PERSONAL.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2788, 11 October 1910, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Obituary.—We have to report the death of Mr George Arndt a very old resident of the Arrowtown district. Deceased was a brother of the late Mrj Arndt, who many years ago owned Thurlby Domain.—Another sad death occurred yesterday at Arrowtown, when Miss Minnie Connor, eldest daughter of Thomas Connor, Mayor of Arrowtown passed away after a very short illness.

The following interesting details regarding the life and adventures of Mr Hunter Blair, "whose death under such pathetic circumstances took place recently on Little Barrier Island, are given in the ' Hunterville Express ': —

" A member of our staff, who was at one time employed in the head office of the Government Tourist Department, Wellington, whore deceased acted in the capacity of messenger and general utility hand, states that Robert Hunter Blair was of aristocratic Scottish descent, and closely connected with a namesake of his who acted as aide-do-camp to one of New Zealand's Governors. The deceased, who was of a roving nature, followed the occupation of a miner in South America, where he amassed a considerable fortune, only to see it vanish in further speculative mining enterprises. Later Dame Fortune smiled once more at him, and left him in a state of affluence. But the wilds of unexplored country kept a-calling, and he went back prospecting and; speculating finally he spent his last pound on a scheelite mine in Central Otago. Some five years ago he was engaged by the Government Tourist Department for work on the cutting of the overland track to Milford Sound, and it was there that romance, not of gold, but of love, entered into his life. A few months prior to the event which we are about to relate, a young woman, of pre-possessing appearance, arrived from Scotland and secured employment as a general servant at the Government Tourist Department's accommodation house at Milford. It was a lonely life for that young woman, and one morning in desponition she started on the then rough journey on foot to Lumsden—through dense "bush, deep ravines, and rivers. About four miles from Milford she came on Hunter Blair at work on the track. It was raining hard and being ill and distressed she told her story to him. In course of conversation it was discovered that they came from the same place in Scotland. Hunter Blair left the young woman at his camp, returned to the accommodation house, and obtained her outfit, and on returning to the camp resumed the long and arduous journey to Lumsden. It took nigh on three days to do it, most of which time Hunter Blair had to carry his companion, as owing to her exposure she had'developed pleurisy. Medical treatment and kindly nursing at Lumsden rapidly restored her to health, and she Immediately became Mrs Hunter Blair. A romantic wooing, truly, with a tragic ending. Hunter Blair was a man of about fifty-two years of age—much travelled and deeply read. With his inherent love of lonely spots and adventure, it seems meet that he should have passed away on a lonely islet, with seabirds screaming a requiem."