TARANAKI SETTLER'S DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 173, 21 January 1914, Page 6

TARANAKI SETTLER'S DEATH.

A REMARKAIiLE 1.11-' E. There ,lied at llebden Rrid-e, Km-Und, recently an old Taranaki s.-uler oi tuu person of Air.,. Thomas. Smith, of t alder ilank, Hebden Bridge, at the of 1)7 vears. "The Halifax Courier,'' in commenting on her death, write, as follow.-: - "Thi- week we are c.illid .ipim lo record the death of one ol lb.' most remarkable ladies ever associ..led with llebden liridge, who pa.,-ed away on I Wednesday morning at the advanced ago of !I7- Tile ladv is Mrs. Thouiu, Smith. ■Cabier-bank, llebden Jlridg", who Int., lived through some interest ing and exeiiiug times. Despite her l.u:g age sinhas exhibilcl ■. remarkable ainouiu of vitality; in fact, her ,-pir.l and deter■minat.on has been a great ob-moiir in enabling her to altaiu such an advanced age, It was only last An:oi-i holidays that she went to P.lackpooi, and despite ' her advanced age she trudged aliouf with nor Usual .-pngml.y step. ,->,„■ reiurncil home about live weeks ago, when she sullered from a bowel cuiuulami. She gradually sank, and passed peacefully .<way about half-past nine on Wednesday morning. So great was her confidence that up to wiiiiin a iV-.i monthof her death sin- ri.-hbd b,- h-ise!f ana did her household duties. ' Considering ail her. points she might righlly be dassi ed in one of the niosi. rc.yia.rka.blo lad.es of Croat Britain. Mrs. Smith's maid, u name was Susan Sutclill'c,-and she was a member of the well-known family of Suleiiii'o. of Cal-der-b.inl;, which possesses a noiorietv for longevity; her father ami mother, .-eacbid the ago of Si and a sister lived fo be SS. Cor life has be, n full of experiences which have fallen lo ihe lot ol lew men ami yet fewer ladies. Sheila,l been out to N'ew Zealand no fewer than six time.,, and her last visit was made when approaching her !l:lu.l birthday. As an instance of her strong constitution and her capabilities as a sailor, it may bo instanced that during a very stormy portion of the passage .she was the only passenger who responded to the breakfast gong. It was in 1854 that Air. and Mrs. Smith paid their first visit to New Zealand, and the voyage there occupied practically the whole summer. They selected a silo of about 25 acres in the bush, and the work of clearing and providing a living room entailed much labor, but they were assisted by the natives. A few years later their peaceful lie was interrupted by the Ala,.ris, and they had to make a hurried departure with a considerable sacrifice, I heir lives being only saved through the aclii f a faithful servant. The settlers had many eenlliets with the. natives, and Air. Smith took pin in many engagements, and was awarded a medal for his g I service. The children and women were sent to Wellington and other town, with safety, but Airs. Smith remained with her husband to give wnat assistance she could. She had a large fund of reminiscences of the terr'ble war and the sufferings it enii,ed, which she irequenfly related. A few months later they returned to England. The fascination of colonial life, however, could not be resisted, and the couple returned to New Zealand. She frequently crossed over to England, and in all crossed the ocean a round do/eu limes--on several occasions by herself. So great was her love for Now Zealand that she would have crossed the seas yet once more but for the persuasions of her relations; her affections remained with the place in which she had spent so many years of much happiness and had inane so many friends. Iler memory up to within a short while ago was really good, and she frequently indulged in picturesque accounts of her native town in her early days aiid the changes that have since taken'place. ,si.e lived through some of the most stirring epochs of English history, and the manner in which she could i.i-11 of various epitiodos nitule her a most inter-, esting raconteur. She could speak of' various interesting accounts attending the crowuiiig of kings and queens, anil their funerals, and of the local and national rejoicing and sorrowing, according to the character of the' occasion. Her recollection of the opening of the railway line down the Caldor Valley was very vivid, and she was one of the early ■ passengers in the third-class carriage's which were not much better than the cattle-trucks of the present-da v. Her memory even up to within very recent times was most remarkable, and often she was called up to give accounts of incidents which transpired long before most of the people in llcbdoif Bridge were born. During her residence ?u New Zealand Mrs. Smith was brought info contact with some of tlie Maori chiefs, and she counted upon one or more as personal friends. Though lient with age she, was possessed of an amount of vitality.which, to say the least of if. was extraordinary, and,' to use a localism, she was 'a rare, cant old ladv." One remarkable feature of her lib j., ()iat. though her age was !)7, she had seen' over UK) summers, this being explained by .ier having crossed from one country to another, leaving in one summer and landing at her destination in another.