A CANADIAN CHAPLAIN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9098, 16 March 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

A CANADIAN CHAPLAIN.

Innumerable good stories are told of the doings of Father O'Leary, who was atached as Roman Catholic Chaplain to the first Canadian Contingent m South Africa..^ The Padre was- popular, with every section of the force, ,and when at last the Canadians got into action, they found th% chaplain as brave' 1 as he was good. The Outlook has an appreciative article on this grand Irishman's behaviour. He would accompany the men wherever they went, marching up and down X the, entrenchments with a cheery word and a smile, and often a sly joke. The troopers used to be!g him to seek cover, but alTthe ; reply they]; could get was, "Faith, I'm all right, boys; the bullets don't come my way," He cer-: tainly had a wonderful record of escapes. After one engagement, m which the, Canadians suffered severely, he went about among the wounded men, administering, to the physical and- spiritual needs of each ,acording to his requirements. But the hospital received him at last-. He was compelled to lie still, and the inactivity troubled him. When he was wearied by Tie slowness of his convalescence, his orderly would persist, m an annoying humming or whistling about the house. "I told him over and over to stop it," says Father O'Leary, "and one morning when again I heard him piping away — though this time it struck, me it was a new tune— l fairly lost my temper. I called out to him, "In heaven's name, man, stop that eternal: whistling ! I've told you a dozen times I would have no more of it, and I declare I'll sack you for this ; I will, 'pon my soul !" Then I heard a. laugh, and the door opened. 'Who's that you're going to dismiss? Not the Commander-in-Chief, surely? And there stood Lord Roberts, and nothing did he do but laugh at all my lame apologies. "You're getting moped here,' said he, "I'll send Lady Roberts to you. She hasn't anything on earth to do but knit, and knit she shall, by your bedside" And so she did. Such a kind, motherly soul as she is, always thinking what she can do for her husbands soldiers. Poor lady! she wears her sons Victoria Cross, that the Queen \gave her, on her own gown." The father recovered m due time, but he was not fit to return to the -front Stones of hie doings preceded him when he left South Africa and the welcome he received m 4e Mo£ Country was of the most hearty description.