Six months later¹, in April 1890, I found² him dead³ in bed. He was⁴ on his back in bed, so at first I thought⁵ he was asleep⁶. I talked to him, but he did⁷ not move. Then I saw⁸ that the skin⁹ on his face was blue, so I knew he was dead.

He did not usually sleep on his back. His enormous¹⁰ head was very heavy, so he usually sat¹¹ up in bed with his arms round his legs and his head on his knees. He could¹² sleep well like this.

But he wanted to sleep on his back like you and me. He tried to sleep on his back that night, but his heavy head came¹³ off¹⁴ the bed, and he broke¹⁵ his neck. He died¹⁶ very quickly.

Next day, the Chairman¹⁷ of the London Hospital, Mr. Carr Gomm, wrote¹⁸ to the editor¹⁹ of The Times again.

The Times, April 16th, 1890

Dear Sir,

Three and a half years ago I wrote to you about a man called Joseph Merrick. This man was called’ The Elephant Man' because he was born²⁰ with a very ugly body. Merrick was not ill, but he could not work, and he had²¹ no money.

The readers²² of The Times felt sorry for him, and they gave²³ me a lot of money for Merrick. Because of this money, we could give Merrick a home in the Lon-don Hospital. It was his first good home, and for three and a half years he lived here happily²⁴. The doctors and nurses of the hospital helped him, and many important²⁵ people visited him. He read many books, he went to the theatre²⁶, and in the summer he stayed in the country for six weeks. Because of your readers’ money, we could give him a happy life²⁷.

Last night Joseph Merrick died quietly²⁸ in his bed. He was a man with a very ugly body, but he was a good, kind man, and he had a lot of friends. We liked to talk to him, and we are all very sorry because he is dead. A lot of people are going²⁹ to remember him for a longtime.

过了六个月，也就是1890年4月，我发现他死在床上。他仰面朝天，开始我以为他睡着了，我朝他说话他不动，后来我见他脸上的皮肤发青，才知道他死了。

他通常不能躺着睡觉，因为他的脑袋又大又重，所以他常常坐在床上，用手抱着腿，把头放在膝盖上，这样他能睡得很好。

可是他也想像你我这样躺着睡觉。那天晚上他试着躺下来睡，结果他那个庞大的头跌下床，折断了脖子。他很快就死了。

第二天伦敦医院院长卡尔•戈蒙又给《泰晤士报》的编辑写了一封信：

摘自1890年4月16日的《泰晤士报》

亲爱的先生：

三年半以前我写信给你介绍了一个名叫约瑟夫•麦里克的男人，这个人被叫做“象人”，他天生有一个像大象一样的丑陋身躯。麦里克没有病，但他不能工作，也没有钱。

泰晤士报》的读者们很同情他，给了他许多钱。有了这些钱，我们可以在伦敦医院里给他安个家，这是他的第一个家。三年半以来他一直生活得很幸福，医院里的医生和护士都帮助他，许多要人来拜访他。他读了许多书，去看过戏，在乡间避暑待了六个星期。有了读者们给的钱，我们把他的生活安排得很幸福。

昨天晚上约瑟夫•麦里克在床上静静死去。他是一个很丑的人，但是很好、很善良，他有许多朋友。我们都喜欢与他交谈，我们都很遗憾，他死了。许多人会永远记着他的。

There is some money left, so I am going to give it to the hospital. Thank you, sir, for your help.

Yours faithfully³⁰

F. C. Carr Gomm

1890年4月16日

Chairman of the London

Hospital

现在还剩下一些钱，我准备把这些钱捐给医院。感谢你的帮助。

谨致

伦敦医院院长F.C.卡尔•戈蒙

1890年4月16日