DEATH IN THE BUSH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12546, 13 April 1904, Page 5

DEATH IN THE BUSH.

MR, J.C. ANDREWS BODY FOUND. LOST IN ROUGH COUNTRY. A HUNDRED SEARCHERS SCOURING THE BUSH. lev TEIEOBAFIi.*—OWU CORRESPONDENT.] Ei.T.i.vGTON, Tuesday. This morning the sad news was received In Wellington that the search for Mr. J. C. Andrew, solicitor, Wellington, who was bushed while deer-stalking in the Martinborough district last week, had ended iu the finding of his dead body. The body was discovered about two miles from tha camp of Ross, the deerstalkers' guide, about eight miles from the spot where Mr. Andrew left his companions, Messrs. Hughes and Wilson, and about half-a-mile from a welldefined track. The body was lying in a clearing, u Winchester riilo was within arm's reach, and some empty cartridges and a half-smoked pipe near by.

Mr. Andrew evidently died of exposure and starvation. One leg was much swollen, and it is believed be met with an accident arid slowly perish where he was found. The body was found by Stettin, a companion of Ross. For three days in succession Ross and party hoard shots in the Ruakokapatuna district in response to their firing, but attached no importance to them until they arrived iu Martinborough on Sunday when they heard the news that ill - . Andrew was missing Ross and Sit Ilia went out to the locality from whence the shots were heard, arriving there yesterday afternoon. Stpiilii found the body about 1000 yards from where tho shots were heard last week. A rifle and empty cartridge were lying alongside the body. All the ammunition had been used. fcUefliu did not examine tho body but covered over the face with a newspaper and then proceeded to Marlinboiough and informed the police. Htetlin, Constable iSheavy, and a party, went out at sis o'clock this morning it bring in the body. The country is the roughest in the colony, and the body will have to be carlied, packed, and driven, and will not arrive iu Martinborough until a lata hour this evening.

Jack Ross ;uul StefHn are familiar with the whole of the rough country of the lower valley of the Wairarapu. This season Ross has had camps for dew-stalking tourists along the Kuakokapahura, which is the valley and range lying next to Turauganui, iu which the Andrew party went huutiiig. In this neighbourhood there is an area of some 25.000 to 50,000 acres of very rough country, which the Government has .set aside as a preserve and reserve, over which no shooting could be clone.

Had the organisers of tho search parties communicated directly with such experienced men. as Boss ami Stettin the latter would have probably remembered the shots heard by them from different directions during the week, and would thus have been able to narrow down the search area. As it was the search was quickly ended when Ross and Steflin were informed of the loss of Mr. Andrew.

Mr. Andrew left town to spend the Easter vacation in a deer-stalking expedition on hatarangi station, a run of about 30.000 acYes, which extends from the neighbourhood of Martinborough down to Cape Palliser. On Thursday last word reached Martinborough and Featherstou from Mr. Andrew's party (Messrs. James Wilson and W. E. Hughes, of Wellington) that Mr. Andrew had been missing since Tuesday The camp from which he was missing was a Maori rendezvous, knowu as " London," amongst the hills, 25 miles south-east of Martinborough, From this camp the party had worked its way soma 10 miles up the Turanganui Creek. On Tuesday morning Mr. Andrew left on a solitary stalk, saying that if he was not back by nightfall his party was not to be anxious as he might camp out all night. It had been arranged between the members of i.ho party that should any one get "bushed" whilst separated from the others the signal to be used should be five shots from the title. As Mr. Andrew did not appear next morning his friends became anxious ami started out upon a search for him. This proving fruitless it was decided to call for further help, and the case was reported to the police and the settlers of the district, to whom the missing gentleman was well known. The Premier, who happened to be spending a holiday in the neighbourhood, rendered every assistance, and sent for a squad of artillery Guides, stalkers, and men familiar with the district-, rallied rapidly at the call for searchers, and a number of men were engaged at 10s a day to join the parties organised, and led by Mr. W. C. Buchanan, the McDougall brothers, Mr. Morrison, and others, until about 100 men altogether were scouring the bush. A reward of £40 was at first offered to the finder of the missing man, and this reward was subsequently increased to £-100. A number of intimate friends of the deceased joined in the search, and all his Relatives, including his wife, father,/and brothers, assembled at Martinborough Curing the distressing period of the search which has ended in the realisation of the worst; fears of those who waited. Mr. Hughes, who was with Mr. Andrew's party, was lost for a while, but eventually got back to camp. DESCRIPTION OP THE COUNTRY. . Mr. L. Tripp, of Wellington, who spent last week deer-stalking in the country adjacent to that in which Mr. Andrew* was lost, said, during the course of a talk with a Post- representative this morning, that the country was the very worst he had ever taken a gun into. It was very sleep country, with very thick undergrowth, and a man could only travel through it along the ridges, or by following tracks made by deer. Mr. Tripp did his stalking with Messrs. <J. Crawford and W. Barton, in the White Rock country, which was about 15 miles from the region in which Mr. Andrew's party was hunting. The two parties, which knew nothing of each other's movements, were divided by a range, and were operating in different valleys. Mr. Crawford, in describing the locality, said that ii Mount R«ss were taken as the centre, the Andrew party was on the west, Barton's party on the east, and Jack Rosi (guide and professional stalker) had hia camp to the north. Messrs. Barton Tripp, and Crow-ford left heir camp on Hunday last, to return to civilisation, and it was not until their return that they heard of the loss of Mr. Andrew. They had met ltoss, who told them the bad news. Ross informed thorn that during the week, when he was taking Captain We Bathe over the range, he had heard an answering shot to every shot his party fired, but paid no heed to the matter, as lit thought the shots came from another party of stalkers. He had heard shots from the direction in which Mr. Andrew had gone on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. THE LATE MR. ANDREW. The late Mr. Andrew, who was 36 or 37 years ul age, and the second son of the Rev. J. C. Andrew, ot lea Station, Wairurapa, was an enthusiastic, experienced, and skilled sportsman, with both rod and gun. His interest mi sport took the practical form of active participation in the affairs of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. During the past two years lie had been tho society's chairman, and for years previously he had served upon tlic council. Born in 1866, in Whitby, Yorkshire, Mr. Andrew came to the colony when an infant, and was educated at Nelson College, his father being headmaster of tha< college. From Nelson he went to Oxford University, where ho obtained the Bachelor ol Arts degree. Returning to Wellington, he passed the necessary examination, and was admitted to the Bar in 1891. Hp had charge of ene of Ire departments in Mr. Brandos s office for some time, and in January, 1093, became a partner with Mr. R. C. Hamilton, which partnership continued until the time of his death. Some 10 years ago Mr Andrew married a daughter of the late Mr. John Morrison, of Bluirlogie, Wairnrapa. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew bad five children, the youngest of whom is nine months old. Tha deceased gentleman was very popular in the city, and took an active part ill all movements in which he became interested. He was a member of the council and honorary treasurer of the Wellington T aw Society, a member of the | We Henley Club, and for several years was a vestryman of St. Mark's Anglican Church. I This was Mr 'Andrew's first deerdiking expedition, but he was familial with the ' bush, and to the Inst his friends never quite | gave up hope that he would come out alive.