A SAD TALE.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 905, 1 June 1903, Page 2

A SAD TALE.

TOLD LAST NIGHT BY REV. J G. PATERSON.

The congregation at St. Andrew’s Church last night were moved almost to tears by a sad tale narrated by the Rev. J. G. Paterson. lie said that last week a young man, Trooper Paly, had died, and been buried under specially sad circumstances. The. only persons at the graveside, were the undertaker, the sexton, and the Minister (Mr Paterson). They would have had difficulty in getting the coffin lowered into the grave had it not been for calling in the assistance of two men who happened to he in the vicinity ! ft was’, said Mr Paterson, very sad that after a man had served his country on the battlefield there should be such an ending of bis career. II did seem a great pity that a young man who had been fighting the country’s battles in South Africa should have to be buried by the Charitable. Aid Board, that not a single soul followed Hie remains to the grave, that the minister, undertaker, and sexton were all that stood beside the grave, and that the assistance of others had to be sought to enable the coffin to be lowered ! If he had relatives, it, would be a sorrowful thing for them to hear of the circumstances. He (the speaker) might be treading on delicate ground, but ii seemed to him that when money had been collected, and the people did not seem quite to know what to do with it, it might he available in some such case as this, instead of a returned trooper having to be buried at the Charitable Aid Board’s expense. As far as we can learn the young man referred to, named Daly, hailed from Victoria, having come tn Gisborne with the circus. lie was 33 years of age. and died last Tuesday and was buried on the following day, the undertaker being Mr Wheeler.