Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-06-01
VOL. XLIII.
LOST IN TIE FOG.

! Mr.. Andrew Macfarlane, of Raw Material
| street. Manchester, for very heavy sum. MIR.
Aacfarlane was not young man, being de-
! scribed by himself as between forty and fifty,
and the gum was of such an unusual amount
| that the company thought it necessary to use
more than ordinary caution. They therefore
| stipulated upon seeing the gentleman person
ally, and having hiui examined by two of their
1 own medical men in their own Office in Lon
don, in addition to the usual preliminary liz
vestigation. Mr.. Maefariane accordingly ap-
/ peareG one morning, looking most robust
and healthy middle-aged gentleman. it'll a
1 fine, broad, ruddy, close-shaven face and iron
| gray hair the examination was pronounced
1 satisfactory in the extreme. Mr.. Macfarlane
was more than usually healthy person, and
the policy as granted without delay.
! One morning in November of the same
year, London was shrouded in one of its dens-
est fogs. That combination Of smoke and va
por to be met with in its full perfection in no
other part of the globe, peryaded street and
river Fog had reigned supreme over the me
tropolis the whole of the previous day and
become SO thick at night that foot-passengers
had great difficulty in finding their way along
lbO otIOSto liz hiO~SiHS VI q N4oS StAOSN p4
square, looked like diving into some dark and
unexplored expanse all landmarks were swept
! away, the lamps were scarce visible one from
another experienced Londoners found them
selves turning the wcong corners, and the
cabs and other vehicles had no chance of reach
ing their destination save by adhering to the
curbstone.
That November morning the newspapers
bore witness to the dangers Of the previous
day in many lengthy catalogues ofincidents.-
As morning broke the fog seemed likely to
rule another day but the sun gained
strength he br ,ught with him a ifesh breezp,
! and the fog lifting. ike vast curtain once
more disclosed to he pers, cuted Loudoners
the features Of their lost city.
Light was pretty well established when
party of river men were seen carrying the
! body of a drownde man up the steps Of Lon
don Bridge On coming 10 the top with their
CHASTITY burden, a gentleman in dark beard
and mustachcS. who had been watching their
movements over the parapet, came up, and
looking steadily at the dead mans face cx-
claimed . ... r-
"Good God it's poor Macfarane p
The men stopped; crowd was present in
an instant, as if by magic; and in scarcely
less time the tall and unpurturbed hat of Il
policeman was to be observed, calm and sta
tionary. above the swaying multitude.
"Do you identify this body, sr?"
| Il dol"
Y our name and address. if YOU please
| sir?'
Il viii go with you to the station. if you
please
The body will 90 TO tie d"ad-house, sir;
perhaps you Hoa,i have no objection TO go
there with NE, first, and witness my removal
of the vgluaIies on the person of the deeeas-
/ ed.p
The gentleman accordingly accompanied
! the party, saw the contents Of the pocket re-
moved, aud the body examined casually
| Tle-e were no marks of violence upon it, and
there was little doubt that it represented one
OF the victims of the fog, an opinion pretty
freely expressed by the bystanders.
The pockets produced little or nothing lead
! ing to idcntification--;l watch with Chain at
tached to it a locket containing hair aud Or
namented with blue cross purse with
money all in sovereigns, "a pocket handkerchief
marked in cipher, and bunch Of keys, tod
little
The next proceeding was to the station
house. The sergeant on duty heard the facts;
took possession of the property put certain
questions took down the genliemans name
and addruss-"AIr. Weod.ey, Of Liverpool,
now at the Covent Garden Hotel'-aud in
formed him that he would be required at the
inquest.
Il shall consider it my duty TO attend; put
in the meantime, must communicate this n-
telligence to my poor friends wife-they came
to town only the day before yesterday
Her attendance will be necessary. sir"
"Very well but first l must see how she
bears this cruel shock"
At the inquest, after the evidence Of the
finding of the body, Mr. Woodward stepped
forward and deposed that he was well acquaint-
ed with the deceased Mr. MacfarIane, of Man
chester that he and his wife had come to
London on visit only few days previously;
that he had seen the wite-who was so dread
fully affected By the shock her nervous system
had sustained by this sad event. that she was
dangerously ill, and totally Incapable of Civ
ing evidence, of which fact he handed in a
doctors certificate. He held III his hand, be
said, the marriage certificate of the deceased,
which he would produce if the jury desired to
see it that he had managed to procure from
the distressed lady list of articles on Mac
farlane's person when he left home yesterday
on business, since which time he had not been
+ heard of until witness brought the sad intelli-
gence of his untimely fate.
The divisional surgeon deposed that there
were no marks of violence upon the body.
The coroner, in summing up, merely observ-
ed to the jury that it was evident this unfor
tunate person had been drowned in the
| Thames there was no reason to suppose that
he had met his death by any foul play, moi
was the suppositiou of suicide warranted,
. The unfortunate man had, it appeared, gone
out Yesterday in the full enjoyment Of his usu
} al health, strength and intellect; they were
0 all aware that in the dense and dangerous fog
c that has prevailed, accidents were extremely
t likely to happen, especially to persons unac
2 quainted with London; it must therefore b.
d presumed that deceased had by seme means
unknown to them, fallen into the river; tn,
body had been satisfactorily identified by
most respectable witness, who had moreove
brought from the widow a list of article
p which tailed exactly with those found on TIL
V BODY; they had heard of the sad condition Q
e that unhappy lady, and there appeared to hin
e no necessity for adjourning the inquest for he
e presence; nothing, therefore. remained fo
S them but to give their verdict according t
l. the facts.
Is Found drowned p was accordingly render
ir ed.
!" The coroner observed that the body ougf
,e to be buried Immediately, and ordered it
3 be given up to Woodley. He then made ou
Or and forwarded to the registrar the necessar
re information as to the cause of death, aud tn
RS finding of the jury.
n, In due time the insurance company recei'
re ed an application on the part of Helen Mat