OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16152, 5 March 1918, Page 2

OBITUARY.

News has been received of the death, of Mr Robert Wyllie, senr., after a very painful illness, at the residence of his oldest daughter, near Manchester, England. Tho deceased gentleman was a brother of tho late Mr William Wyllie, of Hastings. Ho was a fine type of tho old Presbyterian. Since | the death of his wife in 1909 ho had lived in retirement. Members of the family in "th.o Southern Hemisphere leftto mourn their loss are:—Mrs Alec. Munro (Pukero. Weber), Captain W. J Wvllio (commanding a transport), and Mr R. Wyllie, Twyford, Hastings; also two nieces (Mrs J. Joll, Taranaki, and Mrs Kenneth McKenzie, Qlenbrook station, Waibari. The death took place at Pahiatua a £ew days ago of Mr Francis Heathcote {smith, only surviving son of Mr Amelius Smith, of Island Bay, Wellington. For the past eighteen months ho had been accountant to the stock I department of tho Pahiatua branch of the Wairarapa Farmers' Association. Tho deceased had suffered for many years from asthma, which culminated in heart failure (states tho "Pahiatua Herald")- Ho was a very competent accountant, most conscientious, popular with his fellow-employees, and his late employers deeply regret his death. He was at one time connected with tho Pacific Cable Sarvico in Queensland. Mr Smith leaves a widow, but no family. A Wanganui pioneer, in the person of Mr Thomas Finlayson Drummond, died on Friday at the age of 76 years. Tho deceased gentleman, who was born in Perthshire, Scotland, came out to Wellington in 1864, and entered the ironmongery business, in which he hau served his time in one of the largest establishments in the Old Country. In 1879 he established the business ot Drummond and Co., Wanganui, which has been carried on over since by deceased and his sons. A widow and family of one daughter and tliree sons, are left to mourn their loss. Mr Samuel Fletcher, who died at Gore on Friday, was born in County Donegal, Ireland, in the year 1852, and emigrated to New Zealand when a voung man. After a short spell on the goldfields Mr Kitchen, manager of tho Moa Flat Station, engaged him to work on that run. where he remained five years. Leaving Moa Flat, ho was storekeping for a time at Mandeville. In the early eighties ho removed to Gore, whero he started a butchery. Relinquishing this ho acted as stock agent for Messrs Cannin, Green, and Souness and other firms, and then commenced stockdealing on his own account, at first in a small way, but later working up to important operations. It is said of him that ho was known from Inyercargill to Christchurcli, and he certainly had an intimate knowledge of every cattleman in Southland. It was atthis period oP his life that ho was familiarly known as '•The Cattle King." In recent years he gavo up rearing and dealing with •cattle, and devoted himself moro to sheepbreeding and to the agricultural development of his holdings. After successfully _ conducting cattle-dealing for some "time, the deceased acquired; the freehold run of 5200 acres known as Campbell's Block, and this he later sold to Colonel Cowie Nicholls, tho present owner. After disposing of this run, the luto Mr Fletcher took im the Retreat Station in the Hokonui Hills, and this ho retained to his death. Besides this estate the deceased held farming properties at Croydon and at Charlton. At one time lie took an interest in racing. Tho late Mr Fletcher is survived by a | widow, three sons, and one daughter.