THROUGH THE NIGHT

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 13

THROUGH THE NIGHT

BISHOP’S WILD RIDE CAR BURNED The story of a wild night journey in Palestine, undertaken by an English Catholic Bishop to attend the bedside of a sick priest, reads like the screen exploits of a film actor. Bishop Godric Kean, Auxiliary to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was summoned by telephone to see Father Bundy, the English priest at Gaza, writes a special corerspondent in a recent issue of the “Universe.” He set out, but, after passing Hebron, his car came into collision with another on a lonely by-track. The Bishop's car was completely disabled, and everybody in both cars was badly shaken.

Night came on, but the Bishop was provided with a police car, and resumed the journey. The track was soon lost, however, and at one moment the party found themselves on the edge of a precipice. A tragedy was averted, but a little later the car fell into a dyke, severely bruising the Bishop. It was extricated, but shortly afterwards it crashed into a dried up watercourse, the petrol tank exploded, and the car burst into flames. Within a few minutes it was a charred wreck.

The Bishop and his companion managed to extricate themselves, with only a few moments to spare. At length the Bishop was found by mounted police, who had been sent in search of him.