MURDER

[Eric Marshall Schoonmaker]

Hello,
Is it possible to any on you that murder could have happened during the sinking? I find it possible that during the final anarchy or even the loss of procedure as the sinking started that people could have fulfilled their grudges against another.
Think about how no one knows what happened to captain smith. Could someone have murdered him when they were denied access to a lifeboat? Enough of the passengers died that there could have been no one left to tell about it a few hours later.
Another thin g to think about is rape. Under deck the amount of trouble someone could cause is unimaginable. All those empty rooms and no one to stop them after enough time.
Basically I'm aware of human potential in hostile situations. There were a lot of people, raising the probability of terrible things to be done to happen. Perhaps I'm off but I do see it as more than probable.

 

[Matt Smith]

I really don't think so for 3 reasons.

1. There would have to be someone who REALLY hated someone else.

2. Most people never thought the Titanic would sink until late in the sinking. It wouldn't leave them much time.

3. We would of read of about it most likely

Matt

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Is it possible to any on you that murder could have happened during the sinking? <<

Possible...hypothetically...yes. Probable? Hard to say. The problem here is that any direct evidence like bodies with wounds not consistant with a sinking along with any credible witnesses went down with the ship.

>>Think about how no one knows what happened to captain smith.<<

Nobody knows what happened to close to 1200 others either. 1500 went into the ocean that night, and excepting a few survivors pulled from the water, around 328 bodies were actually found. Not much of a mystery when you think about it however. With so many at the mercy of the wind and wave, it's a wonder that many were recovered.

>>Another thin g to think about is rape. Under deck the amount of trouble someone could cause is unimaginable. <<

What about it? With a ship sinking beneath them though, likely as not, any potential miscreant was as pre-occupied with trying to figure out a way of staying alive as anyone else.

>>Perhaps I'm off but I do see it as more than probable.<<

I don't, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately, with the evidence available, there's just no way to know.

 

[Jeremy Lee]

Many people would have taken the advantage of the sinking and chaos to loot the place. (They could smash down the doors) Perhaps an officer or some stewards were murdered? No one would know. Furthermore, it might be possible that a officer shot some really desperate people from climbing or forcing their way onto a lifeboat....

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Many people would have taken the advantage of the sinking and chaos to loot the place.<<

And the evidence to support this is...???

That's the problem with this whole premise. There may be room for speculation, but there's really nothing to back it up.

 

[Dennis Smith]

Jeremy,
If I had been on the "T",my last problem would have been trying to ensure my survival not thinking of revenge or robbery. OK it may have been possible to get my hands on money or jewelry, but at the end of the day, if you can`t spend it, it`s no use to you. You can`t take it with you when you go.

best wishes and rgds

Dennis

 

[Fiona Nitschke]

Hello Jeremy,

A number of novelists have used the idea of Titanic's sinking to cover up robbery and murder, or have depicted opportunistic looting too. From memory, most stories with looters are quite moralising, with the looters drowned because their greed keeps them below decks until way too late. Some meet their ends in very nasty ways too, not just drowning.

Back to the real world: it's possible that there was some opportunistic looting as the ship went down, particularly as many people didn't realise how serious the situation really was or that there weren't enough lifeboats to save all. All moralising aside, there wasn't much opportunity for getting any loot off the sinking ship when lifeboat places were at such a premium towards the end.

The one ‘murder’ I can think of is actually ‘manslaughter’: the highly questionable account of Harold Bride attacking a stoker who was trying to steal Jack Phillips’ life jacket while Phillips was still busily sending out the SOS. While some very colourful versions have Bride shooting the stoker dead, others state the he was merely knocked out in self defence. Being unconscious, he had no chance to save himself and drowned. I suppose it depends on which version you believe — or find less unbelievable.

There’s been quite a bit of discussion of ‘institutionalised murder/manslaughter’ owing to the class structure and quarantine regulations on board on other threads here too.