"A BORN POACHER."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 127, 31 December 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

"A BORN POACHER."

THE LATE JUDGE BCCKNILL. J j —^— — | Sir Thomas Bucknill, a termer of the English High Court, died re-• ventiy in jumdon, aged seventy years. mo auecuoces ol tue late on loos, -fiucknui are numerous, in his lust fan-nmeutary e>ection lor JSpsott he beat by an immense majority tne Liberal candidate alter his neighbour Lord Kosebery had brougnt a most distinguisned party ot his dinner guests to apeak tor tne cand date -on tne uasuccesstul side.

One day be came to Court with a broKcn rib to hear two cases specially ! lixed in Chambers. In lyil), tnat toe might rote at .Northampton and Rug«-j by, he lei; the Law Courts at d.io, ay-< cuinplisiieci his purpose, and reached home at Lpsoni oeioro ul o'clock. " At Dirininghaoi he acted as a fireman. At &psom, during a tore att lady s racing staoio which ma residence, he assisted to carry ouV the endangered lurn.tuie. Arter tne war hro&e out he became » special constable, and a little earlier no saved a company or school children in his own aisinct by stopping a runaway/horse. from a cimu he was accustomed to ride uureoacKeu on tue axiuoor pomes ui tne west (jountry, and wuen to© was 11' years or ago he iode a horse his lather had entered tor a local steeplechase. He was intended for the Army (says the bporting Ihron.cle), but ha v» noie career was cuanged as the result of a school tight, wlpcii lasted for- over an hour. Bucknil 1 was blinded in one eye, so that no doctor could pass hHa tor the Army, and lie had to reiinquiali for ever the hopo of becoming » soldier. Speaking some years ago at a din ner the Judge confessed, that be onci had a mount as a gentleman ndej under an assumed name, and tha someone once left him a legacy oi £SUI which he spent on racing. .. % .-:'*. FIGHT FOR A DOG. ' On the Bench Mr Justice Bucknil was known as a tender-hearted Judgf but that he war far from being chicken hearted is shown by the following m cident. As a lad in his teens he greal Jy coveted an Irish terrier belong** to a local blacksmith, and ottered an 3Us tor the animal, ihe knight of th anrit, however, refused to sell una £3. Ihe Bucknil tunds going no ri ther than the 3Us, young tfucKnul ti preparing to leave the lorge discona lute when a bright idea struck him. "I'll tell you what,'' he said to ti blacksmith, "ill fight you tor the dof If 1 win 1 nave him tor the 3Us, and l lose tueu you Keep him.' ltoe biad smith ugreed. So mere they iougnt the oid-iaslnoiicd style toe to toe < cither sde of the animal, with toe i suit that a certain terrier -wen&H under a newly-found master's cai whne the late owner was left with black eye and «Ws. . , y As a fisherman, of course, Sir Tl mas Buckmll had a good'story to te "1 was a born poacher," he end.' "0a when shooting in .North Wales with member or tne Chancery l**r, 1 dive ed niysell ot coat and vest and snow my tnend how to tickle trout in wayside stream. My movements w$ watched by a local lad who acco pan.cd me on our shoot, and tue folk) ing year, visiting the neighbourly 1 was told 'He is in prison tor tiefcn trout. He saw you do it last y© He has been do Jig it himself since a they caught him.''' -**-. REPORTEKS' BRONCHIAL/ TROUBLE*. ' The best of the stories, as relatinj to his experiences as a Paruameritai-j candidate, has reference to the speed at which he spoke when out election ecrmg. On one occasion, when he. wa contesting Exeter, the local reporten went to him in a body and asked him ti go slow. '1 can't do tnat,' said the tnefl mi- Bucknili, "lor 1 snould lose tfl thread of my argument, but it aayV tiio frees gentlemen should get beinH let lum cough discreetly, and 1 w make a pause." Ihe speech been in progress more man five nfl utcs before there was such a epideß ot bronchial trouble at the l'rw tfl mat tne candidate could not hVJ laughing. | ■ in the General Election of 19108 Thomas Buck mil was the hero ©■ quick "voting ieat. Ho had votetS iNortiiamptou and Rugby,and on polH day he liurricdiy lent the Law UoM in a taxi-cab, caught the 4.A0 expH ti om Euaton to NorthainptoorMuuS stepped into a motor car which tH him to the polling station; -He H back at the booking oitice at o.f-i, tfl el led to Rugby by a. train leaving ■ minutes later, and was' again drfl in a motor to the polling bootiS Rugby. He managed to catch the ■ tram back to Euston, hailed anofl taxi-cab and drive to Waterloo, wl he caught the 8.55 train home to ■ som. He was thus able to cover■ miles in four hours. H