The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1903-07-18 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

SENSATIONAL TRAGEDY AT FIOYLAKE. INSOMNIA AND SUICIDE.  Mr. J. C. Bate, West Cheshire coroner, conducted an inquest on Wednesday evening at the Police-court, Hoylake, with reference to the death of John Albert Moritz Rowe, aged 48, of Tunbridge Wells and Hoylake, who was found dead thssame morning with a revolver wound in his forehead. The first witness examined was Miss Isabelle Amy Rove, sister to the deceased, who stated that her brother, John Albert Moritz Rowe, was 48 years of age, He had lived for five years at Hoylake. Up to three : months ago he was cashier to Meters. Alfred Holt and Co., the Ocean Steamship Company, Liverpool, but retired from business I because he was suffering very much from I insomnia. He then went to live at Tunbridge Wells, but on Monday came with witness: to spend a week at Hoylake. They stayed at No. 5, Airlie-road, and on Monday evening her brother dined with some friends. On Tuesday he went to Liverpool to call at Messrs. Holt's office, and in the evening, on his return to Hoylake, he dined in the golf clubhouse. When he came home ho was in the best of spirits, and indeed seemed in better health than ever. He asked her to wire to Tunbridge Wells for his golfing clubs, as he desired to play two or threel sets before he went back to Tunbridv li. retired to bed at ten o'clock. -The following morning she knocked at his bedroom door several times, and, receiving no answer, and finding the door was locked, she became alarmed, and sent for a man to enter through the window. She knew her brother possessed a revolver, which he had with him: during a voyage he took to Javan and China. I but she did not know he had brought it with I him to Hoylake. Other than the insomnia, he had no trouble at all to worry him. She had never heard him threaten to take his life, and was sure that it must have been quite unpremeditated. She heard no sound of a shot during the night. Police-inspector Christian said he wos called at nine o'clock that morning to the house in Airlie-road and found the deceased lying on the bedroom floor with a bullet wound in the centre of his forehead. On the side of the bed was a five-chambered revolver, with four barrels loaded. The remaining barrel was empty, and anparently had been recently discharged. The body was cold, and was attired partly in night clothes. Upon a travelling trunk was an open box of cartridges. Witness searched the room, but found no letter or written communication. Maurice Llewellyn Davies, a member of  it); firm of Alfred Holt and Co., said Mr. Rowe's health had been very unsatisfactory for a long time. It dated from a narrow escape from death he had some years ago. There was a very serious fire at the Formby golf clubhouse when he was staying there, and he had the very narrowest escape from death on that occasion, and witness thought that gave him a nervous shock from which he never altogether recovered. Some time ago the firm sent him for a voyage on one of their steamers to China and Janan in the hope that it would restore his health. Afterwards he did seem better for a time, but again this spring he felt he could not Yo on with his work; and they felt that if ho was relieved from the pressure and anxiety of business he might recover his health. and . . .  in April he retired. At that time he wrote  _ to witness that the insomnia. from which he suffered. wee a torment to him. Witnees saw him when he called at the office on Tuesday. and he then seemed decidedly better. The Coroner said there seemed ne doubt . .  that deceased committed suicide by shooting himself, but while there was evidence that when he was last seen alive he was perfectly sane and fairly well, there was no evidence to show the state of his mind at the time of the suicide. The jury returned a verdict accordingly.