The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-03-28 00:00:00

THE CORONER'S SLIGHT HISTAIIE.

A writer in be. Licensed Victuallers' Gautl47.under
this loading, in the *out • of Ms AMMO she the
following tati:—"Ul gusted w.th fortune'. frowns, I
pasted • opaque for £496 to my cumuli...km agent for
my Mond .y's bolanoo ot thoomot, and {Naiads' on km
Saturday reek to Weymouth, is ro for my
ic=telinatued tour. I rematued at Weymoutti (a very
datithuul wasruig place) e few days, and dunce
(=narked for Jersey, kc. Soinshow, during my
pe..g.mation. Remind Weymoutn (for I nol very
km tug to walking) I into .ged, the day before my
dePerinre, to drop or lose my pocketbook. It cAr
mined some teams of little luiportsuos, some Gorda
witu my natow—MA 110 *Aka* ou—sod two or three
£5 now. It was stupid of me, but beyond a quiet
curse A my own carelessimes, I thqugbt no me, of the
cooker, a. gib .0 IDS •••• • c,..up trotivo item of little
object. I enj ,yed my holid.y num meely, and
returood to my ch tabor. in the Temple towards tho
vOl of Clamber. Judge my attooisnmmt .dt finding
my oh embers to lot, my furuitu a remove I, &Lid my
holm keeper literally pale with Gar on own what cbs
I doetned zuy oppantioa. Spoonly I undeceived her
that I was living flesh and lobo .
. .

_
Lank o' mercy, only to thioic it I Surety, Mr.
Egerton 'taint you back elide from l'otter place I"
" Yes, my dear Mrs. (App., tru,y I +lll back este
and a mod from Vother place,' as you term it."
" I thal taint; I know I shall It's something
awful. Why, Mr. Eg-rt .n. everybody said you was
dead. A crowner and a whole jury sat on your body
at Weymouth."
"On my body at Weymouth! Surely, Mrs. Cripps,
you're mad."
' Enoueli to make anyone mad if such tragedies as
this are going to benison. liavn't I got the account of
the inquest in the paper ! Wait • moment, I'll show
It to you in black ant white ;" and the worthy woman
bustled off to produce • crumpled and soiled news-
papsr, which, with trembling hands, pointing to a
paragraph, she handed t me.
"'There, Mr. Eierton, read for you're& ;' and
certainly there I read the full anti detailed account of
an inquest held at Weymouth, on the body of Alfred
Egerton, before the local coroner. Evidence was
given that a pocket-book, contaioing letters, three £5
notes, and cards with my name on. were found on me.
The body was picked up, fully clothed, on the beach
by the coastguard, and the verdict was " Accidental
death by drowning." In a moment I saw through
everything—the lost pocket-book lathed through my
mind. I had walked along the sea-coast, doubtless
dropped the pocket-book on the beach, the person
upon whom the inquest was held had picked it up,
and 10 30 alter met with his untimely death, having
nothing ear on his person to cause recognition. The
" bucolic coroner" had, without legitimate identifies.
tin), jumped at the conclusion that the supposed owner
of the pocket-book, with his own cards in his posse*.
SION must necessarily be Alfred Egerton—hence the
berclict, All my relatives being in Calcutta, no family
enquiry was made for me, and my alter eg, was set
forth to the world as the "dead representative of my
living self." Subsequently I fathomed the mystery.
The real dead man was an unfortunate private tutor,
subject to heart disease, and possibly the excitement
of picking up a pocket-book with bank notes therein
so upset the suffering man that the action of the heart
gave away.
(The writer .1 the sketch says this event took place
about twenty years ago.]