THE FITZROY MURDER.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14564, 15 January 1913, Page 2

THE FITZROY MURDER.

FULLER PARTICULAES

Fuller particulars are to hand by yesterday's mail of the Fitzroy murder. Mr and Mrs Trotter lived in a wellbuilt, six-roomed modern villa, « f unique and ornate design, standing back a few yards from the street, in. Fitzroy. On the left side, looking out from tho verandah, is a vacant allotment, front which it is supposed the burglars mado their observations. It was through a narrow lane that tho men approached the back of tho house. They had seen Mr Trotter return home in ins motor-car about b.oO, and nooced tnat'the _ato leaving to tne yarei and garage was not bo.ttd. In fact, one __ir of the big wooaen gate was ofi it* imiges, propped up against the other tiaiT 'ineie are txvo small gates in trunc ol the viiia, but neither oi those was disturoed oy tho rumaus. The murder was enacted in tho largo front bodiooin, wluch Mr and Mrs Trotter shared with their iittio son. The parents occupied a double bed in the m.udio of tho room, and tho boy slept in his cot under the window. Mrs Trotter retired about _0 minutes past 10, while her husband, having eaten his supper, remained in tho dining-room, counting ana checking tho money collected _y him during the day. _to had been away on a fortnight's holiday, and 1 Monday, as the burglars ev.dentiy | knew, 'would be an exceptionally big I day. About 11.30 Mr Trotter retired, ! lying down on tne sielo of the bed nearest the door. They slept quiet.y until haif-past one, when Mrs '1 rotter suddenly woke to find tho room flooded with electric light. Tho switch had been turned on just inside tho door. As her sleepy eyes became accustomed to tho light, she saw- two men standing beside the bed, between her husband and the door. Her frightened gaze took in the wh.te handkerchiefs bound over their faces, and then tho gtint of two nickel-plated revolvers caught her eye. _he shrank t against her husband, who had also been j awakened by the light, and ho called j out, "What's your game?" in an a_i- . tated voice. Sirs Trotter tried to reI assure herself, saying, "Oh,. Arthur, lit must bo somebody having a lark.'" I Tho taller man, however, who was the principal spokesman, and who finally ] ! fired tho shot, qu.ckly dispelled her j hopes by saying, "Wo want your j money." AH their exclamations were | besprinkled with shocking oaths —a | bullying touch adopted by them, perI haps, with the object of intimieiating j their victims. Mr Trotter replied, "I've I got no money." "Oh, yes yon have,'" | tho man rejoined, grimly. "G.ve us J your money" ; but Mr Trotter, was ' ar, determined as they. ""What money 1 have," he said, "is my boss's money, . tind you won't get that." At that | moment Mrs Trotter moved to leap out j of. bod and open the window to sound ' an alarm. Ono of the men immediately j stepped across to the foot of th© bed .; and levelled his weapon at hor. She ! fell back, and, seeing that, the re- ! volvers wero evidently going. to bo ! brought into play, her husband cried, j '•You're .committing murder." "Wo j don't care," came the response; "givo lis tho money."

Their awful plight now dawned upon Mrs. Trotter in its full horror, and t-)io begged her husband to give them the money ratiier than risk his life; but h<i remained firm. Tho littlo son had been disturbed by , tho angry voice.;. Aft:r watching in silent .wonder lor somo time ho broke in with tho plea. "Oh, don't shoot my daddy." Tho nian nearest the door turned his attention from Mr Trotter for a moment and told Mrs Trotter to keep quiet. "You need not bo frightened; we're not going to touch you or tne kid." Then he added to nis accomplice, "Don't let the kid yell out." \\hile the man ■ y/tis partinllyoff h'u guard Mr Trotter swung' himself otit of bed, and as ho landed on his feet mado a blow with his. fist at the nearest assailant. That was his last act... The man at the foot of the bed threw) up hiswaipon, took careful 'aim at Lim anel slot Mr Ti otter in tho left eye. He spuu round and dropped behind the open door. "Get the moiey," cried t»e murderer, "and go for tho window." Tho second man threw up the sido of tho mattress and .snatched the bag containing tho gold, notes, and e-beques. both clashed through the kitchen and out of the door, the key of which they liaei already secured. They cleared tho 15 yards of asphalt intervening between tho hott-e and the exit leading to the right-of-way in a couple of moments, dashed into -Arcvle street, and disappeared. Meanwhile Mrs. Trotter had fled screaming in her nightdress.,Sho rushed from house to house rousing the neighbours. She woko George Johnson, her husband's chauffeur, from his bed - , next door, anel sent him for tho police. Mr Trotter, lying in a corner of the room, bleeding profusely from the ii wound was breathing with difficulty, j and see-mod quite ii'ieoiisciom when Johnson arrived a quarter of an hour later with Senior-constable O'Connor J and Constables Curtis and Phalp. Ho got the motor car ready, and the wounded man. who was of a heavy builq\ was lifted into it and driven to St. Vincent's Hospital. Dr. D. P. Greenham admitted him. nnd it was seen at-once that his case was hopeless. During the few moments when consciousness partially returned, the dying man's thoughts wero wholly for his wife, and the only words that passed his lips wero a muttered request that his ring should be taken to her. The bullet was found to havo struck the inner angle of the left eyo, forcing that member out of its socket, and then penetrating the brain. His condition was such that it was decided not to operate. Ho sank rapidly, and died nt 8.10 a.m., without having regained consciousness. The police have found that the murderers entered tho yard by prising open the gate p-iving entrance to the riirlit-of-way in Kerr streSet, which Mr Trotter used for his motor-car. They got into tho house through a small kitchen window. The police also found that, once inddo the house, the burglars' first care was to ensure an easy escape. With this object in view, they unlocked the back door nnd opened it wide, slipping the key into one of their pockets. Outside the back door was a light wire gauze door, and this they propped open with two half-bricks'. Then they crept up the passage ii* rubber shoes, sneaked round behind tho bedroom door, and snapped down the electric switch. When they had finished their murderous work they left by the back door anel the right-of-way gate, or the allotment fence, both of which bore marks of rough climbing. Numerous finger-prints were fount! about tho kitchen and bedroom, but most of them wero smudged, and tho number of them was confusing.