SUICIDE OF MR LARNACH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11253, 25 October 1898, Page 7

SUICIDE OF MR LARNACH.

FOUND DEAD IN A COMMITTEE ROOM. "A. LOADED REVOLVER IN HIS HAND. CONSTERNATION IN THE HOUSE. WELLINGTON, October 12. A most painful occurrence happened in J Committee room at'the Parliamentary Buildings between_ 4- o'clock this afternoon and lialf-past 8 this evening, at which latter time the body of the Hon. W. J.»M. LarnacH, member for Tuapeka, was found with a sixchambered revolver in its right hand, one chamber of which had been discharged. The bullet entered the head almost in the centra of tho forehead and slightly over the left eye. He was found sitting in a chair at the head of the table, and was quite dead, with his head thrown back. The last person who saw him alive was Mr E. W. Kane, parliamentary bill-reader, who, about 4- o'clock in the afternoon, saw him entering the committee room. and exchanged a few words with him, after which- Mr Larnach locked the door. Mr Kane thought he had locked himself in the room to attend' to private correspondence. Twenty minutes afterwards Mr R. M'Kenxie, member for Motueka, tried the door, but received no .reply. When Mr Larnach did not arrive home at tea time Mrs Larnach became anxious, and made inquiries as to his where■abouts from Mr Mills, one of the Government .whips, -who made a search of the building*!, and, finding the J Committee room locked, had the door forced open. The body was found as already stated.^ Mr Larnach was chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and a member of the Goldfields Committee. At the meeting of the latter- committee, which he attended this morning, he sat for a couple of hours, without speaking, and his apparent despondency was the subject of some remark by his felloweommitteemen. ' ..' FURTHER PARTICULARS. (FkOJI OUE OWN CORKESFONDENT.) WELLINGTON, October 12. . Shortly after 9 o'clock t.o-night the House of Representatives and the galleries were horrified by the announcement that the Hon. W, J. M. Larnacß, the member for Tuapeka,had been found dead in one of the committee rooms, having evidently committed suicide. ■ The announcement was made just after the House had finished discussing the Native Land Laws, Amendment Bill. About a quarter of an hour before this the Premier was 6eeri to hm-riedly. leave the Chamber for about a quarter of .an hour: , The business of the House proceeded quietly. The third reading of tho, Native Land Laws Amendment Bill was agreed to, and the House was just about.to go into Committee on the Master and Apprentice Bill, when Mr Seddon reentered tfce Chamber burriedly, anc' loaning -on the desk behind which Mr Larnach used .ta sit, said! —"'Mr Speaker,—l beg to move the adjournment of the House." Here he paused, Mid evidently he spoke with great difficulty. . Members all looked towards hm.. for there; was such evident emotion in his -voice that there was instantly, instead of the general undercurrent of inattention, a dead siloneo and an expectant thrill. He repeated his words, adding: "Owing to tho death oi the member for Tuapeka under most distressing 'oircumstances,' and I can say no more." Incredulous exclamations and horrified interjections broke out on all sides of the Houpe, and form and etiquette were forgotten. An anxious group, the Speaker among theih, surrounded the Premier, plying him with eager questiens. As we filed, thrilled and horrow-struek, down the stairs, we learnt more of the tragedy. - Only this afternoon I had met Mr Larnach coming into the House, and in the few word 3 Ihad with him I had noticed his quietness of demeanour. Sometime after 8 o'clock, while I-was busy writing in the upper press room, Mr Charles Mills, '•■ the senior Government whip, entered and; asked if I had seen Mr Larnach come up the stairs that evening jueibefore the dinner adjournment. I replied in the negative, and he then informed me that his people were a little anxious about him, as he had not been well lately. Mr Mills went to look through the committee rooms, and shortly afterwards, on finding that the door of J committee room was locked he burst it open, and found Mr Larnach dead in his own chair—-tho brie he used continually to sit in as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. When the news became known there Was, of course, a great sensation, in the House and galleries.' In. the lobbies little groups of members, with very saH faces; gathered.together, while in the" vestibule knots of members and strangers congregated, and reporters and special, correspondents, note books. in hand, came to glean particulars of the tragedy, which was so 'close to us, and so much in oilr midst, as it were,[that it came like a thunderbolt. ,On proceeding ,to ,the committee room I found three orderlies guarding- the 'passage and Inspector Penderin charge of the door of the room. On looking into the room it was quite evident that Mr Larnach bad shot himself. To all appearance death must have been instantaneous as there were no'signs of a struggle. 'He was -simply lying in his chair with, his'hiad. hanging back and the revolver in his hand, resting on his breast. There was a stream of blood from the wound, which had stained his collar and portion of his coat. He was quite cold, and had evidently been dead for several hours. The" revolver, apparently, was quite a' new ona On the table in front of him was, a paper case,' in which it had apparently been purchased, and in this case there was a cleaner . and seven cartridges. The bullet wound was plainly visible in the forehead. 'In-the'course of an interview, Mr Mills,'the . Government whip, explained to me' what he knew of the matter. "I had not'noticed Mr Larnach during the latter part of the afternoon," he said, "but of course that'did not make me at all suspicious. I missed him, however, at the half-past 5 adjournment, as we generally walked home to'dinner together, or, at least, part of the way. I looked round for him, but saw nothing of him. When I returned to the House in the evening, I was informed: that Sirs Larnach had become anxious about her husband, owing to his nonappearance at' dinner. ■• I then commenced to make p, thorough search for him, and ascertained ■ that one of tho messengers had seen him go along the passage to committee room 'J. I went along to this room, and tried the door.; It was locked, and, as there was no reply, to my knocking, I thought perhaps he was aslenp. But as further knocking evoked no response I began Io fear that•. something was wrong.-; I immediately sent 'for assist-, &nee, and the door was forced open, and there Avas. Mr Larnach sitting in a chair at the far end of the table, with a revolver in his hand and a. wound in his forehead. He was then quite dead." ;' ■ : . ' -,Tlie.-last-.one to.see Mr Larnach alive was Mr Kane, the parliamentary bill reader. Mr Kane was/getting.afternoon tea for two ladies, and, about for a vacant room in which it could be served, he came to the 7oor-i°L committee room. There he found. Mr Larnach, anO lemarked: :< Oh, I beg pardon, Mr Larnsch; I did not know you were here." Mr Larnach smiled, and replied: All right,.Kane." Mr Kane, on retreitmg, distinctly heard him lock the door, but simply thought he wished to write some private letters. It was probably between this time and about half-past 4- that the deed was done. The room *-»« in the brick portion of the building,; End in a part of tho edifice seldom visited wbUe the House is sitting, and it is therefore not surprising that no one heard the report ■pben the revolver went oft.. . . - The- Buicide is attributed to serious financial difficulties. Mr Lsraach, it appears, in addition to other financial troubles, lout liea-rily through Colonial Bank shares. H« had" the greatest faith in that institution, 3,nd even wont the length of selling valuable shares.tn the Kaitangnte, Coal Mining Company to buy Colonial Baak shares just before the banking.troubles developed. He is said to be heavily'invclved. Mrs Larnach was evidently anxious about her husband She was;very devoted to him, and recently. has been 'a constant attendant in the gallery in the House which is occupied by Ministers' ■wives. She was there kst night till long after, llio supper"adjouniraeut. Mr Larnach had hot been home either to lunch' or dinner to : day. During t'b'e morning, he was present at the meeting of the Goldfields Committee, but appears to have taken no part in the discussion. Mr Q'Regßi), who sits next ■to him, remarked that he was rather pale and very quiet. '; Amongst others who remarked on , his uiiuEual quietness of late was Mr M'Nab.. Only yesterday Mr Larnach complained to Mr MTSTab of an incident that had occurred in the Public Accounts Committee. He Baics ha felt inclined to resign, because of some reflection that had been cast upon hia ruling as chairman by a member. Mr MTSab tried tc diasuado him, stating that it was ordy a momsntary expression, and that the members of the committee wore per- j foctly satisfied with his ruling. "He used to | bo' very jovial and sociable,1' added Mr.j M*N»b. • " but- this session he has been quite difforaat. Be had alroont become a total abstainer bf lute, and there had been a great change in his mode of lifa." • The police, T am informed, found no letters on clo&easod that could throw any light on fchp'Uajtedy, but be appears to have placed. j lhr*e letters in the parliamentary post box xboflit 10 minutes to 4. These may possibly j ncmtaan. some information bearing on the oc--: OTTMiiie.. The body W" removed from Par- ■', 'lament -House at 11 p,is. Tiie'.Hon. William .lames Mudie Larnach, ] (XM.G,. was born in t}>e Hunter River Jistriot. New South W^ks, in 1838, his father j being one of the pionner runholders of the j district, having arrived in New South Wales | iti -1822. He was .educated, at the Singleton ! Hizh Sokqo) and SydT.«s- College. He was trained to be J. JjanJier, io 186? he came to D'unedin as manager-of the Bank of Otago. iftervvftids merged in the National

Bank. Ho left tho bank to join Mr Walter Guthrie in carrying on the woodware factory and iron and sawinilling business, of Guthrie and Lamncl), which soon grew to bo one of the largest of its kind in Now Zealand until the .'end of the public works boom. When the measure abolishing the provinces wae passed Mr Larnaoh was induced to enter political life, and was elected with Mr (now Sir) Robert Stout and the late Mr James Macandrew for the City of Duneclin in 1876 on the anti-abolition ticket. He proposed a motion of no confidence in the WhitakerAtkinson Ministry, which was carried, and on Sir George Grey forming his Ministry Mr Larnach joined as Colonial Treasurer and Minister for Public Works. He did not hold office veil' long before he was sent to London on business connected with the floating of a loan, and lie was succeeded as Colonial Treasurer by Mr Ballance. Mr .Larnach returned to the colony again in 1880, and in a memorable contest shortly afterwards was elected for the Peninsula seat, his opponents boms; the late Bishop Moran and Mr Donnelly. Ho joined the Slout-Vogel Government in 1883 us Minister for Mines and Marine, and hold office until tho defeat of that Ministry, 'la 1890 ho was defeated for the Peninsula by Air Eamshaw, and retired into private life until 'tha death of the Hon. Vincent Pyke, wlte.i he. was elected member for Tuapeka, .defeating Mr Scobie Mackenzie. lie has since continued to represent that, constituency. While a member of the Stout-Vogel Government, Mr Larnach was made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and' St. George. In commercial oircles Mr Larnach was noted for his enterprise and ability, and he took a prominent part in promoting several important companies, especially the National Insurance Company and the Colonial Bank. He was twice president of thevChainber of Commerce. He took great interest in the volunteer movement, and was honorary colonel of the Otago volunteers. A liberal employer and neighbour, his death will bo severely felt by settlers on the Peninsula, where his beautiful home, The Camp, is one of the show places of the district. He was married three times— in 1859 to Miss Guise, by whom he had six children, two sons and four daughters, three of the latter only surviving. His second wife was Miss May C. Alleyne, who died in 1887. In IS9I ho married Miss. Constance do Bathe Brandon, daughter of the late Hon. A. de B. Brandon, Wellington, who survives him. (Fbou Oon Own CoKisEsroNDE.vr.) WELLINGTON, October 13. Little was spoken of in and about Parliament Buildings this morning but the lamentable death yesterday evening of the Ron. \V J. M. Larnach. It was understood that both Houses, would adjourn as a mark of respect to the deceased, and when Parliament mot at half-past 2' o'clock tin's afternoon everyone knew what the order of procedure would be. Kveri to one who had known nothing of the : sad. occurrence, the grave faces and .solemn whispers, of members were sufficient to indicate that something serious had happened. The Premier rose in his place amidst a dead silence, and spoke with. deep feeling. He said: " AVhen I announced last night to the Hoiise the' sad intelligence it caused such a sensation as I feel sure lias never previously, and I hope may never again, be occasioned. I am sure, sir, that as the sad intelligence was flashed over the 'wires and read by the people of our colony, nothing that has occurred in our history has caused so much grief as is felt to-day. I must ask hon. members not to judge our brother harshly. Those who have known him in the past, and those .who have known him "during the last session, must have kn.own that his health was failing. There was a change perceptible to those who have known him, more particularly during the last few weeks, and they must have folt that there was something seriously at fault. I am sure that one and all will agree with me when I say that, in good health, deceased would have met his worries as bravely as in the past. But coming now in his failing health, ail will, say with me that the mind must have snapped, and the end came to the life of one who has clone good service to the colony, and whose memory will ever be respected by the people of New Zealand." Mr Seddon went on to give a, short sketch of Mr Larnach's career, referring to his work as a banker and commercial man in Otago, nnd to the commencement of his political life as representing Dunedin,. together with Sir R.,Stout and. Mr Macandrew, in the Parliament of 1876/ The Premier also mentioned that Mr Larnach was the first to suggest, in connection with the advances to settlers' loan, that the time had arrived when Now Zealand should obtain its money .at 3 per cent., the suggestion having been successfully carried Out by Mr Ward. 'Mr'Secl-' don^ then proceeded to say that he felt sure that-from one end of the colony to the other the loss they had suffered would be keenly felt." He also spoke on behalf of those on the goldfields, among whom he was so much respected. Perhaps no Minister for Mines they had ever had in the colony had been thought so much of as their old friend the member for Tua-peka,-and.many, would drop a silent tear at Ms untimely end, and would feel that they had lost a dear and sincere friend. Mr Seddon then_ moved the follovSng motion: — I' That this ilouse desires to place on record its high sense of the distinguished services rendered to the colony by the late Mr W. J. M: Larnach. C.M.G., and respectfully tenders to Mrs Larnach and family the assuranco of its sincerest sympathy with them in their' irreparable loss." The Premier, in concluding, said ; " Speaking as.a friend, nothing has occurred since I have been in public life that has affected me so much; in fact, it has quite unnerved me. I can say no more.'-' Captain Russell, in seconding the motion :also spoke with much feeling, and with that delicacy which is characteristic of .the leader . ,*'"', Opposition on such occasions. He saio 'How can I express myself on an occasio.i i_ overwhelmingly deplorable as this. To a is not granted words to voice my own or oi: .-rs' grief at so awful a termination to spl.t'ttK.a career of public usefulness as that of .the Jate Mr W.. J. M. Laruach. Daily we j mix. in parliamentary life and strife and joy, and jostle all uncaring of our. neighbours' sorrows and perplexities. Cross and kindly words alternate in debate. Smart attack and parry succeed each other in endless recurrence, yet our feelings of kindliness and comradeship are as unending as our warfare, and personal friendships are not weakened by political differences. So the abrupt termination of our dead friend's life came as an almost paralysing shock to every member of Parliament. Many of us have known him for more than two decades—ever genial, kindly, courteous, cheery. • Remembering this, who amongst vis one short month since could have clreamed of such a tragedy. He has passed from our little world, but will never pass from our kindly memory. Who can pretend to fathom ■the depth of misery which so unhinges the mind as to dare so dire.a deed? I can but judge charitably, and hopefully, and, in the -words of Tennyson in the poem " Aylmer'iField," on the death of Leolin, say— • ' Friends, this-frail bark of'ours, when sorely ■ • tried, ■ -■■ ' May wreck itself without the pilot's guilt, "Without the captain's knowledge: hope with ' ■ me." ' • ' The motion to adjourn was than put and carried in silence. The Legislative' Council a,lso adjourned, though no speeches were made by members. The Minister ■ for Education simply moved thaflhe Council adjourn till next day on account of the painful occurrence of the .-pre- i vious evening. 1 ■■"■ : THE INQUEST. YBPvDICT OF TEMPORARY INSANITY. The inquest was held in the afternoon, i shortly after the 'adjournment of the House. | The coroner was Mr James Ashcroft, who was for many years in Dunedin so well acquainted with the late Mr Larnach. After the jury had been sworn, Mr^ Ashcroft said.it was seldom he had to preside on a more painful occasion. Ho hadknown the deceased gentleman for 30 yeai-B, and his death (about the cause of which there could, bo little doubt) came as a groat shock •to him. The jury then proceeded to view the body, after which Dr Cahill's evidence was taken. He had been a friend of Mr Larnach's, and was apparently much affected by his.tragic death. He said he was Mr LarKach's usual medical attendant. He had treated him for several trivial complaints last session, such, as bronchial catarrh. This (session he saw him frequently. He always com-, plained of being unweji, aud witness pressed him to get himself e.wojnp.d. He would, always put the matter off by saying he would do. ao in a.day or two. He would not make any definite appointment. Witness had reason to think he was sufTnring from some form of heart disease, and from mental depression. There a great, change in him during the last- year. .He had lost hi» habitual cheerfulness and his characteristic mental and'phyjsical robustness. He ha:l grown much thii:n6r "I have spoken of tbess changes to our rat: tuai friends," eontiniwj the doctor. The Coroner: Did fi>oy observe it too? Witness: Yes; I have no doubt Mr Lar r>.ach has for 6ome tiino past been seriously unaell, but I could not prevail on him to ba ' medically examined. _ The Coroner: Would this induce a morbid ■condition, likely to Je&d a man to think of suicide? Witness: Yory likely. Did he ever say anything to lead you t'i think lie meditated suicide:—Oh, dear. no. Mr Larnach in good health van or,-.e of the most buoyant and hopeful of people. Inspector Fender': ).** you think he was getting worse lately? ■ Witness: Yes, I think no. Last month he promised to be examined, "but''ho put is off again. .: ,: ' You wore not very much surprieed then to '■■ Ue.iT of his death?—WfiJi, I was in a way, but I depression like that might soon unhinge a You kne-y bir.i intimately.?— Very inti-' rnately for years. __: . Did you know of nis having-the revolver? Do" you know that he had a, number of ii.uso?—l have boon in Jirs house, The Camp, si Dunedin, and have seeu a great number lof aims a-ud arms there. Ho was a man who

would go into a shop and pick out anything new. It was habitual with him to pick up something naw like that. Dr James, tho next witness,said he was called to see the body last night. Ho found it seated in a chair at the end of the table, leaning backwards, with the head, hanging back, and a bullet wound in the middle of the forehead, a little to the left side of the middle, line. The wound was large enough to admit his little finger. The wound appeared to have been made by a revolver bullet, which had penetrated both tables of the skull and passed .into the brain. He did not probe for the bullet. There was no aperture of exit. The re'.'olver was tightly clasped in the right hand, and lying on his lap. From this it was quite clear that death must have been instantaneous. The body was quite cold and stiff, so that he had evidently been dead for some hours. The box produced, containing some cartridges, lay on the table in front of him. Witness also produced the revolver. When death was not instantaneous tho revolver in such cases was generally thrown out of the hand. In this case it was still tightly grasped, so that death must have been absolutely instantaneous. Such a state of health as that described by Dr Cahill might, in some temperaments, induce a morbid condition leading to suicide. ' Charles Mills, the well-known Government whip, who found the body, was the next wit-nc-ss. He Eaid he had known Mr Larnach for many years, and for the last five years very intimately. About 8 o'clock last evening Mr Brandon sent in for witness, and asked if he bad seen Mr Larnach during the evening. He informed witness that Mr Larnach had not been home since the afternoon. Witness replied that he had not seen him since between 3 and 4 o'clock, when he was sitting in the House. Witness then mado inquiries from the Ministers, who said they had not seen him. None of the messengers had seen him since the afternoon. Mr Kane then told witness he had seen Mr Larnach in the J committee room (upstairs) about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Witness went to the room, and found the door locked. He went back and asked Mr Kane if he knew where tho key was. Mr Kane replied that he heard Mr Larnaoh turn the key in the lock just as he was leaving, and he presumed ho was writing some important letters. Witness returned to the room with a messenger. He knocked very loudly and called out- loudly to Mr Larnach, but there was no response; and finding he could not open -the door any other way, witness sent for the carpenter, who came with a crowbar and an axe and forced the door open. He found the deceased sitting at the table as described by Dr James, and quite dead. The Coroner: Now, havo you noticed anything different about Mr Larnach this session? . —Witness: Yes. What havo you noticed ?—During the past month he has been in a very morbid state, and he complained to me several times about severe headaches. He told me he had been unwell for several months, and that he never took any alcoholic liquor at all now. The day before yesterday I complimented him' or looking somewhat bettor, and he replied in a kind pf abstracted way: "I don't know." He put his hand up to his head and, tapping it, said: "My head, you know." You have not been aware of any special subject praying on his mind?— No. Had he complained of fatigue at all?—Oh yes. He often complained, and I frequently arranged to let him away from the House at an- early hour. I feel sure from the conversations I had with him that his mind must have been wandering., . Did you hear anything about his having received a letter recently?— Only by hearsay P. J. O'Regan, M.H.R., said he-knew the deceased well. ITo hud noticed this session that he was much more reserved and not so genial as he had previously been. Yesterday morning witness took particular notice of him at tho Goldfields Committee.. A rather animated discussion was proceeding, and witnesa noticed that deceased appeared quite indifferent to what was going on. His face was more haggard than ever witness had noticed it before. Witness asked liim one or two questions regarding matters under discussion, and he concluded from the indifferent nature of his leplies that he was not interested, not paying any attention to the business. Witness concluded from his manner that something was troubling him. E. W. Kane, bill reader of the House of Representatives, saw Mr Larnach in J room at about 4- p.m. He opened the door, and looked in. Seeing Mr Larnach there, he remarked: "Oh, beg parden." -, Mr Larnach bowed to him, and witness went away. Ho heard Mr Larnach lock the door as he did so. Witness supposed it was his disturbing him that caused him to lock the door. Ho presumed ho wanted to look at some of his committee papers, or to write some private let:tei4s in quietness. Witcess was.in an adjoining room with some friends till 4.35, and there was no shot up to that time. Witness knew Mr Larnach very intimately. During the early part of the session he told him he !w.ib suffering from influenza, and that he could not shake it off. When Captain lair- . child died Mr Larnach told witness that he :was not yery well, and that ho could not get the idea pf tho captain's death out of his head.. Witness used to be clerk of his committee (the Public Accounts Committee). This sewion Mr Larnach several times spoke to witness about it, and said it was not like the old days., He was sorry he was chairman, and 'lie was tired of the whole thing. A. D. Brandon, brother-in-law of the de'ceasad, :n reply to the coroner, said he could give no information that could throw any further Kight upon the occurrence, and his evidenoi? was rot taken. . ; Inspector Pender said he had made inquiries, but had discovered nothing that would explain tho more immediate reasons which led deceased to take his life. The remainder of the evidence was unimportant. The Coroner then said he supposed there : must have been some immediate cause, but there.was no evidence what it was. There was enough, however, he supposed, to justify the usual rider. to the Verdict, which, of course, must be one of suicide. The only question was whether the usual rider, "while in a stato of temporary insanity,' should be added. He thought there should always be some reasons to justify such a rider, and he did not think it should be added as a matter of course. In the present case, he considered there was a. considerable amount of evidence to show that deceased was overwrought and suffering more or. less from disease and mental depression, and had got into that state which often brought on temporary insanity. , Tho jury, without it tiring, agreed to the verdict that deceased committed suicide while temporarily ireane. MARKS OE RESPECT. Arrangements are being'made for the conveyance of Mr Larnach's body to Dunedin. The Government steamer Hinemoa will be despatched with it to-morow afternoon. Mr Douglas Larnach, a son of the deceased, is on his way up to Wellington from Dunedin. The flags on the Government buildings and the ships in the harbour were to-day flown at half-mast out of respect to the deceased. The flag on the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Company's building was also at half-mast, Mr Larnach having been a director, of that institution. Mr Hamer, the Premier's private secretary, saw Mr Larnach yesterday morning, and vei marked that he was looking tired. "Yes." Mr Larnach replied, " I am tired—tired of everything." ' ' THE FUNERAL. The Government steamer Hinemoa arrived alongside the cross wharf on the 17th inst., having on board the body of the late Hon. W. J.'.M. Larnach. Although no official announcement was ma.de a? to the hour the funeral was to take place, about 11 a.m. a great many people assembled at the wharf. Tho seamen belonging to the Hinomoa convoyed the coffin to the hoarse, and a procession being formed the remains were conveyed to their last resting place in the Northern Cemetery. The hearse was followed by Messrs X). Larnach -(deceased's son), C. E. D. Brandon (deceased's brother-in-law), and W. Y. Inder (deceased's son-in-law). Deceased's wifo and daughters also proceeded to the cemetery I in a mourning coach. Amongst those who took part in the cortege were tlie Hon. T. Fergus, Messrs B. Sievwrisc'ut-. J. H." Hosking, A. Burt, J. R. Thornton, J. A. X. Riedle, J. Lieton, I L. Maclean, W. O. Neill, H. Kettle, A. James, J. F. M. iM-aser, H. Gourley, \V. L. Simpson, J. R. Sinclair, Darcy Ha.ggitt, B. Hallenstein, J. Sin.'lair Thomson, A. Bartleman, J. Ratiray. Sew iioy, G. Esther, J. M'lndoe, W. R." Perston, A. G. Fenwick, T. Moodio, R. Wilson, R, Glendining, T. W. Kempthorne. H. B. Williams, J. Mitchell, .7. Rattray, W. P. Watson, H. S. Valentine, .1. J. Ducne (Roxburgh), R. T. Wheeler, A. vv. Mo-ris, J. T. Wright, W. H. Hutcheson, X Kiil^p. J. C. Marshall. S. S. Bannister, W. D. Sutherland, J. Waldie, T. Brown, and L'r Coughtrey. At tho cemetery tho coffin was conveyed from the hearse to the family mortuary chape) by a number of: Peninsula setfclers. It was covered with a number of beaiity'ul wreaths, including a very handsome one 'n'Moh his Worship the Mayor (Mr E. B. CarsdiJ) was requested to procure by the Mayor of Kumara on behalf of the miners of Kumara. The burial sorvice at the grave was conducted by the Rev. W. Hewitson. The flags at the shipning and on many of the publio and commercial institutions were exhibited at half-mast during the day.