MT. ROSKILL TRAGEDY

Northern Advocate, 18 October 1933, Page 7

MT. ROSKILL TRAGEDY

PUNERAL OF VICTIM. BIG PUBLIC CONCOURSE. (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day. The funeral yesterday afternoon of Mr .Tames Hunter Blair, victim of the Mt. Roskill murder, was one of the largest seen in Auckland for many years. Long before o’clock largo i crowds assembled near the victim’s , home in Abbey Street, Newton,- and as ; the cortege moved off thousands lined ; the streets from Karangahape Road at , various points right out to Point Chevalier. The coffin, draped with the Union Jack and covered with many beautiful floral emblems, was borne by Messrs* A. Hynes, D. Thomson, P. P. 0. Colett, L. Wilkinson, .1. Nash, and W. Davidson, all Chess taxi drivers and colleagues of the dead man. As the hearse moved into Karangahape Road from Gimdvy Street, long lines of taxicabs moved into lino behind and followed to Waikumete Cemetery. The cortege was two miles long. Many cx-servieo-men followed the hearse to pay tribute to their late comrade, in arms. The' taxicabs of various services werb grouped according to the organisations to which they belonged, almost every Chess taxi in Auckland being behind the hearse, the others following. Each taxi carried a small strip of black ribbon from the radiator cap. The service at Waikumete was conducted by the Rev. Evan R. Harris, of St. .Tames’ Presbyterian Church. Mr Blair was buried in the soldiers section of the cemetery. “Thou knowest, oil Lord, how our hearts are stirred to sympathy and to indignation. We are mindful of the frailty of life, of its subjection, not only to disease, but alio to hatred and oven to crime,” said Mr Harris, who recited an eloquent graveside prayer. “An enemy has sown) taros where thou has .sown wheat. We remember that the devil was a murderer from the beginning. We thank Thee for the magnificent tributes paid to our brother at his graveside. Have compassion upon his wife and daughters. We pray that our minds may bo freed from thoughts of personal revenge; help us to commit our cause to Him who jmlgcth righteously. Give us grace to pray even for him whose hand has done this foul deed, that lie may be brought to penitence.” The minister recited several verses from the hymn, “Now the labourer’s task is o’er,” and those present joined ( in the Lord’s prayer. The final and most impressive tribute was provided [ by a number of men representative of the Auckland Returned Soldiers’ Asso- , elation, who stopped forward and cast into the open grave replicas of the red ? poppies of Flanders.