The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1898-09-03 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

INQUEST ON THE BODY.  Dr. H. R. Oswald held the inquest on Wednesday, at Marylebone Coroner's Court, concerning the death of Alan- Rotherham.  Mr. Hugh Rotherham, brother of the deceased, said he last saw the latter alive when he (witness) was in town on Monday week, when he dined with him, and he was then well and cheerful. Witness was not aware that his brother had any kind of trouble. His belief was that he was not in trouble financially, socially, or otherwise. John Lanz, a servant of 15, Adam-street, said the deceased, who lodged there, entered the house the previous afternoon, and went upstairs at once without speaking to the witness. He occupied two rooms on the second floor, which communicated. Five minutes after Mr. Rotherham had gone upstairs witness heard a noise as though a door was banged. He went upstairs, and then smelt gunpowder. Deceased's bedroom door was locked, but not the door of the sitting-room. Witness entered the latter and then the bedroom, where he found Mr. Rotherham lying on his left side in the middle of the floor in the midst of blood. He at once summoned a policeman, and a doctor was sent for. He never noticed that the deceased was depressed in spirits. P.c. Scott deposed that he found Mr. Rotherham lying on his back dead with blood flowing from his head. The double-barrelled shot gun produced lay by his right side close to him. The handle of the golf club produced was through the trigger bar of the gun, and the head of the club was on a chair. The muzzle of the gun pointed towards his head. Witness found two empty cartridges in the gun, which was a breechloader. A doctor came and pronounced life extinct. In the ceiling, above where the deceased's head rested, was a hole about two inches in diameter. Witnsis found no cartridges save the empty ones. Mr. Cecil Dent, bank clerk, 15, Adam-street, said the gun produced belonged to him. He did not know how it came into the deceased's possession. He kept it in his bedroom. The cartridges produced did not belong to the witness. He knew Mr. Rotherham intimately. He appeared "rather tired" the previous morning. He was not aware of any trouble he had. He was quite a sober man. Dr. Comm James, 16, Thayer-street, W., who was called in, said the deceased was in his shirt sleeves. His head was practically blown off. The left side and back of the head were completely blown away, the scalp was torn, the left eye destroyed, and almost every bone in the head was broken. He had evidently placed the muzzle of the gun inside his mouth, and then fired,  M'. Ernest Freshfield bent, solicitor, 9, Chapel. street, Belgrave-square, S.W., said deceased had had a great deal of work recently of a kind new to him. He had not looked so well during the last month as previously. His work might have worried him. The Coroner remarked that he had seen a letter from the chairman of Watney and Co., expressing high appreciation of the deceased's services and deep regret at his untimely end. There was a projected amalgamation of Messrs. Watney's company with two other great brewery firms, and this, no doubt, had entailed a great deal of work on the part of the deceased, and perhaps worry. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind."