1961-11-11 — Page 12

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

THE CHINA MAIL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11,

Bringing you news of the people who once made headlines

THE VICAR WHO HID IN THE BOOT OF A CAR

headed for London.

and

THE silver-haired country gentleman was dressed in & lounge suit

perfectly willing to talk. About In London he was joined chickens. About Leghorns. About how to by Mrs Ryall. The great

drception had begun. make a profit from them. About every- thing but the past.

Which is a pity. For not even the keenest of chicken breeders would deny that the past of Mr Philip St John Wilson Ross is a lot more fascinat- ing than his present.

His story is one that could have sprung straight from the pages of a novel-except that some pedantic critic would al- moet certainly have condamned

"far-fetched." the plot

23

He comforted

Mrs Ryall sold her home in Cheshire and moved to London. When the couple went out

together, the vicar, without his

dog collar, sat at the wheel of Mrs Ryall's Jaguar

When his health became poor and a

doclor advised him to live in the country they moved

by LLEW GARDNER

You remember

cottage in Buckingham- shire, where they were known

now?

to a

the widow

will

Mr Ross was vicar of Wood- ford in Cheshire Mil

"death" unfortunate swimming accident in 1955.

But the story

begins earlier than that In 1953 the vicar of Woodford called in comfort

as Mr and Mrs Davies.

in

his

3

Perhaps recollection easier to come

you if address Mr Ross as he is no

Jonger entitled to be address: ed, as "the Rev. Philip Ross."

Chicken breeder Ross to- day happy to talk about everything but the past,

But then, 14 months after the vicar's vanishing swim, rumours began to circulate that he was still alive.

chickens at his home. Grange, at East Bergholt, Suffolk.

don't

know

sull "I much I'm going to get.

The

Flashback to 1856-Mr. Ross is found hiding in-the-bost of a friend's car

not

"How could any man in regret having to give up some

thing that was part of his life for a great many years?"

how

By Mr Roes is not divorced from the time the Government has the wife he left to wonder and

"There wouldn't taken its share in death duties, worry.

that fo I expect it will be a lot less much point than £10,000."

The past? "I have never

Tumours ex-

now."

be

would

there?" he said.

"After all, neither my wife

proceedings and I'm sure she wouldn't."

ཏ---

But on the subject of chickens What made him decide

"We had a big caravan rally, of which he now has 3,000 chicken breeding "Well, there here earlier in the year," he Mr Ross was far from reticent. are 11 acres here and when I said. "After I've got the Proudly he showed me over the bought it, I realised I would chicken business going I'll make

have to do something with it. some improvements here."

Tuns

"Wonderful stuff this nylon "I thought of pigs to begin We walked to the edge of his net," he said. "Stop anything, with, but very soon gave that smallholding and gazed over the No fox could get past it and idea up. Plas are useless: The rolling Suffolk felds.

country we often find dead cats tied up Danes have got this

"Look in it.

at completely beaten. They have

that," he said. "People who think Suffolk is turned pig breeding into Д national industry. We can't fat and uninteresting should compete with that."

come and look at this. It is one of the most beautiful views in the country."

At first they seemed incred- talked about it. I do not see nor are planning to marry Lot of work the bereaved widow of one of ible, but they gained in force why, I should talk about it again, I see no need to start his Bock.

Finally, the ploded into headlines.

The

and vicar were traced--in

She was Mrs Kathleen Ryall, She was well off and, although by then middle-aged,

a former London model.

-

21:01 attractive woman. is visals to her home at Cheadle Hulme

becane more frequen!.

she visited the vluar

at their home. wife

Would he do the same again? The ex-vicar bowed Mrs Ryall I asked. Switzerland his head and scratched a pat- and then back to this country, tern in the soll with the toe off Mrs Ryall in a state of ner- his shoe. vous collapse, entered

nursing home. And

♫

runs.

I told Mr Ross. You sound

-then profit

Followed by Mr Ross'a 15 "Only one thing: you have month-old Alsatian, Tessa, we Return to his wife? Again there came the same flat reply to be carefa the birds don't walked on through the chicken

like a happy man.. "There wouldn't be much point get caught."

"Mind you, I haven't started shall be happy to do this for in that, would there?"

We paused while Mr Ross to make a profit yet. There is gazed with pride at

one an awful lot of work to do crowded her-house; "There's

Christmas dinner your

in

answered: 3,000 chickens

At length, he "That is not a fair question. The elusive Mr Ross, how- No, it is not and his

a fair question. ever, was

to be found. I will not answer." not Once again he had done his vanishing trek.

Peuple began to talk, but the visits went on. Then, on August 11. 1956, the vicar staged his funtastic runaway.

was

on

لي

an November

—and so proud there," he said.

They

on correspond only state occasions."

once you start chicken

"Roads and runs to be

fences to be put up, he.

"They should be worth 2s. ed. erected.

ot

It all costs a lot Did he regret having been

Once the a lb. and by Christmas they honey.

money does forced to leave the Church? At long last,

should weigh 8lb each. Eight- start coming in I should make In the same dry and emotion- The ex-vicar smiled and hundred birds at 29. 6d. alb, about 10s, a year on each lay 1950, he was found-hid less voice with which he had explained his phrase: fog in the boot of a friend's answered

"You that's £800."

ing bird," previous

Mr Ross has turned one field ques- know, Christmas and times like from lack of ions he said: car. Red-eyed

"Naturally I that. We send

It hardly seemned fair to one another

say into a carayan site-39; 6d. told re have regrets. sleep and worry, he

cards. That's all."

that I prefer duck,

night, 21s. a week. porters. "I have had & good

19.

He

curavenning holkday with his

wife and daughter in North Wales. He went for a swim at Helt's rua. The game is Up), It is Mouth and vanished. A pile Anished."

of clothes seemed to be The

only trace of him left.

There was no reason to sus pect other than the obvious, The vicar of Woodford was dead.

His wife and daughter went into mourning. The parishioners were saddened. The Bussiping tongues ceased to wa

The High Court presumed the vicor dead. Aut ne was very much alive.

His swim had taken bir well out to sea, then Je had returned to Q

It's not fair—

I won't answer

Recovering, he added: "Now you can go to hell,"

In January 1960 Mrs Ryall died. Mr Rossby. now un- frocked-was not as the grave- side. Nor did he send a wreath.

But Mrs Ryall had not for- gotten him. She left him

£10,000 in her will.

*

"I still haven't recelved further ponny of that money," Mr Ross along the coast There he told me we Inspected his

point

25

CADBURYS MILK TRAY

CHOCOLATES

your favourite with the new look!

CADBURYS

MILK TRAY

CHOCOLATES

the

GREAT ANIMAL STORIES

IT

Battle of the fangs

-and wisdom wins

moose.

was the she-wolf of his desire he shouldered was rewarded. Then they

against a young three-year-old came upon the who had first caught that ran on his blind right side, the sound of men's voices and the whining of the his full size, sled dogs.

It was a big bull they first This young wolf had attained found. Here was meat and life. and, considering It was a brief dght and fierce. the weak and famished condi The big bull was beset on every tion of the pack, he possessed side, he ripped them open or The pack lingered for several more than the average vigour split their skulls with shrewdly mirutės, making sure of the and spirit. Nevertheless, he ran driven blows of his great hoofs. sounds, and then it, too, sprang with his head even with the He stamped them into the snow away on the trail made by the shoulder of his one-eyed elder. under him in the wallowing she-wolf.

struggle.

But he was fore-

When he ventured to un doomed, and he went down with Running at the forefront abreast of the older wolf (which, the she wolf tearing savagely at of the pack was a large grey was seldom), a snarl and a snap his throat. wolf-one of its several leaders. sent him back even with the

again. Sometimes

The famine was over. The

It was he who directed the

the shoulder pack's course on

on the heels of however, he dropped cautiously wolves were now in the country the she-wolf. It was he who and slowly behind and edged in of game. snarled warningly at the between the old leader and the younger members of the pack, she-wolf, And it was he who increased

the pace when he sighted the Bhe-wolf.

TOO KINDLY

It was

There came a day, in this land a brief fight

of plenty, when the wolf-pack and fierce. split in half, and went in dife The big bull This was doubly resented, ferent directions. The she wol was beset on even triply resented. When she the young leader on her

what to do,

....

દા

"I am," he

"

the rest

answered. "I

of my life." As we shook hands I asked, my last question: Do you stiIF go to church?

He smiled and said:

NO.

It would be too embarrassing. Some people would lean over

would withdraw backwards to be tolerant; others the hem ot their garment.

"In any case, Sunday is a busy day in the poultry world."

-(London Express Service).

by JACK LONDON

Drawing by Barry Driscol

suarled her displeasure, the old and the one-eyed alder on her every side. leader, would whirl on the three right, led their half of the pack. year-old. Sometimes she whirled down to the Mackenzie River with him. And sometimes the and across into the lake country young leader on the left whirled to the east, Each day this be in doubt for a moment about wall of the great vein of the top.

remnant of the pack dwindled. She dropped in alongside by him, as though it were her

At such times confronted by appointed position, and took the pace of the pack. He did not three sets of savage teeth, the snarl at her, nor show his teeth, young wolf stopped precipi- when any leap of hers chanced tately, throwing himself back on to put her in advance of him. his haunches with fore-legs-

stiff, Touth menacing, and mane bristline.

On the contrary, he seemed kindly disposed towards Tier too, kindly to suit her, for he

MANY BATTLES

throat. Then he leaped clear. The battle began fairly, but The young leader snarled. it did not end fairly. There was terribly. Already stricken, he no telling what the outcome sprang at the elder and would have been for the third

wolf joined the elder, and fought while life faded from Two by two, male and female, together, old leader and young him, his legs gonak attacked the beneath him, the light of day leader, they the wolves were deserting. In mbitious three-year-old and dulling on his eyes the end there remained only.

proceeded to destroy

him, Had there been food, Tove four, the she-wolf, the young

was prone to run near to her. making and Oghting would have leader, the one-eyed one, and And in the meanwhile, the and when he ran too near it was gone on space; and the packs the ambitious three-year-old. she-wolk the cause of it all sat she who snarled and showed her formation would have beets teeth. Nor was the above slash broken up. But the situation. The she-wolf had by now

e

down contentedly on her haunches and watched. was even

ven pleased to

And all the while the she wolf at on her hadaches and Sh She was: made glad in ways by the battle, for this was She the love-malung or the wild

sex-tragedy of the natural wo that was tragedy only for th

To those that u

not and achievement

ing his shoulder sharply on of the pack was desperate. It developed a ferocious ‹ temper. occasion.

was lean with long-standing Her three suitors all bore the hinger

marks of her teeth. Yet they And in the business of love the

kind, never never replied in

three-year-old, who had made defended themselves

this first "adventure · upon 1 It, her. They turned their shot- ders to Her most savas slashes, Vilded up his life. On either elde of his body stood his two and with wagering i talle and

rives. They were gazing at tho mincing steps strove to placate the well, who sat smiling in the Que Eye ther wrathis

This was his one trouble in the running of the pack; but she had other troubles. On her other side ran a gaunt old wolf, grizzled and marked with the scars of many battles,

He ran always on her right

BRIEF FIGHT

side. The fact that he had but They san through the nigh

They run many miles that

day

But

one eye, and that the left eye, And the next day found them toward might account for this,

He also,

still runnin.

was addicted to ing over the surface mol crowding her to veering to world frozen, wid dead. Nie

Therk

ward, her till hla scarred murale touched her body" or mite Choulder

SHARP TOOTHED

snow.

miidress

WISE LEADER

When the young

tra

the snow sad move

she wolt

of mingled true.