The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-30 00:00:00

INTELLECTUAL TREAT.
'Twould be a fine thing," with a ugh said Tom NoddY,
' Were food for the mind nice, like food for the body."
—Punch.

A SAD END!

la London, on Monday evening, Dr. Lankester held an
inquiry at the Workhouse of the Strand Union, on the body
of Sir. John Randy, barristerat-law, aged 47.
Mr. Hugh Weightman said he resided at 1, Mitre-
oourt, Temple, and is a barrister and Master of
Arts. About nine months ago, while passing up
Fleet-street, being attracted by an announcement
in the window of the temple Discussion Forum
that a discussion would be opened by a Colonist,
he went in and saw the deceased, who was the
colonist referred to. He entered into conversation
with him, and deceased informed him that he was born
at the Cape of Good Hope, that he was the 8011 of a
Wesleyan minister, and had come to England
to keep Terms as a law student at the Temple.
Finding the deceased was in bad circumstances, wit-
ness gave him some money for his night's lodging,
and afterwards found that he was in such distressed
and destitute circumstances as almost impossible to
imagine. Since that period he had frequently met him
at the same place, and had assisted him in a simi-
lar manner. He was an excellent scholar, and had
been called to the Bar. He had no chambers, and no
one knew where he lived, but he had his letters ad-
dressed to the lodge of the gardener of the Middle
Temple. Ile last saw deceased at the Temple Dis-
cussion Forum on the evening of Friday week, when
he appeared ins prostrate condition. He had not seen
him since. .

William Wolten, of 12, Hanover-court, Long-acre,
said deceased formerly lodged there, but not for six
weeks prior to Saturday week, when he came again.
It was a common lodging-house. He remained in bed
the whole of Sunday and till Monday morning, and
during the interval some of the lodgers gave him some
gruel, tea, toast, &e., as he was ill and destitute. On
the Monday morning witness went to Dr. Brooks, the
divisional police surgeon, and told him deceased's con-
dition, and he ordered him to be taken to the Strand
Union, and he wan removed there in a cab. On arriving
at the workhouse, deceased described himself as a
writer for the Press and a barrister. He was then
admitted.
John Bowman, relieving officer of the Strand Union,
said he gave the order for deceased's admission. Mr.
John Anderson, Medical Officer of the Strand Union,
said deleased was brought in there on the 19th of
November in a prostrate condition. He at once ordered
him beef-tea and brandy-and-water, and then to be
very carefully washed. He expired in about five hours
after his admission. Tne post modem examination
showed that the right lung wan destroyed by inflamma-
tion and glued to the walls of the chest. The pleura
was inflamed, and although the stomach was quite
healthy, it was perfectly empty. The cause of death
was pleuro-pneumonia, and he believed death was ac-
celerated by removal in the cab. Had he been carried
in a recumbent, instead of an upright position his life
might have been saved. There wan no evidence of
drinking.
Mr. Weightman, upon this point, said the deceased
upon every occasion he had seen him win) most ab-
stemious.
A letter which had been sent addressed to deceased
at the gardener's lodge was produced ; it was from a
lady in South Brent, Devonshire, telling deceased to
take private lodgings and she would send him assist-
ance.
The jury returned a verdict "that the deceased died
from inflammation of the lungs, accelerated by removal
from his lodgings to the workhouse in a cab in a sitting
position."