DEAD FROM NATURAL CAUSES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 735, 19 May 1876, Page 2

DEAD FROM NATURAL CAUSES.

—o - “Dead from natural causes!” So said the jury who had viewed the emaciated remains of Robert Luckley Saunders, 8.A., Oxon. The remains were those of a clergyman of the Church of England, seventythree years of age. He had never held a benefice, but he had been a hard-working curate in his time. When his last rector died, poor Saunders wai too old for a new place, and too broken-spirited to look for one. So he hired a small back room in an humble house at Leamington, and hid himself theie awaiting the great change of all ! When everything else he had was gone or hid been taken from him, he retained a miserable annuity of less than Ll7 a year, and on that he dragged out life. In a letter produced at the inquest, the old man wrote: —“ For several years I have lived on eightpence per day, subsisting on bread and milk, or cheese and cocoa, and never tasting butcher’s meat, ale, or spirits !” Yet relatives younger and, we suppose, stronger, craved a portion of the old man's little means. Why should he live unless ho earned for them or begged? In his dead hands was found a letter demanding help—help out of eightpence a day ! The old man was no courtier ; certainly he was no beggar. He cowered feebly in his cold mom, and perhaps had some pleasant memories to dream of all the live long day and weary night. The snow came, and the frost, and the cutting North Eastern wind.", and at last the old man sighed and was at rest, and will not be dunned for a portion of his eightpence a day any more. Then A jury looked at the shrunken figure, and as there was no trace of poison or gash oC knife, they said “he died from natural causes !” Natural ? that an Oxford graduate—an educated gentleman—a clergyman of a wealthy church, should die thus in the fashionable town of Leamington ! Natural, that be could not havs his eightpence a day in peace—that be had no friend to help or cheer him, or give him a drink of water in his pain ! We say, he died from causes most unnatural in a Christian country and among a wealthy peonle. Better to he a breaker of stones upon the highway than a friendless clergyman of the Church of England if such a fate can ho pronounced by twelve eomfo-table Englishmen “ natural.”—lrish Times.