The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-28 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY DEATH OF A MIS:

On Tuesday last an aged man, whose sppearl,
betokened the most abject state of human wretche
ness, was brought to the London Hospital Jabot!"
ing under a sudden and violent attack of hero;
When led to the ward, and stripped for the pored
of being put to bed, he took the greatest pains elf
caution in taking off his clothing, if such a parcel%
the most filthy rags could be so called, and expreoe.,
the utmost solicitude to have them placed under biti
pillow. Shortly after his admission he was visite!
by Mr. Scott, one of the surgeons of the hospitil"
and that gentleman, after examining him, and Pier.
ceiving the serious nature of the injury, at once ue'
tided, as the only chance of preserving life, that,ll,/i,
patientoais
ntgpaeett rheaoetfoi
most
tmnhoboesosstdht
ypos;kvutlii
ellfsinunwlbtg be
manner;ys
well
a3as
ssyehen aiassented, immediately
sd), but
andpf r performed. ot rttmhweeode.o:l:l:o.o,ev
in the afternoon Mr. Scott performed the operant);
he gradually sank, and expired shatteredinana
Just as the operator had finished, the deceased,
finding himself much weaker, expressed a nlesA
d fehwi cs
hoursone st emaciate
coal ttoeenr-:
anxious wish to ,ee the clerk of the institution, and':
on his being brought to the bed-side, he requested
that the gentleman would get pen, ink, and paper'
as he wished him to write out his will. This fig°
dose, and on the clerk a second time approaching
the bed-side, the deceased drew from his &gnu!e
nine half sovereigns, which he must have had 01'5
during the performance of the operation, and hanued
them to him. He then appeared very uneasYr arih;
though the act must have given him great paint
raised himself to nearly an upright position in t";
bed. He theta commenced searching through had
bed clothes, and after some time seeing a teeth ne'd
sovereign among them, and which it appeared O.bl .
fallen from his mouth, he made a dash with ;
hand at it, and caught it with the same avidity thil
a hawk would a sparrow, and handed it to the clerk
He then called for a knife, and cut from his tatter
and filthy garments ninety-six more half-sovereigl,ll4l.
making altogether 531., and acknowledgments 'et
nearly 4001. placed to his account in the Bank ai°
England, and a bond of annuity for 671. per annti.t:
A will, according to his.dietation, was then Wile,
ten. In the first place he bequeathed three sof
reigns to the nurse of the ward in which her::
and two servants of the Institution who had 'of
tended him ; he left a sovereign to the beadle i;
Bethnal-green, who brought him to the HnsPitsbio
he directed that 501. should be expended on
funeral, arid the remainder he left to his nephefhit
young man named Mathews, a gardener, residing 0
Cardiff, in Walee. When told that .501. weagbe
large sum to spend in funeral expenses, and that.
could be very decently interred for much less 01;11
half that amount, he replied, that he had made s'
his mind that the sum mentioned should be!eti
pended, adding, that he did not wish to be burlo
as he had lived—a vagabond. He said that it was to
first his wish to have his body sent for intermentho
Lincolnshire, but to do the thing as he wished,4
felt satisfied that 501. would not be sufficient for 1.4
purpose, and therefore ire had determined on beii if
buried in Whitechapel church. When PI oaf,
there was any person whom he wished, or 0„t.
name to follow him to the grave? he replied,
that any one who wished might, and if no one 'Ara
it was his wish that in lieu there should be 1'
111 e
of horses, so that the 50/. might be expended. oej
only part of his history disclosed by the dece3ilii
was, that lie had formerly been a sailor, thaticoo
name was Samuel Draper, and that for his ser/vt
he enjoyed a small pension of 71. per annum, Ito
body of the deceased still remains at the hooPitlicrir
wait the arrival of his nephew, who has been ;0
ten for by the Governors of the hospital, wil°
him to be present at his interment.