A HEART-BROKEN MOTHER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3769, 14 August 1883, Page 4

A HEART-BROKEN MOTHER.

We extract the folloAving from a recent issue of tho Nelson Mail:—The death is announced to-day of Mrs Cotterell, the Avido'v of Dr Cottereil, Avho at one time had one of the most extensive practices in Nelson. Sad as must always be a death which leaves, as this has done, five young children orphans, on the present occasion there is in the surrounding circumstances something of a more than unusually painful and melancholy character. It will be remembered that a few weeks ago the loss of the ship AVaitara Avas reported, among the drowned being a young boy, a son of the deceased lady, who was then on his first voyage as an apprentice. Tho shock administered by the neAvs of the terrible catastrophe was practically the mother's death bloAv. For a time she was fairly stunned, but bravely she battled against her sorrow, and the Avound seemed—but only seemed—to be healing. The next mail, some two or three Aveeks after the receipt of the neAvs of the Avreck, brought a letter from the dead boy to his mourning mother. It was a comfort to hear from the little fellow all about his voyage home; all the little stories he kad to tell; hoAv he kept up his studies ; how the crew made a pet of him because he was the smallest 'prentice they had ever had on board; and all such little incidents as would bo of interest to a loving mother. It Avas a comfort to receive this, and yet there Avas an inexplicable sadness about it, and the mother's heart was Avrung with anguish as she read the lines penned by a hand that ere she received them Avas cold and dead. The agony of mind produced its effect on the body, and when, a week or tAvo after the receipt of her last message from the lost boy, fever set in, it found an easy victim, for her weakened frame was totally unequal to resisting the attack. Six Aveeks ago to-day the AVaitara and Hurunui came into collision, and the young Nelson lad found his grave in the English Channel. This morning his heartbroken mother followed him across the border.