Fall from Hotel's Top Floor Window: Inquest Opened Mr. Alexander Long, a guest at the Kalee Hotel, died in tragic circumstances in the early hours on Friday August 19. The deceased, who was 38 years of age, married, and the father of a numerous family, Was a native of Coatbridge, Glasgow, and recently came to China to act as the Shanghai representative of the Robert Grant Ca., of Glasgow and New York. He travelled on the Blue Funnel str. Asconia, and was very popular amongst the passengers, acting as sports secretary and generally interesting himself in the social amenities of the voyage. Arriving at Shanghai on the 11th instant, he went into residence at the Kalee Hotel and proceeded with business arrangements with Mr. Clack, who had come specially from New York to meet him and hand over charge of the Shanghai businesss of the firm. The matter was to have been completed yesterday, all details having been settled on the previous day.
It appears that Mr. Long left the hotel after dinner on Thursday, returning about midnight to his room, a room facing Kiukiang Road to which he had that day transferred from an inner room on the same floor. It was from the window of this room, on the top floor, that he fell shortly after 1 oan.' A telephone message to Central Police Station brought Chief Inspector Burnside and P.S. Bal-chin on the scene, and their first act was to have Mr. Long removed to the General Hospital, but he was then beyond aid and died before being seen by Dr. Fearn. We understand there was no communica ation of any kind from the deceased. Up to the time of his leaving the hotel on Thursday evening, his behaviour had been perfectly normal, and no explanation of the tragic affair is at present forthcoming.
The inquest was opened at the public mortuary by Mr. G. W. King, formal evidence of identification only being given and the inquiry adjourned for a week, on the application of Chief Inspector Burnside.
Mr. C. T. Clack, the New York manager of the firm of Messrs. Robert Grant, in giving evidence of identification, said deceased had just come to Shanghai to represent that firm. Witness dined with him at the Kalee Hotel on Thursday evening, and last saw him about 9 o'clock in the lobby of the hotel, when he seemed in ordinary health and spirits and not at all depressed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.