“Father Pat” of the

hoo tenays

*
Ey

NOEL ROBINSON
*

Remarkable Irish Anglican Priest Whose Name Has Become a Legend in B.C.

—He Combined Muscular Christianity With a Keen Sense of Humour, Great

Gentleness and Self Sacrifice, and Met a Tragic End with Fortitude—Exciting
Incidents in Which He Figured in the Rossland Gold Excitement.

“HE RODE EVERYWHERE through
the mountains and for endless miles with
his surplice packed on his saddle. He always
appeared happy as a clam, except when
serious matters demanded his attention.
Everybody knew him among that rough
and-ready crowd of miners, prospectors and
settlers and they would talk with him just
as the soldiers would with Padre Scott in
the last war. He was a man’s man, if ever
there was one, but he was equally popular
with both sexes, and his good works were
legion during the Rossland gold excitement
when I knew him.”

In these words Colonel Jack Leckie, who
was through the thick of that excitement,
summed up “Father Pat, of the Kootenays,”

whose name, when I was knocking about
in the Rock Creek-Greenwood-Midway
country a few years after the turn of the
century, had already become a legend there.
That was only five years after he met his
tragic end.

“Father Pat”—the patronymic by which
he was always known to his contemporaries
in B.C.—the name is probably unknown to
this generation, though there are still sur
viving a sprinkling of old-timers, like Col-
onel Leckie, who have a vivid recollection
of this dynamic Irishman who was a priest
in the Anglican Church. He was a man of
the muscular Christianity type and his ex-
ploits on horseback, in sport—and with
his fists when occasion demanded—were

as notable as were his innumerable acts
kindness and his spiritual ministrations

It is well that his memory should be ke
green, even at a time when heroic deeds
war fill the pages of the press, for “pea
hath her victories no less renowned th
war.”

“He would have made a wonderful pad
in the war,” added the Colonel, “thou;
I fancy he would probably have been hit
self in the fighting ranks. Canon Scott w
peerless as a padre and they would ha
had much in common, though Father P
was more aggressive and snappier in repa
tee—that’s where the Irish came in. Th
were both salt of the earth and both we
very tolerant. He would think nothing

THE

HART HOTEL

GOOD CLEAN COMFORTABLE ROOMS
Running Hot and Cold Water

Coffee Shop in Connection

PAT

POUCE COUPE

THERRIEN

LICENSED DRAYING & TRANSFER

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Overlooking the
Beautiful Pouce Coupe Valley

POUCE COUPE GARAGE

C. H. MALMBERG

e@
LICENSED PREMISES GENERAL REPAIRS ON ALL CARS
e Trucks — Tractors — Radios — Heated Storage
Pouce Coupe B. C. z

Phone 8 POUCE COUPE, B.C.

Page One Hundred and Twenty-two THE SHOUL D ER STRA