Sudden Death in Te Aroha

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2106, 26 May 1898, Page 2

Sudden Death in Te Aroha

;The report of the terribly sudden death of Mr Jonathan Columbine, at 2 a.m yesterday morning, at the residence of !his sister; Mrs Harrison, Burgess<street, rapidly spread through Te ; Aroha, and many enquiries as to the ' truth of the news were made at this office in the cour'sb of the morning. Reluctant to invade the house of mourning and interview deceased’s sister* our reporter waited ■ upon Dr Gilbert Smith, of Whitaker- : street,, who had been hastily siunmoued in attendance. It appears that deceased, who suffered acutely for a long time from a cancerous growth in the stomach, was in great pain all the evening, and so alarming did his symptoms become' thht Mrs Harrison sent for the doctor, who arrived some l# or 20* minutes before deceased breathed his last. He suf fered great agon-y but-five minutes minutes before he died the pain, left him and the end came peacefully. Iu order to confirm his diagnosis of the nature of the malady the doctor performed a post mortem examination in the course of the day, and found that perforation of the stomach had taken place through, a cancerous growth*. Deceased, a single man,, formerly of Nottingham, England,, must have suffered much for a long time past. He was known to a great many in Te Aroha, and was greacty respected; As will be seen from- the- obituary the i funeral will take place on to-day at 2. o’clock,. I 1