£50,000 DEATH GAMBLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21912, 22 September 1934, Page 2 (Supplement)

£50,000 DEATH GAMBLE

PLAYING FOR HIGH STAKES SUICIDE'S INSURANCE POLICY EYES ON PALACE CLOCK HOW TRAGEDY WAS TIMED At the inquest in London last month on the body of Major Ovaries St. John Rowlandson, a retired military officer, it was revealed that he shot himself while driving along St. James', Piccadilly, n minute or .two before an insurance policy for £50,000 lapsed. Mr. James A. Collins, deceased's solicitor, stated at the inquest before Mr. Inglcbv Oddio that Major Rowlandson was a normal man. He had no occupation, but was trying to dispose of a steel process which he regarded as very valuable for toughening .steel. He ,was a bachelor, and had residential chambers in Albemarle Street. He served in the war, and was invalided out in 1916, but was not wounded. He had a sister and a niece who lived with him at Babbaeombe, Kenlev, Surrey. There was 116 insanity in tho family. Mr. Collins said that lie had seen Major Rowlandson at 2.30 p.m. on the day of his death. He was hopelessly insolvent, and for a very large sum. The Coroner: Did he say anything about an insurance policy on his life? Mr. Collins: The first thing he did when he came in was to look at tho clock. He said: "Is it right?" I said it was two minutes slow. There w#s a reason for this. Ho took two or three letters from his pocket, put them on the table, and said, " Look after those for me." He then told me that he was going to test my nerve. He gave me details of an interview that ho had with a gentleman from Birmingham about the steel process. He said' ho had made over his interests to this gentleman. I then said: "What about the insurance? Have you paid tho premium?" " I Shan't . See You Again " The Coroner: What was the amount of the insurance? —£50,000. Did you know . the amount of the charges*?— I think there was about £7OOO on them. Do you know about the premium lie paid?— No. He said he had not paid the premium, adding: " I have had a letter from the office giving mo until three, and if I don't pay they want me to go and sec them in a fortnight." I said to him, "Well, you will go and see them/' He replied: "No. I shan't bo alive at three o'clock this afternoon." I said, " Nonsense. Have you taken something?" He said: "Yes, I shan't die here." I said, "I do not believe you." - ' The Major said: "I have played for high stakes and I have failed." He had tears in his eyes, and added, "If I sit here much longer 1 shall make a fool of myself." Ho got up to go and then said, "Good-bye, old boy. I shan't see you again." Witness said, "Rot," and hit him on the back as he went out. The Coroner: And naturally you did not believe him ?—No. Taxi-driver's Evidence

Remarkable evidence was given, by George Labram, a taxi-driYer. He said he was going along Chancery Lane from the Holborn end when a man on the pavement by Stone Buildings looked across and beckoned. Witness continued: "He got to the side of the cab and said, ' Will you please tell me the time.' I brought out my watch and baid it was eleven minutes to three. I told him my watch was about three minutes slow, so the time was about eight minutes to three. He said, 'Would you kindly drive me to 23 Albemarle Street? '

" Deceased got into the cab and I proceeded toward the Strand. When I was about to pass Simpson's restaurant he put his head partly outside the windpw and said, ' Would you kindly give me a match? ' This I did and he took it. I was going along Pall Mall, and when about opposite the Automobile Club he said, 'As you pass St. James' Palaoc look at the time and note it.' " I turned into St. James Street When about opposite the Conservative Club I heard a slight report, but I did not connect it with a pistol-shot, as it sounded similar to a small backfire. I noticed that the time was about two or three minutes to three." What Did the Clock Say?

The Coroner: He asked you to note the time at St. James' Palace. What time was it? Witness: From the angle at which I saw the clqck it looked like between three and two minutes to three.

How long after that was it that you heard the backfire?— Thirty to forty seconds.

It was still not three o'clock? —I should pot think it was.

Are you sure about it? —No. I couldn't swear to it. 1 You couldn't swear it was before three o'clock? —I should not imagine by that clock that it could bo after three o'clock.

Witness said that when he got to tho address in Albemarle Street he got down, and on opening tho door saw the Major on the seat in the near-side corner, with blood flowing from his face. A revolver was on the mat. He heard nothing more from the inside of the cab after the report. ' Insurance Manager's Statement

Mr. Herbert Bevington, head of the life department of the Iloyal Insurance Company, Lombard Street, said Major Jlowlandson held insurances aggregating £50,000. Tlioy had been in force hince 1925, and the premium was £ISOO a. year. He had, in recent years, borrowed on them against the surrender value between £6OOO and £7OOO. The last premium became duo on June 15, and at the expiry of thirty days' grace the Major called at tho office to ask for an extension, which was granted until July 31. On July 30 Major Rowlandson* telephoned and asked for a further extension, and witness gave him until August 3, at 3 p.m. A letter was received from the Major confirming this arrangement, and thanking the company for the latitude which had been allowed to him. Tho letter read: "I confirm that 1 am covered until three o'clock on Friday, August 3." Tho Major was very precise about tho time. Coroner's Summing-up The coroner said there was no question that the Major died from a gunshot wound in the head. The question as to ,the state of his inind bristled with difficulties, and i£ was a question on which, no doubt, large interest wouid be placed. He had been trying, apparently unsuccessfully, tc float a patent for his steel company. No doubt ho thoroughly understood the position, and the insurance company tried to help him, but finally had to tell him there was no hope of any further extension of time. 0 The coroner described how deceased hired a taxicab and was particular in asking the driver to note the time. ''The actual time of this is a matter of great importance," he continued. "It is.extremely difficult to fix it to a minute or two, but the evidence seems to suggest that probably he did shoot himself before three o'clock. If I am to judge by the evidence of the cab driver

and the police officer, it looks as if lie shot himself just a minute or so before three. He had obviously tried to shoot himself before three o'clock. With regard to the state of his mind, he had suffered from neurasthenia and his manner and behaviour had also been unusual. "On the other hand," commented Mr. Oddie, "there arc the Major's letters. Careful calculations about times so as to ensure that he died before the expiration of his life insurance policy, showing the calm, calculating mind of a man who was determined to do what he could to get out of his pecuniary difficulties for the sake of those he was going to leave behind him. That hardly looks like the act of an insane man." Quoting the words of deceased, " I can only conclude my mind is not on an even keel," the coroner said did not necessarily show that his mind was unbalanced. It might show that he knew that if the insurance company could be convinced that ho was really insane when he shot himself, then his policy, if ho died before three o'clock, would still remain valid, and those ho left behind would benefit to a very largo extent. Another letter to Mr. Collins was significant and important. He wrote:— " Between you and me the position is this: Steel has let me down to such an extent as to be unthinkable. Much of the money is borrowed, and I am too old to start again. In point of fact, I have nothing to sell. If I filed my petition, so many people who have believed in me would suffer terribly. I believe I am technically defrauding the insurance company, which is an unpleasant thing to contemplate. " Alternatively, they take risks and wo pay heavily. They won't notice a small matter of £50,000, less loans, and other people, the lenders, would. I am covered until three p.m., Friday, August 3. The insurance company gave me somo days' grace, ; s I really believed £ could find the premium." " Giving full weight to the state of mind deceased was in through worry

and his financial position." concluded %e coroner, " I cannot help attaching great weight to these letters, which show a cold-blooded, calculated method by which he can defraud the insurance company. It does not sound in the least like the act of a madman or a person suffering from temporary insanity. It seems to me to be a perfectly calculated scheme to got hold of this insurance money without paying the premium. I feel in faco of these facts that I can properly only return a verdict of felo-de-se."

The News of the World says:— " Major Kowlandson's death raises the question of the liability of an assurance company to pay a claim on death by suicide. It is contrary to public policy for a man or his estate to derive any 'benefit from his own felonious acts and, therefore, irrespective of any clause in the policy, no recovery could be made by the representatives of an assured person who committed suicide while of sound mind, or died as the result of a duel or by tho hands of justice.

" It is usual for life offices in Britain to insert a clauso excluding the risk of suicide within a certain period—which may be one or two years. The reason is to protect them from claims by people who might try to benefit their relatives by taking out an insurance policy and committing suicide immediatelv after.

"Another point raised by this case concerns the time at which a policy lapses for non-payment of a premium. It is usual to allow certain days of grace, and while it is not invariably tho case, the assured person will, as a rule, bo covered during this period. The Royal Insurance Company have not yet decided on what course they will take in the ease of Major Bowlandson. Tho matter is under consideration by their experts."