Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 23 February 1922
Curate and Woman Hotel Deaths Mystery
Arriving at the Victoria Station Hotel, Nottingham, on Tuesday, accompanied by a lady, and carrying two portmanteaus, a gentleman, now known to be the Rev. A. E. Allaby, signed in the visitors’ book in the name of “G. Crosby and wife,” and was allotted a bedroom. After having some refreshments, including a bottle of beer, the couple went out for a walk, and on returning retired to their room.
As the couple failed to put in an appearance for breakfast, yesterday morning, the hotel management became alarmed, and their bedroom door was forced, with the result that the man was found lying on the floor, fully dressed, while the woman was sitting in the armchair, partly undressed. Both were dead. On the table was an empty champagne bottle, and beside it a small bottle, which it is reported, had contained poison.
In the man’s possession were found papers bearing the name of the Rev. A. E. Allaby, with the address of St. Jude’s, Liverpool. Inquiries elicited the information that he appears to have been fulfilling a temporary curacy at the Parish Church, Mansfield, under the Vicar, the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, since the beginning of January, and formerly Denaby Main, where his wife and family still reside. His age, as furnished by the police, is about 50, while the woman’s is said to be about 35 or 40.
Death is believed to have occurred 12 hours before the couple were discovered.
Formerly of Denaby.
Allanby, who was 49 years of age, was a native of Liverpool, educated in this country, but went to Nova Scotia, where he took orders. He served in various parishes there for about years, being, immediately before his return, Rector of Jurgans Mine, a colliery parish.
He came straight from Canada to Denaby 1917, and stayed two years, serving as curate under the Rev. H. Green, now at Scarborough. He left Denaby in 1919 and went to B Switzerland, where he held a chaplaincy about a year. Returning to this country he took the curacy at St. Jude’s, Liverpool. After that he was at Mansfield, where he took a temporary curacy, and held it up to the present.
He has a wife, two sons and a daughter. One of the sons is a colliery electrician, and the other a junior master at a public school. The daughter is a nurse.
Mrs. Allaby and her family stayed in Denaby, and did not go Berne, but since he had been at Liverpool they had been in touch with each other until recently.
Service at Mansfield.
According to our Mansfield representative the Rev. A. E. Allaby came to Mansfield on January 10th, being engaged temporarily for a few months, until a new curate was appointed. He is described as a very nervous and restless man, and hated to be alone. He had been in the habit of going away for days without, giving notice of his intention to anyone.
He went away on Monday morning, and left a note, saying that he would be back on Tuesday or Wednesday, and to fall in with any church work arranged. He was regarded as a good preacher and occupied the pulpit at the Parish Church, Mansfield, last Sunday.
Woman Identified.
A letter was found in a woman’s writing, and as a result of inquiries last night at Birkenhead the police established her identity as Ethel Cruthroe, who had been residing in an apartment house at Birkenhead for the past eleven years