People Australia

On Tuesday morning, a man was found dead in the vicinity of Lilly & Hill’s store. The unfortunate man had only shirt and trousers on when found. An inquest was held on the body at Bath’s Hotel, on Wednesday last, when it was ascertained that the name of the deceased was George Arden, late of Geelong, and formerly the editor of the first newspaper published in that town. The jury returned the following verdict—That the deceased died from suffocation, the result of intemperance, having fallen into a trench full of water.’ (sic est). It may be mentioned that the deceased was a man of great ability and pleasing manners, but in an evil hour abandoned himself to drink, and became a wandering, hopeless vagrant on the streets. He often figured at the Police Court of Geelong, and suffered sundry imprisonments under the Vagrant Act. The miserable and unfortunate end of a man who  might have followed a far different and brighter career, may well cause the drunkard to pause and reflect for the fleeting and elusive joys conveyed by the bottle, is but a bad set-off to disgrace, disease, and death.