From the Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich Mercury, 8 February, 1873.

MELANCHOLY DEATH AT WALMER

On Saturday afternoon last, J. O. Martin, Esq., coroner, held an inquest at the "Dolphin Inn," Ropewalk, upon the body of an old man named Reeves Quested, who had been found dead in his own house at Mill cottages, Lower Walmer, on the previous day. The deceased, as we briefly announced last Saturday, lived entirely by himself, and the evidence given before the coroner showed that although he possessed a considerable sum of money, he was very miserly in his habits and neglected to provide himself with adequate food. His body was exceedingly emaciated, and altogether presented a shocking spectacle. Mr. J. Ansell was chosen foreman of the jury, and the body having been viewed the following evidence was adduced:-

Charles Cavell, jun., deposed: I reside in Walmer Road, and am a fishmonger. I knew the deceased, Reeves Quested, and live in the same Row - Mill Cottages. Deceased has resided there between two and three years, as near as I can judge. I have been well acquainted with him for eight or six months. He has lived alone all that time. He appeared in his usual health till within a few days ago, when he complained of a pain in the side and also off the cold. He lived very sparingly, and used himself to fetch what he required. I last saw him alive on Thursday night. I left him in his own house about half-past seven o'clock. He seemed very weak and could not stand for long at a time. He shook hands with me when I left, and wished me good night. I was to take him in a jug of water in the morning for his kettle, as he had not been out to get any on account of the cold. I did not observe anything unusual in his manner at the time. Latterly he has not got up till about ten o'clock, and I did not call him therefore till between eleven and twelve on Friday morning, when I knocked at his door but could not get any answer. I knocked louder and threw some stones up at his window, but could get no response. I saw no smoke was issuing from his chimney, and I began to think something was the matter. I then borrowed a ladder and got up and looked over his bedroom window-blind. I could not see him on the bed, and I then went round to the back of the house, took out a pane of glass that was loose from the wash-house window, and unfastened the hasp and got in, and there I saw him sitting in his chair in the downstairs back room. I was under the impression that he was dead, and went through the passage out of the front door to call a neighbour. Just then Dr. Davey passed, and I stopped him and told him of the circumstance. He came in and looked at deceased and pronounced him to be dead.

By the Foreman: Deceased always used to have a yellow jug standing on the table as it is now, and it was on there when I left him on Thursday night.

By the Coroner: He was very penurious, and allowed himself very little diet indeed - he only need to have two 2d. loaves a week, and half-a-pound of butter and a little tea and coffee. He has had no meat since Christmas, nor any beer. He used to keep spirits in the house.

By the Foreman: he lived entirely by himself, and would not allow anyone to make his bed or clean his house or anything else.

Examination continued: When I left him on Thursday night the candle was about half burnt out, and I should say it would burn for about a couple of hours longer. I should say that deceased died or was taken ill about ten o'clock that night. He has latterly gone to bed about that hour. When I found deceased i noticed two bavins, which he had prepared for the morning, lying near the fireplace. He was partly undressed. He had the same clothes on that he wore on Thursday evening. I should judge deceased was nearly 70 years of age.

R. G. Davey said: I am a surgeon practicing at Walmer. I knew the deceased. Yesterday I was passing here about noon, and the last witness asked me to go in and see the old man who was sitting in his chair, and he said he thought he was dead. I went in with Mr. Cavell and Mr. Mockett. I found deceased sitting in his chair. He was cold and stiff and had evidentially been dead some hours. It is a fair inference that he had died over night, as he was not undressed. I have since examined the body minutely, and found it very attenuated, very indeed - a mere shadow, in fact. I should say from its collapsed state that there is scarcely a table-spoonful of anything in the stomach. Death resulted, I should say, from exhaustion for want of proper nourishment. There were no marks of violence about the body, nor any appearance of poison or anything of that kind. I have met the deceased occasionally in the street. He always looked a spare man, and I imagined he had nothing to live on. I have heard him singing and quoting poetry, and whenever he passed me he used to draw himself up and give me a military salute.

C. T. West was next examined. He said: I live at Walmer, and am a butcher. I have known deceased ever since I can recollect. He was a cousin of my late mother's. He resided with me from July to December, 1871, and was at that time the tenant of the cottage where he has lived since December, 1871, and where the body now lies. He used to eat and drink well when he resided with me, but he has fallen away very much since he left. He used to talk to me about his circumstances, and he has told me the account he has invested in the Bank of England Funds. He received the dividends year by year. The amount he had invested two years ago was £2,100, During the time he lived with me he had upstairs a little over £200 in cash, but I believe that has since been invested, although I am  not quite certain. I last saw deceased alive a week before Christmas. My brother saw him last Monday week. The last time he had anything at our shop was about three months ago, when he was supplied with a calf's heart.

Mr. Hinds (one of the Jurors): He had a large sirloin of beef from my butcher's, at Christmas, but I believe that was to give away.

Examination continued: Deceased was not so friendly with us since he left my house. The reason he left was because I thought the amount he offered my wife was not sufficient, and he has been lukewarm with me since - that is the reason we have not been on more than speaking terms lately. Before that my brother used to take him beef tea, blancmange, and such like things. He always seemed to have a dread to go into his cottage while he lived with us. I used to advise him to go into lodgings, but he would not hear anything about it. I should think he was over 70 years of age. Although the poor fellow is dead and gone, I may say that he always had a dread of parting with his money. He did not like to pay for anything.

The Coroner then addressed the Jury, remarking that the evidence all went in one direction - that deceased denied himself proper and necessary diet. He did not think there could be any doubt that death had resulted from natural causes, and had been accelerated by want of proper food.

The Jury, without hesitation, returned a unanimous verdict of death from "Natural Causes."