DEATH OP A PIONEER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2526, 29 July 1915, Page 5

DEATH OP A PIONEER

There died, at tlio residence of liis daughter, Blackball, after a sbort illness, a .very old resident. oPßeefton, in the person of Mr. James Molloy, . of Church Street.'. Deceased, who was a native of King's County, Ireland, arrived in New Zealand 111 1862. He was 0110 of the early pioneers of the West Coast, and in the 'seventies >vas engaged in general storekcoping at tlio Twelve Mile, and also 'at No Town, where he was the first to sell goods. Writing of his reminiscences at the timo of the Jubilee Celebrations in Hokitika, Mr. Molloy referred to the time when he had paid-£4 10s. for a bag of oats, ..but Iwd made up fori it the next day by selling flour at the rate of £3 10s. for 501b. '• At the timo of the notorious BurgessKelly bushrangers, Mr. Molloy'was one of the principal gold buyers of the district, and on 0110 occasion wlien the bushrangers were lying in wait for him he accidentally avei-Lecl his. fate by tailing a boat down the river instead of following the track, as he had intended. This was three days after the murder of Dobson, and in the confession of Burgess later 110 stated, "Verily we wore the murderers of Fox and Molloy. in intent." At the time of the "Old Man Flood," Mr. Moltov suffered considerable loss, having his stores swept away and the whole of his stock lost. After tins he took up his residence in Reefton, whero he was engaged as a road and bridge contractor for a great many years. • Since the earliest days'of Reefton, Mr. Molloy has never been missing from his post, at the taking of the census, and also acting as Returning Officer at the various elections. His wifo predeceased him somo eighteen years ago. He leaves a family of ' four daughters.