Mrs Story
Dear Madam
I am deeply grieved to have to inform you of your son Arthur's death which took
place on the 27th Nov. Knowing well the pain it must give you and it is only as a
duty that I can bear to impart the sad intelligence.
We have been more or less living together since he came to the district both at Bhogotpore and here at Looksan. We miss him very much from among our small community and all alike must feel for you the deepest sympathy in your great loss.
He left me to visit some gardens lying to the east of here and was taken ill at a garden called Telepara belonging to the Niana Tea Co. All that medical skill could do was done by the civil surgeon as well as other local medical men as well as with the assistance of a trained nurse who was got from Calcutta but of no avail.
Should you require my service in any way I shall be only too glad to receive your instructions.
Again assuring you of my deep sympathy with yourself and Dr Story's
relations.
I remain
Yours faithfully
D.J. Thompson.
Mrs Story
Madam
Your letter dated 27th Dec reached me on the 17th inst.
Dr Story's effect I have ordered to be sent to Jalpaiguri to the charge of the Deputy Commissioner (R.H. Renny Esq.) and they have left today. But I have ( immediatly on receipt of your letter) written to him printing out the things you wish reserved and I trust that together with Major Story's letter to the Commissioner of Darjeeling they may be secured to you.
The sword you mention together with the other articles arrived, if I remember rightly, about the beginning of November. With reference to the questions you have asked me, I am sorry that the gentleman in whose bungalow Dr Story was staying has been away from home lately. I have written to him and also to the Doctor who was in attendance there for particulars and hope to be able to give them by next mail.
Dr Story left here to visit these Gardens on the 18th of November or it might have been the 19th as my memory is not quite clear on that point however he was at our club meeting which took place on the 17th and was in his usual good health and spirits, although a day or so before he had complained of a slight attack of low fever, mentioning to me then that after visiting the gardens to the eastward he thought he would take a trip to Calcutta and possibly from there go for a week's trip to sea to recover his health and shake off the fever that was hanging about him. He told me to expect him back on Saturday the 24th.
On the 22nd however a letter came to me written at his dictation dated 21st in which he asked for things he would require to go to Calcutta for a change with. I had these packed up and sent to him and also anything I thought might be of use to him.
On the 24th I went to the club to get news of him and heard then that he was slightly better and was moved to Jalpaiguri in a day or so with the Civil Surgeon there. On the 27th I got a letter written to his dictation directing me to send some bedding and meet him at the tram which I immediately did as he intended to go to Jalpaiguri next day. Needless to state as you will already know he died the same evening.
I was sorry I could not get to see him as I had had to send my assistant away for a change at the time he was suffering from fever and I was consequently unable to get away as in case anything had been sent for in my absence there would have been no one to give it.
As to the cause of death, he wrote me saying that he had had a lot of complications and in conversation with the Dr who attended him I learnt that his kidneys had been badly affected but the probabilities were that failure of the heart action was the cause of death. But I hope as I mentioned before to get particulars from Dr Wheeler soon.
He was taken to Jalpaiguri Cemetery and buried there. I saw his resting place a week later, when I had also to accompany the remains of an immediate neighbour to the same place and also an old friend of mine. With another lapse of a week my nearest neighbour on the west (the Gardens almost touch each other) died at sea only three days out on his way to Egypt for a change of health.
As you may imagine it has been, as well as for those at home, a sad Xmas for our small community here which may be said to have suffered an almost unprecedented loss in such a short time.
The address of the gentleman in whose house Dr Story took ill is as follows:
E. Ord Esq.
Telepara Tea Estate
Ghainkhata P.O.
via Jalpaiguri
I hope I have been able to give you an answer as far as I can to the questions you have asked me but should you wish anything further I shall always be glad to furnish you the information as far as I can.
I have taken the liberty of sending all home letters to your address as I know in
many cases the full address will not be written and knowing that you will be able
to identify the handwriting and most probably know the proper address to send
them to. I hope I am not giving you any unnecessary trouble in doing so.
I remain Madam
Yours faithfully
D.J. Thompson.
Mrs Story
Madam
Mr Ord of Telepara has not yet returned apparently to his Garden but I have just
received a note from Doctor Wheeler and so take the opportunity of the mail
leaving to give you the particulars you asked for and which he is able to supply.
The following is what he writes as to the cause of Dr Story's death in answer to
me letter to him.
"The cause of Dr Story's death was heart disease, which he knew he had for several years past, with care he might have never suffered much from this; but his late attacks of ague aggravated it enormously and left him so weak he could not rally properly to meet the extra strain"
When I receive an answer from Mr Ord I will write again. Dr Wheeler however mentions that he does not think he left any message although he says Dr Story evidently understood at the last that his end was near.
Please excuse the short note as the mail leaves shortly.
Believe me Madam
Yours faithfully
D.J. Thompson.
Mrs Story
Madam
I have received your letter of the 10th January.
By last mail I wrote you giving the doctor's account of the cause of death and also any particulars as to the date of his taking ill. I have just returned from a visit to some of the eastward lying gardens which doctor Story used to visit, called Laukapara and Hautapara respectively. Dr Story had visited both and and had remarked to the manager of Hautapara that he did not feel well and left that garden (calling at Laukapara) for Telepara where he was obliged to stay being too unwell to proceed further.
I think this will, along with what I wrote in my last letter, enable you to trace the beginning and cause of his illness. I have just received a letter from the Commissioner of Rajshali Division of Jalpaiguri (Mr H.C. Williams) enclosing Major Story's letter and he informs, I am glad to say that he had requested the Deputy Commissioner (Mr R.H. Renny) to set aside the articles mentioned in Major Story's letter and to reserve them from sale.
I am informed by today's post that Dr Story's affairs will be administered by the
Administrator General of Bengal. I have to thank you for your offer of returning
to me any expense I may have been put to which was very kind of you, but any
expense I may be called upon in connection with the settling up of Dr Story's
affairs will be returned to me by the Administrator General which will most
probably ask an account of it.
Yours faithfully
D.J. Thompson.