OBITUARY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 20, 13 February 1891, Page 19

OBITUARY.

It is with much r?gret tut w; ( W,iho,i Guanliin, January 3), have to announce the untimely demise of Po'icj-iJonstable Barry, which took place by accident; early list Welnesday rmroiag under the following distressing ci r cumstances :—lt: — It appears that about 2 a.m. that morning, the deceased, accompanied by Edward Baker, a boy ten years of age, the son of Mr. Li nel Biker of this town — proceeded in Mr. U. C. L Reay's punt — a " flatty " about twelve feet long — to the Heids to fish. The sea being 6mooth, they w:nt out over the bar without trouble. After fishing for some time, the deceased, Eiward Chase, Jack Mitchell, and Rerekiipuke — who were also outside the entrance in their canoes, engaged in the same sport— starte 1 to come in again ; deceased was following about eight or ten yards behind the last named. At this time two or three seas rather heavier than usual rollei in, and deceased was warned, it appears, to wait for a " smooth," but he came straight in ; one of thi s°as broke and swamped the punt when she got within a few yards of the b?ach. Deceased tnen jumped out, the water not being more than up to his middle, and according to Cha c e, instead of seizing the punt, he went after hia coat, which was fluting in the water near at haad. Another 6ea then brake close to him and the drawback swept deceased out beyond his depth, the punt turned bottom upwards, and the boy was thrown out. The next thing Chase saw was deceased with his arms across an oar struggling to reach the beach, and the boy was on his back holding on to him. Chase then ran for a rope and soon after heard the boy scream, and looking back caught sight of deceased going down. Chase beimg unable to get a rope returned to the spot, and by ihis time Mr. H. J. Hansen, Kirena, and others arrived ; they all joine I hands and by this means manage i to get hold of the boy, who was fixating j ist ou'pide the break, an 1 drag him to shore, when they found hi- was not much the wors3 for ths immersion. Nothing, however, could be Sien of pojr Coast ible Birry, wno had gone down out of sight, While stops were been taken to get a .me and grapnel, the Pilot, Divy Jo les, wh > had by th's time reacn-il the scene of ai' ion, caught i-ite of the deceased just outside the bretk, and with the assistance ot th; others, who agun j n led hands for the pjrposc succeeded m getting the bo ly on shoie. Tais was about twenty minutes or half an hour after the accident occurred.

1 he late Constable Barry was a naave of County Cork, Ireland, uid was 32 years of age when he diei. He had ben in the Police Force ,ibjut nine years, we believe, aa 1 was Ust statioued at Nipier, H • leaves a widow and three chil Iren to mouin his loss. We un- \> i stand hii life was ni'ured. The d cease 1 had the reputation of being a good and itrentiv ■ p iho^-cjait ible , he was very wed liked in the piaie, for his ki d, civi', and obli_;i.ig nature, and his untimely diath is much regretted. — 11 I. P.