Mrs. Lee Chamberlain, Mother of a Titanic Victim, Receives Conflicting Reports
The whereabouts of the body of A. H. Hyter, formerly of Salt Lake, who perished in the wreck of the Titanic, has become an issue that the courts probably will be called upon to determine.
Last Thursday Mrs. Lee Chamberlain, mother of Hyter, was informed by the White Star line officials that the body of her son was at Halifax and would be given Christian burial along with other members of the crew, Hyter being one of the ship's cooks. Being aware of the promise of the company to forward all bodies of Titanic victims to any point desired by relatives, Mrs. Chamberlain wired a reply, demanding the forwarding of the body to Salt Lake and threatening a damage suit, unless her wishes were complied with. To this alternative the White Star line company replied last night that the original message was a mistake as the body of Hyter had been buried at sea from the decks of the cable ship Mackay-Bennett.
Mrs. Chamberlain does not hesitate to declare her doubts as to the truth of the company's latest statements and she has engaged the services of a local attorney to protect her interests in the matter. Suit for damages probably will be instituted in case the body is not forwarded.
Salt Lake Tribune, Salt lake City, 5 May 1912
