The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-01 00:00:00

BIUDPOET.

ANNUAL MELTING or TUC YOUNG Moen CHRISTIAN
IiSsoCIATIoN.—Ou Tuursilay evening was held the
annual public meeting of the Young Meu's Christian
Aserndatiou iii tne &di iolruoui or the Wesleyan Chapel,
South-creet. It wars evident by the large number
present that a dea, of rad iuteiest is taken in this
important and Christian wira for the youth of tire
town. During toe evening thnsa assembled had the
pleasure of listening to and profiang by four biograph-
ical sketches of the lives of phil.ntatopic celebrities.
'rho Rev. A. kiewton, Wesleyan resident minister,
and president for the evening. first gave "a glance at
the useful labours of Man tory and arah Ma tin."
Thus was followed by the Rey. F. J. Austin (Inde-
pendent), who spoke of thegreat Willism Wilbert /roe,
the Abolhionist." The Hey. B. Francis (Bsptist)
fuilowed with a telling summary of the labours or
Wiliam Carey, cobbler, scholar and missionary."
The Rev. A. B. Hutchinson, assistant pastor uf the
Wesleyan body, gave an address on the • Rev. W.
Morley Punshou, the eminent preacher." The annual
tea preceded too meeting in the schoolroom.
COrrn Hones Esrgaral Sti l'he second enter.
tainment of the season was presided over by his
Worship the Mayor, on Friday evening last, when
the spacious Market Room was crowded. An
attractive programme gave every satisfaction, and it is
a source of pleasure to the well-wishers and promoter.
of the establishment that the public take so much
interest in these fortnightly gatherings. The follow-
ing was the programme Part I.—lnstrumental, "Pro-
menade," Miss Ada Knight; reading, Mr. (). Wile-in;
song, " Old Balt," Mr. Brooks; song, "Jonah's
dieter," Mr. Bins; instrumental, " Florauce." Mies
A. Knight; duet, "Th. Quaker's Wooing" (enoored),
Mrs. Biles and Mr. it Bbsion; song, Hays of Moon-
light," Miss Churchill; wing, " Biscay" (encored),
Tizzard ; so og, "Who Whispered" ( ,dic,red),
Miss Knight. ran —Lamm wen cal, " Ith i cie
Polka," airs. Base, Mils Knight, and Mr. time ; song,
Youthful Melodie.," Miss Bailey; reading, Mr. 11.
Howell; duet, " klatnuionial " (encored), Mr. and
Mrs. Hues; song, "H ruler Harold," Mr. Hawkins;
song, "Thy face' (encored), Mr. R. Ebdon ; recitation,
" Fireman's Wedding," Mr. Hooker* ; song, " The
• Wag4oner" (encore I), Mr. T. Thorns; "Hui Save
the Queen." .

SOUDAN DIATH OF AN OLO MLA. —Oa Saturday
afternoon an o a man, about 77 years of age, Edmund
tile, was discovered lying in his kitclzen, quite dead.
A woman, living in tee house, • Mrs. Pester, went
into the room about half-past two o'clock and found
the de.eased lying on his side on the fl,or. On the
tab!-, at which he had been sitting, was • basin of
cold broth an I a tixion, the chair overturned was by
the side of dee owed, the &amid in of which indicated
that deceased must have fallen from his chair and
expired whilst eating, as a portion of the broth was in
his mouth wheu he was discovered. He was last seen
alive by a 1 'tiger, Mrs. Wakeley, who met him about
noon up the stairs, an i spoke t i him. Deonseed did
not rise till noon, and he was descending from a garret
where be slept, to go to the kitenen, when Mrs.
Wakeloy spoke to him. He then appeared to be in
his usual health ; no more was seen of him alive until
he was discovered, as stated, by Mrs. Pester, who
went to his kitchen to speak with him. Sergeant
Hazzird was imine 'lately rent for, as IFNI Mr. W. A.
Hay. Sergeant Flux ,rd found the body yet warm,
but dead, and when Dr. Hay arrived, life was pro-
nounced to be extinct. From various circumstances
it was generally thought that deceased was in reduced
eircturustances, and especially so as he hal no tire in
the ro all on Satorday, and partook, on rising, of •
basin of cold bread ant water. However, deeeesed
had • quantity of firewood in the yard, so that he
could have had a fire if he wished; and the f set that
no less than £lO 51. 1 I. was found in the house,
shows that dense's, I could have provided himself with
sheathing more substantial than bread and water.
The deceased having no relatives in the town, Sergeant
Hazzard took possession of deceased's belongings. In
the po,kets of the dead man was f mud ss. 71. ; in a
locked drawer in the garret 9s. 61., hell in • child'.
money his ; and in a bronze old-faahi matchb is
six sovereigns and seven half-sovereigns. As it was
k ,own that deceased had • son living in London,
Sergeant Hazzard kindly telegraphed at once to ap-
prise him of the sad occurrence, but during Saturday
evening an answer was received from one of the
London telegraphic departments saying the messenger
could not find Ellis at the address given. It is known
that some few days ago the son wrote saying he
intended changing his lodging, but it now appears
that he has neglected to stats the locality of his new
abode. A second message has been sent but no answer
has been returned up to the time of writing.
An inquest was held on the body yesterday, Mon-
day.

NARROW ESCAPE OF BURNING! TO DEATH.
Persons who adopt that fooli.h and unsanitary plan
of stuffing bags of straw or shavings into shafts of
chimneys, would do well to take warning from a sad
occurrence which took place at the Sailors' Home,
South-street, on Saturday morning last. About 10.30
a.m. the inmates noticed a deal of smoke about the
premises, which soon increa•ed to such an extent am to
fear that a p irtior6of the house was on fire. Mr. H.
Philips, remembeag that his mother.indaw was a-bed
upstairs. rushed to the room, and on entering warn
horrified to find the apartment apparently in • MN of
flame. Almost suffocated and blinded by thee' 'ads of
smoke, he hastened to remove Mrs. Bishop, an old
La fy suffering from paralysis, from her bed, which was
already half burnt, and one of the hands of the plor
old woman was badly scorched. An alarm of fire was
raised, and buckets of water thrown over the flooring
and bedding, the latter being nearly half con come I.
Sergt. Hazzard and several oondables, with Mr. F.
Cooper, captain of the Fire Bri ode were on the spot
o within a few minute, of the atttreak ; but, luckily,
owing to a timely discovery, their services were not
required.
It woul I appesr that afire had not been used in the
room since the occupation of the premises by Mr.
' Philips; but on Saturday morning • fire wee lighted
there for the comfort of Mrs. Bishop, who is bed.
ridden. Within a few minutes after being lighted, the
11 bless caught fire to a bundle of straw, which had been
! pushed up the chimney by the former occupier. 3on
all danger appeared at an end, as the soot and straw
had seemingly burnt itself out. During the morning
the bed containing Mrs. Bishop was moved to near the
fire, and no further danger was apprehended; but
fragments of the burning straw, lodging in the
chimney, must have fallen down into the room and on
the bed. Bad the discovery been a few minutes later,
a horrible fatality would have taken place, and the
whole premises consumed.