FOUND DEAD IN A HAY LOFT AT RAUNDS
On Friday morning last an elderly man named John Adams, a mason by trade, commonly known as “Stoke,” was found dead in a hay loft in some stables in the occupation of Messrs. Hollis Bros., High Street, Raunds. Deceased who was 64 years of age, was a widower, and for some years lived by himself in a little cottage in Rotten Row. About a year and a half ago he left the old cottage which was in a dilapidated condition and went and lived with his daughter, Mrs. John Bates, with whom he remained till August last, when he had a paralytic stroke, and partially lost the use of one side. His daughter having a large family and being unable to keep him, he went to the Thrapston Union. Getting a little better and not liking Union life, he came back to Raunds, and went about as well as he could, and did odd jobs for Messrs. Hollis and others who gave him plenty of food. The evenings he spent in hobbling from one inn to another in selling a few nuts, after which he retired to Messrs. Hollis’s hay loft to sleep. He was last seen alive about 9 o'clock on Thursday night. On going to the stables on Friday morning, about 9 o'clock, Mr. Hollis's ostler found the old man dead. The police were communicated with, and the body was removed to the George Inn.—On Friday evening an inquest was held on the body at the above inn, before Mr. J. T. Parker, coroner, when corroborative evidence was given, and in addition Dr. W. Mackenzie deposed that he examined the body and found it in a well nourished condition with no marks of violence upon it. The body too was warm and well covered, so that death was not due to starvation. He seemed to have died in his sleep and death in his opinion resulted from paralysis.—A verdict of "Death from natural causes" was thereupon returned.
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