The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-14 00:00:00

DEATH OF A CLERGYMAN IN NETV-
CASTLE.

An inquest was held on Friday night at New-
castle on the body of the Rev. William Anderson,
who was found drowned in the Tyne on Thursday
morning last.
From the evidence it appeared that the deceased
had been staying at the Charles the Twelfth Inn,
Tyne Bridge, where he had arrived on Friday week.
He had given the name of Mr. Burns to the land-
lord, who was highly pleased with the engaging
manners and gentlemanly conversation of his
guest. Mr. Burns appeared to have a good
stock of cash, but it would seem that he was
rather partial to the bottle, and was of some-
what irregular habits. On the Saturday night, while
out in Newcastle, he fell among loose company,
and while in some house in the neighourhood, it
was thought, of Pudding Chare, he was robbed of
all his money, his watch, and even his coat and
vest. On reaching his inn he expressed himself
satisfied that his plunderers had not taken his
overcoat as well, and turned him into the street ;
but he strongly declined to lodge any information
with the police authorities respecting the robbery.
The worthy landlord, to whom Mr. Burns had not
yet paid his reckoning, lent him 155.; but on the
Monday morning Mr. Burns again appeared at the
inn penniless. He rerresented that he was respec-
tably connected at Glasgow, and he read to the
hostess a letter which he had indited to a person in
that town, applying for a remittance. In the
course of the Monday morning he left the inn, say-
ing he was going to see Mr. Potter, a minister of
the Scotch Church in Newcastle, with whom he was
acquainted. He never came to the inn again. It
appeared that a man answering to the description
of the deceased was making inquiries on Tuesday at
the River Police-station for a vessel for Dieppe,and
a note was received from him on Wednesday,
stating that he had obtained the information wanted.
Nothing further was heard of the writer of this
note, until about half-past six on the morning of
Thursday, when persons on board the steamer New-
castle, coming up the river, and when opposite the
Mushroom, observed a man struggling in the water
and calling for help. A small boat near put towards
him, and as it approached the drowning man called
out, " Be sharp." At the same time a life-buoy was
thrown from the steamboat, but on its being seen
that the sufferer was unable to reach it, a man on
the Newcastle jumped overboard with another buoy,
and swam towards the drowning man, whom he
reached at the same time as the people in the small
boat already alluded to. The man was taken into
the boat and put on board the steamer, where means
were used to restore him, but without effect, and by
the time he was conveyed to Mr. Carr's, Ship Inn,
on the Quay, he was quite dead. It is conjectured
that after a night of dissipation in the neighbour-
hood where he was found in the Tyne, he
had gonedown an ally to the edge of the river to bathe
is
face, and had fallen in. Since his death it has
h
been ascertained that the real name of the unfortu-
nate.and that he was
man was William Anderson,
was educated as a minister of the Scotch Church,
with Mr. Potter at college
connected with a mercantile firm in Glasgow. He
butan and
bbiesc am
irregulare
• unfitted him for the sacred
• have at last brought him
duties of the ministry,
death.
returned as their verdict that " De..
acquaintedbab i t have
cea,sed died from the effects of immersion in
to
Tahmeeilaunreyholy
the
river Tyne, but under
what circumstances he came
4 there there was no evidence to ohm,"