Well cooked

[xenith]

Went to library tonight to check the old papers to see if there was anything on a death that a subscriber to one of the genie mailing lists was interested in.

When an 35 year old man dies, even in 1865, it's not usually natural causes. Not likely to be wrapping his car around a pole either (wonder what the equivalent was then). So it had a good chance of making the news. Launceston had two newspapers then too.

The death certificate said "found burnt to death" and he was a baker.

Yes...

He was found baked in the oven.

As one of the news reports of the inquest said, the flesh was cooked such that the bones were sticking out of it. As the library was closing, I didn't have time to do anything more than skim to see if there were background/family details, but I did see a note in the following issue of the Examiner that said there was dissatisfaction with the results of the inquest that they had given full details of in the previous issue (e.g. no medical report given on the state of the body) so possibly there's more on it in later issues. Should I go back and check it out? ;)

Comments

[thestarshine.livejournal.com]

I read about a guy who had used a travel water warmer in his bath to keep the water warm but had a heartattack and died in the bath, well he wasn't found for a very long time and by the time he was found, he had cooked very nicely. They went to pull his legs and they slid off the bones just like cooked chicken! There was a nice b+w photo too :o

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

That's, um, gross.

If he was dead anyway, it doesn't seem as bad though. Be a rather silly way to die.

[lenasawyer.livejournal.com]

Heck, yeah, so back and check it out. That's just so cool and bizarre. And cool. Oooh, man baked in his own oven. Do you really think he crawled in there himself? Odd as that sounds, like the story above, it could have happened. Could have. I'll be awaiting your report.

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

I'll check it out on Friday.

I think they were trying to push for the unfortunate accident as a result of alcohol angel in the inquest

[yorkshire-rose.livejournal.com]

noooooo!

I just have a thing about this!

I remember catching a film or something when I was a kid and this person was going down into this commercial kitchen saying to the person they thought was there that something smelt nice. When the oven was opened the guys arm had been propped against it and it dropped down, all nicely cooked. Traumatised me for life!!

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

Oh. I'll put anything more behind a cut then ;)