DEATH OF AN "OLD IDENTITY" AT WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1430, 17 September 1872, Page 2

DEATH OF AN "OLD IDENTITY" AT WELLINGTON.

(From the Wellington Independent, Sept. 2.) One of the most unpleasant duties of a journalist is the penning of obituary notices, yet it, is one of those disagreeable things which must be performed. As an item possessing Home interest tota great many of our readers, especially those who are full of the iecollections of the early days, we have to record thedeauh of John Faulkner, who died at the Colonial Hospital on Saturday. The deceased was commonly known as. " Okl Jack," and very few residems of: Wellington but have noticed a genial and happy-looking old man, of a herculean frame, who was paralysed on oneside. Few could look upon the fine—we might almost say noble—features of the old fellow,, as he dragged his. less side after him without a feeling of pity. It appears that " Old Jack," as he was called, has been a pensioner on, the Government in one way or anotherfor ihe last twenty years. Briefly, we might sum up his career as follows : Jack originally started life in HtrMajesty's seivice as an able seaman;., but in the prime of manhood he became a whaler on the New Zealand coast,, and being a man of immense strengths and bold as a lion 5 besides possessing a. guileless disposition, he was a great, favorite amongst his brother whalers,, and had many friends amongst that, jovial and reckless class. About twentyyears ago he was one of the hands belonging to Mr Fife's whaling station at, the Kaikouras; and one day while in, chase of a whale, the boat in> which, Jack was, and the striker of which had* fastened, happened to*get siruck by theflukes of the whale while in its flurry,. The boat was smashed into- a thousand pieces, and the crew had to strike out-: for their lives. Strangely enough,. Jack, who was but an indifferent, swim-iner-, managed to keep himself; afloat for almost an hour before thepick up boat rescued him; and more strange still, it was discovered when hewas lifted into, the rescuing boat that one side was paralysed. His comrades offered to bring him at once to Wellington to obtain medical assistance, but the idea was vetoed from the fear that, the crew might be guided by the usual pleasures of a port, and that the delaywould result in a season being lost.. The consequence was that the unfortunate fellow was kept for seven weekswhile there a chance of medical, assistance being of some use—before hewas sent up here. When he did come,, he was placed in the hands of Dr Fitz-G-erald, then Colonial Surgeon. It appeals that the treatment of the doctorworked considerable improvement iiu his patient, but the paralysis had taken? too firm a hold upon the system, and Jack was consequently looked upon as. an incurable patient. After being an inmate of the hospital for a number o£ year*, Jack was placed in the Welling--ton jail in some capacity suited to hi* condition, but as he was sometimes: sent into the town on errands, and a& he had many acquaintances, and had a weakness for a drop of vum, the result was that he was turned adrift oncemore. Helpless as a child physically,, the poor fellow's prospect was very gloomy, until the Inspector of Police,, by permission of the then Superintendent, kindly found a berth suited to his infirmity; and for the last nine years Jack has been recognised as a. fixture in the Police Station. Though no longer able to take an A.B. place inlife, he answered very well for theduties required to provide for thai; at. least. The officers and members of the force always saw that old Jack wassuppplied with tobacco, and on holidays he generally picked up a friendly sixpence for a " tot of rum " A peculiarity of the old cripple was that, like a consumptive person, he was always buoying himself up with the hope that in a week or two the paralysed member* would be restored to "their wonted strength, and he was continually remarking "If Dr Fitz Gerald was only here, I would soon be all right." k afc ~ terly, however, his declining P became so apparent to every one [ba fe he was once more sent to the hospital. In a very few days he was no more. As an instance of the general esteem i» which he was held by his old comrade*,. we are informed that for many year* contributions to a considerable aoiauu

were annually forwarded to the widow of a well-known old whaler, and who resided in Wellington, accompanied with the simple injunction, " See that Old Jack wants for nothing." With the general abandonment of the pursuit of whaling of late years, this charitable supply fell off, and any assistance received by Jack was ot a casual kind. The remains of this real "old identity " will be buried to-day. He was about 57 years of age.