DEATH OF “SPRING ONIONS.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1669, 1 February 1917, Page 4

DEATH OF “SPRING ONIONS.”

R F Ft) R AIE DDHVS KA R D

A quaint personality has disappeared from London East-end life by the death at Ratcliff, at the age of 84 years, of William Onions, known far and wide as “Spring Onions,” By his own admission lip first got drunk when he was 13 years old, and thereafter at frequent intervals lie was brought up before the magistrate for drunkenness and assaulting the police—* never, he prided himself, for felony. When (he tale of his appearances at the police court had reached the 500th time he came under the influence of the Church Army and became a teetotaller. He took an intense pride in making his > reformation as widely known as his former delinquencies, and al regular intervals publicly reported progress, usually to Dir Mead at Thames Police Court. On these occasions lie invariably recited verses of his owp composition as corroborative evU deuce of his continued sobriety. One of these efforts began, “Oh, Mr Mead, sir, dash it, stow it." On the death of King Christian IX. of Denmark in 1000 he sent a poem of sympathy to' Queen Alexandra, and his proudest possession was the letter of thanks he received in reply.