holding the mortgage decided to auction the property under foreclosure Mr. ,Pwan was selected to do the selling, but just before tho claim was submitted for pur- ■ chase the owners* — who, like most other people in the district, had a. good word for deceased — warned him that he had betteT be missing, as they intended .blowing up the place. And they did. ; They, or those who were suspected of Committing the offence, were arrested and tried, but were acquitted. This id only ono of many incidents that might be quoted as an illustration of how they did things in those wild times. FORTIFYING THE LABOURER. In those stirring days Sir Charles Dilke visited the West Coast, and in his book on Greater Britain he tdls how ,he saw miners and labourers drinking champagne out of a bucket with pannikins. But Mi. Dwan had a variation of this story. He used to tell his friends that what Sir Charles actually saw tho men consuming was Mater fortified with a bottle of brandy. In thoso days a labourer commanded his own price. It was his privilege to nawo his figure— and to get it. The deceosod in his later days used to delight his friend* with stories of these youthful times. Others might be givon, but more would be out of place her«. ,TO AMERICA AGAIN. After 'spending somo years on the Coast Mr. Dwitn decided to' levitsit America, and on landing in San Francisco he joined the literary staff of the Alta-Califor-nia newspaper, and subsequently went into business on his own account in that city, but in 1875 he returned to Now Zealand and settled permanently in Wellington, whore he carried on business as an auctioneer for a number of years. He ulso found timo to dabble in journalism, mid started tho Weekly Herald newspaper, which ho curried on until lie sold out to Mr. Haggin. For somo timo beforo his death ho had lived a more or less Totired life. But for many yearn few citizona of Wellington were better known than Mr. Dwan. HIS LATER" YEARS. Deceased was always a great traveller and seeker after knowledge. He visited all the great exhibitions of tho world during the last fifteen years— Chicago, Paris, and St. Louis. His ambition did not stop at mere business pursuits. On more than ono occasion he has come forward a* a candidate for parliamentary honours, but his aspirations in this direcr lion did not see realisation. On the occasion "of bin !«♦* trip to Aipmca, ••rhoß'hfl '/hitnS. tttd-^l. ttd»'flsftrti2»«w*,

he was made a life member of the Geo-. graphical Society of tho United States, and it was on the same occasion that he met, while travelling in Canada, Lonsdale W. Spooner (whom he served with, as a cavalry officer when quite a young man), and now one of the lumber magnates of Toronto. In many respects deceased was a remarkable man, who had a most varied and interesting caieer. Mr. Dwan had been suffering from an internal complaint for tome time, and waa operated on yesterday morning by-/ Drs. James, Fell, and M'Lean, but died a. few hours aitenvaida. He leaves a widow, two married sons, Messrs. L. and T. B. Dwan, of Wellington, and six grandchildren.