Antrobus, Robert

Antrobus, Robert    1891 March 14^th Amesbury / Westminster

 

Death of Son of Sir Edmund Antrobus

 

On Saturday evening Mr John Troutbeck, the Coroner for Westminster, held an inquiry in the dining room of 16, Grosvenor Crescent, Belgrave Square, into the circumstances attending the death of Mr Robert Lindsay Antrobus, son of Sir Edmund Antrobus, and junior partner in the banking firm of Messrs Coults and Co, who was found dead in his bedroom on Friday morning.

 

Mr Cosmo Gordon Antrobus identified the body of the deceased as that of his brother, who was 33 years of age last August, and a banker by profession. The witness last saw him alive on Wednesday night between 11 and 12 o’clock, when he was in his usual condition. He was not aware that he had a pistol, and witness knew nothing of the weapon which was found. The deceased had no trouble of any kind that witness was aware of. He was not subject to fits of depression ; on the contrary, he was of a very calm disposition. So far as the witness knew, his brother had never threatened to commit suicide, nor had he intimated that he was tired of his life. Witness knew nothing of the circumstances connected with his death.

 

William James Worcester, butler in the service of Sir Edmund Antrobus, said that he last saw the deceased alive at about a quarter to 9 on the Thursday evening. He was then standing outside his bedroom door. There was nothing at all unusual in his manner. He went back not his room and witness saw no more of him that night. At a quarter to eight on Friday morning he was called by the valet and accompanied him into the deceased’s room.

 

What did you see?

 

Witness : I saw Mr Antrobus lying on the floor at full length in front of the dressing table. He was wearing a dressing gown, but I did not see what else he had on.

 

Did you see a pistol?

 

Witness : No. I did not touch the body, but the valet put his hand on his face and said he was dead.

 

The witness went on to say that he slept in the adjoining room, which he shared with the valet, but he heard no noise during the night. When he entered the room of the deceased he noticed nothing out of place, but the door had been barricaded with a wash-stand. There was a little blood on the toilet cover. Witness sent for Mr Cosmo Antrobus before the doctor was summoned.

 

By the jury : When he got up at 20 minutes to 8 the valet was knocking at Mr Robert’s door, Lady Antrobus having sent him up with the menu to see what the deceased would like for his dinner.

 

Elizabeth Pennington, housemaid, said that she went up to the deceased’s room on Thursday evening with some hot water. She knocked twice at the door and called out, “Mr Antrobus, it is 10 o’clock,” but obtained no answer. She tried the door but found it was fastened, so thinking that he had gone to sleep, and not wishing to disturb him, she put the water down and left it there. She then went to bed.

 

By the Coroner : It was an unusual circumstance for the door to be locked.

 

Henry T Price, valet, deposed that he last saw the deceased alive about a quarter past 8 on the Thursday night. Witness noticed nothing unusual. He went to the deceased’s room on the following morning at a quarter past 8, as usual. The door was locked, so he got in through the butler’s room. He missed the deceased from his bed, which had not been slept in, and then found him lying on the floor. He touched the face and found that it was cold. He did not see the pistol until the doctor arrived. He was not aware that it was in the possession of the deceased, having never seen it before. Mr Antrobus was dressed in a day shirt, dressing gown, socks and slippers. Nothing in the room seemed to have been disturbed, and he left it in the same state as he entered it.

 

By a juror: The night-shirt had not been removed.

 

On the previous evening, as the deceased did not come to dine, witness was sent up to ask what he wished to have, and he replied that he did not require any dinner. It was the custom of the deceased to go up to his room to rest when he arrived home from business.

 

By Sir Edmund Antrobus : His watch was fully wound up and was still going.

 

Mr Frederick Channon, manager at Messrs Coutt’s bank, Strand, said that he saw the deceased on Thursday and transacted business with him several times during the day. His manner was quite the same as usual, and he did not seem in any way worried about his business. He was there at 4 o’clock, and, as far as the witness knew, left at his ordinary time. He had made no arrangements for the next day, but one of the partners had since informed witness that he had made an arrangement to change on the Saturday, as he wanted to go out of town.

 

By Sir Edmund Antrobus : The arrangement was that the deceased was to leave on the Friday night, and be away on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday. He was often in the habit of staying away over those days.

 

By the Coroner : In money matters the deceased was a very careful man. On Thursday afternoon witness had had a long and important conversation with a gentleman on a matter which might extend over some considerable time, and after he had left, the deceased came to witness and asked to be informed what had passed, showing that he took an active interest in the business. That was between 2 and 3 o’clock.

 

Dr Joshue Plackett, surgeon, residing at Chapel Street, Belgrave Square, said that he was called to see Mr Antrobus on Friday morning at about 8 o’clock. He was prostrate upon the floor, stiff and cold, having evidently been dead some hours. His hands were beneath him and the side of his head was in a pool of blood. When the body was moved it was found that the right hand was grasping a revolver. There was a wound in his right temple and a graze on his right knee as if he had fallen. Witness examined the revolver, which was a five chambered one, containing four cartridges and an empty one. The wound in the temple, which might have been self-inflicted, was the cause of death. Witness’s first impression was that the weapon had been fired intentionally, but owing to the fact that there was no sign of gunpowder in the neighbourhood of the wound, he had since come to the conclusion that it might have been an accident. The direction was upwards, it being a shallow wound. The shot must have been fired more than a foot from the head. Had it been a case of suicide the firearm would probably have been held much closer to the skin, which would have been burned.

 

By Sir Edmund Antrobus : The deceased might have been handling it as one would a toy, when it went off.

 

Police Constable Tom Ralph, the coroner’s officer, explained that the revolver was of an uncommon make and quite new.

 

Sir Edmund Antrobus handed in a letter which, he said, had been found in his room, written by deceased.

 

The Coroner perused it and said that it was a purely business letter and had nothing to do with the inquiry.

 

The Coroner summed up at considerable length and remarked that it was clear that the deceased had no intention of committing suicide at the time he met with his death, and there was nothing in the evidence to suggest for one moment that he intended to destroy his life.

 

The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death.”

 

Sir Edmund Antrobus strongly condemned the action of the Press in describing the case as one of suicide before they knew the facts, and thanked the Coroner for the steps he had taken in bringing the true facts to light.

 

The Coroner said that good feeling should incline the Press in such matters to wait for evidence before making direct statements that must necessarily cause distress to bereaved families.