Curate Drama – Disclosures at the Inquest.- Felo-De-Se Verdict.

February 1922

Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Saturday 25 February 1922

Curate Drama
Disclosures at the Inquest
Felo-De-Se Verdict
Dead Woman’s Passion for Married Clergyman.

How a curate and a woman their deaths together by drinking cyanide of potassium in champagne in a bedroom of the Victoria Hotel, Nottingham, after having, in the opinion of the jury, entered into a death compact, was disclosed at the Nottingham Coroner’s inquest yesterday on Albert Edwin Allaby (48), and Elsie (or Ethel) Guthroe (34), of Birkenhead.

The body of Allaby was identified by a son from Denaby Main, and evidence was given by the Rev. R. F. Wilkinson, of Mansfield, that Allaby, who was a temporary curate in that township, had been contemplating taking a chaplaincy abroad. A remarkable passionate letter, written in an illiterate hand, from Guthroe to Allaby, was read to the jury by the Coroner. The porter at the hotel stated that the couple had stayed at the hotel, occupying the same room, about a fortnight prior to the tragedy.

Death Pact.

Entry of Poison with Champagne in Man’s Notebook

After a short deliberation, the jury at the inquest in Nottingham, to-day, upon the Rev. Albert Edward Allaby, temporary curate at St. Peter’s, Mansfield, and Ethel Guthroe, of 34, Claughton Street, Birkenhead, who were discovered dead at the Victoria Station Hotel, on Wednesday, found that death was brought about by poisoning in compact with each other, and added they did not wish it registered the couple were not of sound mind at the time.

That corresponded to a verdict of ” Felo de se,” which was accordingly returned.

The most remarkable thing that came to light during the inquiry was an extraordinarily illiterate letter to the man from the woman, received at the Church House, Mansfield, which the Coroner read to the jury.

The document was as follows:

Sunday, 19-22.
34, Claughton Street, Birkenhead.

My own sweet, your kind one
My welcome letter to hand yesterday. Well, love, you said you were coming over here. I only hope you will sweet, the time is drawing nigh, ain’t it sweet, and it matters not a in to me, what you say, love, whether it is in this world or the other it does not matter to me yes darling I would Be Delighted to see you again Baby Dear.

The time is all to short now, and if you could only come over Here it would Be grand and then sweet I would go back with you Darling I hope something turns up for us Dont you Baby But still I think that this world is the only Hell truly we are told there is one But then I guess that is only to frighten us. I will take a chance what say you my own love well Bart Dear you know how I hate writing letter at the best of times.
Sweet I hope you can understand my rotten writing well my own little boy. I think I have told you all at present, so I will draw to a close.

I remain yours for ever in life and death.
With all my love, ETHEL.
xxxxxxxxx
Until we meet no more to part.

The Happiest Girl.

Albert Theodore Allaby, of Denaby Yorkshire, son of deceased. identified the body as that of his father, who was 48 years of age, and Mary Davy, of 34, Claughton Road, Birkenhead, gave evidence to the effect that the woman, whom she knew as “Elsie” Guthroe, had lived with her on and off for the past ten or eleven years. Whether deceased was a married woman she could not say, but Guthroe had told her she was a “war widow,” and had a little boy who had been adopted by friends in London. Her ago she guessed at “34,” and during the past six months, the period of acquaintanceship with Allaby, she had done no work.

Several times the man called at the house, and last Monday morning Guthroe got a wire from him asking her to meet him in Liverpool. She did so, and later they returned together, and asked that he might be allowed to remain the night. Witness granted permission, and the deceased woman slept with her in order that Allaby might have her bed.

The following morning they had breakfast., and left soon after 11 o’clock. Witness was out at the time, but when she returned home found Guthroe had left a message saying she would be back to square up on Thursday.

In answer to the Coroner, Mrs. Davy said she understood the dead woman was then going abroad for good with Allaby, who had applied for a situation in some college. She had never noticed any indication of insanity on the part of Guthroe; on the contrary, “she was the happiest girl you could meet.”

Detectjve-superintendent Atherton asked witness whether the couple did not leave suddenly, to which she replied, “I did get a shock. He (Allaby) was always so courteous. There was something of a vacant look in his eye, but not in hers. She was singing as she polished her boots. I don’t think the girl would do anything.” She added that deceased would come to her after leaving situations, and her husband was not always so very pleased that she took her in.

The Tragic Discovery.

According to Lily Roberts, a chambermaid at the Victoria Hotel, Allaby and Guthroe arrived there on Tuesday evening, and were afterwards supplied with two bottles of beer, sandwiches, and a bottle of champagne. Instructions were given they should be called at nine o’clock next morning, but no answer was given to the summons, and after a time the bedroom door was forced, with the result that the couple were found dead.

Charles Thomas, hall porter at the hotel, said the woman was sitting in an easy chair, and the man lay on the floor, face downwards, with a chair on top of him. A full-sized champagne bottle stood empty as well as a small bottle which had contained poison, and off which the label had been scratched. There were also two empty tumblers. The couple had stayed at the hotel about a fortnight previous, and occupied the same room for the night.

Detective-Officer Gregory, who searched the bedroom, handed the Coroner a notebook which he found in the dead man’s pocket, and which contained an entry, “Cyanide of potassium, 452 grains, champagne.” There was no sign of a struggle, ha said; the bed was just as it had been made, and the room was in perfect order.

Further testimony was supplied by the Rev. Reginald Felix Wilkinson, of Church House, Mansfield, who said the deceased man had been officiating in his district for five weeks, holding a monthly permission as curate. He was of a nervous temperament and could not settle down, and last week showed witness a letter from the Bishop of Gibraltar, suggesting he might go as a chaplain to Smyrna. He had never mentioned suicide except on one occasion, when he said he thought it right for a person suffering from consumption or cancer to take his own life.

Potassium Poisoning.

Death was attributed by Dr. Aubrey Taylor, who had made a post-mortem examination, to potassium cyanide poisoning, and he added he was of opinion the woman died first. Her position, and calm and peaceful look, suggested she had a much smaller dose than the man, who afterwards took a big dose, the effect of which was more rapid, and as he fell forward, evidently in convulsions, he took the chair with him, and so it remained on top of him. The woman was suffering from a disease. There was nothing in the man’s attire to suggest he was a clergyman