OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3877, 3 July 1928, Page 25

OBITUARY.

A cablegram from London announces the death of the Right. Rev. Frederic Wallis, who was Bishop of Wellington from 1895 to 1911. A Rotorua message announces the death of Mrs Elizabeth Martha Falloona, late of Waiwera. House, Rotorua, suddenly, from cerebral haemorrhage. A cable message received in Wellington announces the death at Crawley Down, Sussex, of Mr William Burgoyne Hudson, formerly secretary and deputy commissioner of the Government Insurance Department. He. was 69 years of age. Dr Samuel Green. M. 8., F.R.C.S., Edin., died suddenly in Hamilton on Tuesday night. He had been in poor health for some years. He was an ear specialist, and was local district secretary of the B.M.A. The deceased was born in England about 37 years ago, and was the son of Dr Green, of Lincoln. He came to New Zealand after the war. He leaves a widow and two young children. Mr George Henry Cox, of Enfield, who has been a resident of North Otago for a period of over half a century, passed away on June 24 at the age of 74 years. The deceased was born at Farindon, Berkshire, in. 1853, and came to New Zealand in the barque Lutterworth, reaching Port Chalmers- in 1869. He was in the employ of Mr W. Murcott, butcher, of Hampden, for some years, but afterwards established a butchery business on his own account at Enfield. This he conducted for many years. He took a keen interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the district, and was a member of the Enfield Hall Trust and Library. He is survived by a widow, eight daughters, and three sons. One of his sons was killed in the Great War. The announcement of the rather sudden death at Waimate of Mrs Mabel Elizabeth Sutton came as a great shock to her many friends in Oamaru. Mrs Sutton, who was the widow of Mr J. A. Sutton, was taken ill while returning to Oamaru on Wednesday, and was removed to a private hospital in Waimate, where she passed away. The deceased, who was. an enthusiastic worker for St. Luke’s Church, and was well known in social circles, did valuable work during the Great War. She returned only a few months ago from an extended tour abroad. She is survived by three daughters and two sons. One of the daughters is at present in jwngiand. Another district old identity passed away at Invercargill on June 24 in the person of Mr John France, of Mandeville road. Gore, at the advanced age of 84 years. Mr France was a native of Ava, Stirlingshire. Scotland, and arrived in the colony in 1856, settling at Milton. He married at Milton, and in 1884 he went to Gore and took up a farm on the Mandeville road. Mr France retired from farming pursuits about nine years ago. He was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and was a member of the choir for many years. He had been in poor health for some years. He leaves two sons—Arthur and Campbell—and three daughters—Mesdames M'Kenzie and M c Arthur, of Gore, and Miss France (Milton). Thee death of Mrs H. E. Muir, widow of Mr H. E. Muir, of Dunedin, occurred at the residence of her son, Mr P. M. Muir, Wellington, on June 25 in her seventy-first year. Mr Muir, who -was a daqghter of Mr Alexander Black, Of Tokomairiro, and later of Chatton, Otago, -was born at Peterhead, Scotland, in 1858. She came out to New Zealand with her parents as a child three years of age, landing at Port Chalmers in 1861. Her parents at once took up land on the Akatore Hills, bordering the Tokomairiro Plain, and with her family she trekked out across the almost trackless waste to the site of their new home in the bush. During the journey Mrs Muir fell off the bullock dray, and was not missed until sometime afterwards, when searchers went back and found her lying in a bog uninjured. At Akatore the family experienced all the hardships of the early settlers’ lot, being burned out of their canvas home with the whole of their belongings within the first few weeks. In 1878 she was married to Mr H. E. Muir, then the proprietor of the Clutha Leader, afterwards proprietor of one of the Timaru papers, later editor of the Dunedin Globe and Ashburton Guardian, and later of the literary staff of the Evening Star and Otago Daily Times, ■ Dunedin. Her husband predeceased her in 1911, and in 1919 she came to reside -with her son at Lower Hutt. She is survived by one daughter and five sons, viz.: Mrs Alexander Gertie (Lower Hutt), Mr L. F. Muir (New Zealand Loan and Mercantile office, Dunedin). Mr E. E. Muir (chief reporter Evening Post), Mr P. M. Muir (cl«f clerk, head office, Stores Branch Railways Department), Mr C. M. Muir (district manager International Correspondent Schools, Hamilton), and Mr H. D. Muir (Press Association office, Wellington). The body of the deceased lady was brought south on Monday night, and will be interred to-day beside those of her late husband in the Northern Cemetery. * An Auckland message announces the death of Captain J. W. Nicholson, aged 80, the father of George Nicholson, the 1905 All Black. The deceased . arrived from England in 1863. After many years in the Island trade, Captain Nicholson was for some time running in the coastal trade for the Northern Steamship Company, and later was on the Hinemoa. He left the sea in 1909 to join the Customs Department.

The death at Tuturau on June 23 of Mr David Muir removes another wellknown and. highly esteemed person*in that district. The name of Muir Las been associated with the district probably as long as it has been known at Tuturau. Mr Muir was a native of the district, and was 58 years of age. He was the eldest son of the late Mr William Muir,Rose Valley,” After receiving his education .at the Tuturau School, Mr Muir took up farming pursuits, and he worked a property at Mimihau until he returned to “-.Bose Valley,” . and . worked ■ it for ’■ his father; until ..the latter’s death. The late Mr Muir carried this place on until his health failed, ' when he leased the property. The deceased wa.j married at

Dunedin about 1920 to Miss Bardwell, and he is survived by his widow and a son and daughter, to whom the sympathy of the district is extended in their loss. The news of the sudden passing of Mr James Edward Humphries, “Mairarua” was received with- regret throughout the Tuturau and Mataura districts bn Tuesday. The late Mr Humphries 7 was m his seventy-ninth year, and was apparently quite- well when he retired on Tuesday. It was in the morning following the usual custom of taking him a cup of tea that the dibcovery was made that he. had passed away. It was only last Thursday that Mrs Humphries and the late Mr Huriiphries celebrated the anniversary of their golden wedding, when the family was gathered from all parts of the Dominion to take part in the festive occasion. Mr Humphries had resided in the district for over 52 years. He was born in 1849 in Wiltshire, England, and received his.education in Victoria, where fie had been brought when a lad of six years. He gained experience of butchering arid stockdealing, and spent some years on the Australian and New Zealand goldfields. He was at the West Coast diggings for over a year, and in 1869 went to Queensland, where he visited Gympie, Charters Towers, Rockhampton, and the Bowen. The late Mr Humphries was subsequently at Goulgong, in New South Wales, and at Pleasant Creek and Ararat, in Victoria. In February, 1877, he settled at Mataura, where he conducted a butchery busines for 16 years, and also had a branch at Gore for part of the time. In 1893 Mr Humphries' took up Waimumu Farm, now known as “Graham Lodge,” which then consisted of 1200 acres of freehold, where he had a stud flock of Border Leicester sheep. He was prominent in connection with the dredging industry, and promoted the Waimumu Extended and Waimumu Queen Dredging Companies, both of which had dredges operating on his land. Some 20 years ago he purchased “ Mairarua ” from Mr Holms, arid the property has for some years been worked by his two sons, Herbert and Leonard. Mr Humphries served on the Mataura Licerising Committee for several years, and advocated the rope-window first escape system in connection with hotels. He was ! always a lover of animals, particularly horses, and in his younger days could sit a buckjumper with the best in the land. The late Mr Humphries was married iu June. 1878 to Miss Mortain at the Bridge Hotel, Mataura, which was then conducted by his uncle. The sympathy of a large circle of friends is extended to his widow and family in their loss. The members of the are as follows :— Messrs E. J. Humphries (Charlton), Herbert and Leonard Humphries (Tuturau), Frank Humphries (Lithgow, New South Wales), and Mesdames M'Kenzie (Oamaru), B. Sutherland (Wellington). Osborne (Timaru), A. M'Dougall (Manaia), J. Stewart (Wyndham), and Miss Isobel Humphries (Tuturau).