THE LATE J. W. GARRETT

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 9, 5 January 1870, Page 2

THE LATE J. W. GARRETT

It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we have to chronicle the untimely death, through a fall from his horse, of a member of our community who has made many friends in the digtrict—we allude to Mr J. W. Garrett, one of the shareholders and pioneers of the first quartz reef worked at Bendigo Gully. The melancholy accident which resulted in Mr Garrett's death occurred on Thursday night last, and has thrown a gloom over the entire community ever since. People can hardly realise the fact that he who on Thursday last attended the Cromwell race meeting in all the vigor of his manhood, has been cut off from amongst us by the ruthless hand of King Death. Our pen seems powerless when we think that on Thursday afternoon we conversed with him who on the evening of the same day was brought into Cromwell a cold and lifeless piece of clay. Mr Garrett had, by his liberality and genial manner, made many friends in this and the neighboring districts, and he will be sadly mourned and regretted by not a few. He was a native of Guernsey, and emigrated to Australia some six or seven years ago, from whence he sub« sequently came to Otago. It is well known how he, in conjunction with his other persevering partners, worked on amidst difficulty and almost privation at the quartz reef at Bendigo Gully which latterly so rewarded the perseverance and energy displayed ; and it seems hard that he should be cut off just at the time when the earth was yielding up her golden treasures and enabling hnn to reap the reward of his untiring industry. Yet so Providence had decreed it. An inquest was held before Vincent Pyke, Esq., District Coroner, on Friday (a full report of which we give in another column), and after several witnesses had been examined, a verdict of " Accidental death, the result of a fall from his horse," was returned. Mr Garrett was a member of the Duustan Lodge of Freemasons, and on Sunday the nrethren turned out in strong force at his funeral, a large number having come from Clyde to pay the last tribute of respect to deceased. A large concourse of people also followed the mournful cortege to the cemetery. The lie v. Mr Drake read prayers over the grave, and P.G.M. Vincent Pyke conducted the Mwiurc funeral serriee in a very impresses manner.