William Reid, (1868-4/10/1884). "will wade with blood"

A private telegram states that William. Reid, second son of the late Mr. Reid, of Reid and Gray, has committed suicide at Sydney by shooting himself. Deceased was of weak mind.  -NZ Herald, 8/10/1884.

A telegram was yesterday received from Sydney by Mr James Gray (of Messrs Reid and Gray) stating that William Reid, son of the late Mr Reid, had shot himself at that place on Saturday afternoon  whether accidentally or not the telegram does not state. The deceased was 19 years of age, and had been away from Dunedin for about six weeks, having gone on a trip for his health.  -Wanganui Chronicle, 9/10/1884.

A shocking discovery was made (says the 'Sydney Morning Herald' of the 6th inst.) at Moore Park, Sydney, at an early hour yesterday morning. Shortly after seven o'clock Messrs Frank Olsen and John Young were walking in the reserve, when they discovered the dead body of a man in the quarry at the back of the rifle range. The deceased was lying on his left side, having in his right hand a five-chambered bulldog revolver. On the weapon being examined it was found that four chambers were loaded. A wound, supposed to have been caused by a bullet, was found on the deceased's forehead, near the right temple. The deceased's clothes were saturated with blood, and the spot where the body was found was stained for some distance round. The man was about twenty-one or twenty-two years, was 5ft 4in in height, and was of slender build. On his breast was pinned a piece of paper bearing the following words, which were written with lead pencil: — "New Zealand will wade with blood till she gets a king. I beg of her therefore to accept my small contribution. All I want you to do for me is to bury me here. May the Almighty God have mercy on my soul! Yours faithfully, WILLAM REID." A pocketbook and a number of papers, bearing the name William Reid, were found in the pockets of the deceased's clothes.   -Evening Star, 14/10/1884.

The inscription on the Reid family gravestone states that William was 16 when he died.  New Zealand records show 18.  The record for the Southern Cemetery does not show William's burial - presumable he was buried in Sydney.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.