Obituaries Australia

An awfully sudden death (says the Echo of Monday) took place last night between eight and nine o'clock, under circumstances that must be regarded, from what follows as very painful. About the time stated an elderly gentleman, standing near a lamp-post close to the railway station, sent a boy for a cab. The boy went for the cab, and the cabman drove up to where the man was standing. The latter then got into the cab, and told the cabman to drive him down the Glebe Road–he would tell him when to stop. The cabman did as he was told, but as he neared the water's edge, and got no request from his passenger to stop, he asked through the aperture on the top of the vehicle, where the man wanted to go, but got no reply. He thereupon got down off his seat, struck a match, and found that the man was dead, lying at the bottom of the cab. He at once returned towards the police station, and met constable Matthews on the way. The latter took the body to the deadhouse at the Circular Quay, where Dr. Egan saw it and pronounced life to be extinct. The body was not recognized. It is that of a man between sixty and seventy years old, fair complexion, with grey whiskers all round, and light brown hair turning grey; his teeth are all decayed. He had a pair of black trousers on, black vest, white shirt and flannel, and big brown overcoat; elastic side boots, and a pair of white socks; black silk hat, and was carrying a Richmond River cane walking-stick. This morning, the body was recognised as that of William Hodges, poulterer, of 57, Regent-street, by his wife, and also by a man named William Long. He was perfectly sober when he left home, and had been to see a friend; he was returning home at the time of his death. He was known to have suffered from palpitation of the heart, and pains across the chest; and the Coroner has, therefore, dispensed with an inquest.