WALKED TO DEATH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 498, 24 June 1880, Page 2

WALKED TO DEATH.

■ (London " Daily News.")/' The rewards of long-distance are generally believed to be else why should any rational himself to the tortures of that kind competition? Wra. Hill, however, a' ''.night mail man " at f Welwyn, in Hertfordshire, appears to have walked himself to death, merely in the way of duty, and - without the encouragement of popular applause, for 18s a week. The account of , his' exertions as given at the coroner's jury which examined his body is really painful'"' reading." Hill's wife triedto waken him ; at five minutes to one in the morning and found that he was dying. He pmently expired of heart disease. No one who looks at this statement'of his duties will be surprised at his decease. At 9.15 p.m. he met the mail to take a bag from th« train atjWelwyn station, at 1.30 a.m. he did the same, and met the mail again at 2,35 a.m. That was his night duty, which, roughly speaking, occupied him from nine at night till half-past, three in the morning. His day duties began about three hours later. He had to .be at the Post-office at six or seven in the morning • to carry.letters to Danesbury, at half-past , six in the norning; and at a quarter past :S eight in the morning and' about noon he had to meet two other trains. He was |-thus tramping- with scarcely an interrup- . ,'tion from nine at night till someiinie afternoon. The.place in which h« had to wait for the mail on rainy or snowy nights was "a slight box," which had no stove in it For all this, as we 'said, Hill was • paid eighteen shillings a week. It is obvious that OHly very strong personß can hope to be night mail-men at Welwyn for any length of time. The crew of the sultan's caique are said to break down every two years, but we have no stahatics as to the length of life generally enjoyed by the not overpaid night men at . Welwyn. It is said that the night mail man is not allowed to decline day duty, '- which is paid for at the rate of four shillings a-week, in addition to the fourteen shillings given for' night work. Here seems to be a clear case of a man driven' to death.