The Second Titanic Murderer

William Mintram was a fireman stoker aboard the Titanic when it was hit by the iceberg. While Robert Hitchens’ accusations came after the sinking, Mintram was gaoled in 1902.

Married to Eliza since August 1886 – they had five children, their daughter Rosina married Walter Hurst, also a fireman stoker on the Titanic - a row between them in October 1902 (he complained his wife had pawned their son’s shoes to pay for her drinking) he stabbed her in the back. In court he gave evidence saying he was drunk at the time and remembered nothing other than her rushing at him.

Sentenced to twelve years after being found guilty of manslaughter but was released after three and joined the ill-fated maiden voyage along with his son-in-law. Mintram did get his hands on a lifejacket, but when he saw his son-in-law Walter without same, he passed across his lifejacket thus helping to save his life.

The First Titanic Murderer

Much interest in the Titanic of late with release of the computer-generated images of the wreck - and, of course, through a certain editing job recently completed – which reminded me of a few notes I made when researching something completely different.

The name of Robert Hitchens probably isn’t well known to most, but shortly after the vessel sank the man was notorious. No less than seven quartermasters were aboard the vessel, 29-year-old Hitchens being just one. Indeed, it was he who was at the ship’s wheel when the liner hit the iceberg. But it was for his subsequent actions he hit the headlines.

Put in charge of Lifeboat No.6, he refused to return to the sinking vessel after launching, for he feared the boat would be sucked under with the wreck or swamped by the large number of people in the water. For this he was charged with murder.

His unpopularity wasn’t helped by reports coming from those he did rescue having heard several comments. These included referring to the bodies in the water as ‘stiffs’; critical of those manning the lifeboat’s oars; ordering his charges to keep rowing to keep warm when the Carpathia arrived to ‘pick up the dead’; and at least two survivors later accused him of being drunk.

Suggestions he should be charged with murder were never anything but speculative as a result of the enquiry, he was exonerated as he was simply obeying orders given by Captain Edward Smith and second mate Charles Lightoller. He did serve four years for the attempted murder of Harry Henley from 1933.

In the 1998 film – never bothered watching it, I know how it ends – Hitchens is portrayed as a tall, slim cockney. Hitchens was a stocky 5.1/2 feet tall Cornishman. However, he did die at sea – aboard a ship at anchor off Aberdeen in 1940, the result of heart failure.

Ice Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘sand’ and now look at ‘ice’.

Putting something ‘on ice’, as in keeping it out of the way until required, is first seen in 1890.

Thin ice, used in the figurative sense, appears in print as early as 1884.

To break the ice, as in making the first attempt (usually socially in the modern era), is used as early as 1580. Yet these early usages would invariably be speaking of breaking the ice on the water to permit boats to pass and allow trade to continue.

Ice fishing, and for those who wonder why anyone would be catching ice, it refers to fishing through a hole in the ice, is not described as such before 1869, although undoubtedly the method has been used since pre-history.

Ice-scrapers are first described in 1789, not in reference to clearing a car’s windscreen or defrosting the freezer, it was a tool used in cookery.

Icing, that dreadfully sickly sweet stuff people will insist on coating cakes with, has been seen since 1769. Earlier, and at least from 1723, it was simply described as ‘ice’. Not until 1881 did the alternative ‘frosting’ come into use – and if you think that’s purely a US term, it’s becoming increasingly common in the UK, too.

Nobody used, or at least described, ice-skates until 1690.

Ice as a slang term for diamonds first appears in print in 1906.

Ice cubes, now normally simply said to be ‘ice’, were not described prior to 1902, although there is an advertisement from 1894 which tempts us into buying ‘Artificial Ice in Cubes’ – artificial in the sense of being man-made rather than gathered from natural formations.

The last Ice Age may have ended some eight thousand years ago, but nobody referred to the great freeze as such until 1855.

Ice box was once a storage device for ice, first described in 1839, although today it would be that small freezer area in the refrigerator where trays were once kept to produce ice and which could not be named prior to the invention of the fridge for the home in 1913.

Ice picks are first described in 1858, one wonders what they were called prior to that.

Ice cream has been known as such since 1744, and since 1680 as ‘iced cream’. Note the ice cream cone was not named until 1909.

No vessel was ice bound before 1650.

Ice caps didn’t exist before 1859.

Icicles are first described in the early 14th century.

Icebergs are first known as such in 1820, prior to that the iceberg was a lumpy portion of a glacier. Before that there were other terms used for that which sank the Titanic, sea-hill (1690s), or island of ice (1610s).

Iceberg lettuce, which has never been known to sink any vessel in recorded history, is first named in 1893. (I wonder if they served iceberg lettuce aboard the Titanic?)

A Criminal Waste of History

I have no idea whether every family has a vulture but certainly we do. In their dotage this couple have no greater interest than visiting some even older and/or more infirm individual. By the time the latter has gone to meet their maker they have managed to get their name on the both the will and have volunteered to see to the house clearance.
Their inheritance is often "disappointing" yet can top this up by selling the odd antique to make a few pounds. I have no problem with this, they probably spend as much clawing their way into the will as they ever get out of it. However it has come to my attention their house clearances also include a little bonfire, where letters and bills are incinerated along with the wanton destruction of every photograph.
This horrendous act of burning old photographs was justified with "they are only personal photographs of people nobody knows" and proceeded to open an old tin bursting with black and white snaps. I began to browse through the contents, almost none of the photographs were larger than 3" x 2" and most were half that size.
They were quite correct. Snap after snap of sombrely-dressed strangers in uncomfortable poses. The occasional name, place or date written on the reverse helped not one iota until I came across two photographs of the same rather dapper gentleman. On the reverse I found noted Great Yarmouth on one and Lake Taupo on the other, along with the man's name - Mr Kempson. This was no stranger, this man was known to me.
During the first decades of the 20th century Maitland Kempson was a very successful businessman. Indeed he could afford the luxury of at least two domestic staff, a chauffeur and a children's nanny - the former was my grandfather, the latter he was to marry. Maitland Kempson (wonderful name) also enjoyed his retirement to the full, travelling the world in luxury aboard some of the world's most prestigious liners.
His travels are not well documented (as far as I know), although he made at least one trip to New Zealand - for Lake Taupo is a lake in the crater of a volcano in New Zealand. I also know he made at least three voyages to North America for his name is listed as one of the survivors in a book covering the last of those voyages.
Returning to my grandparents for a moment, although I cannot remember my grandfather, my grandmother often told me stories of her time in domestic service and how handsome John looked in his uniform. She also spoke of a large trunk, one which was given to them as a gift when John finally left his employ. This trunk was itself of interest for it was said to have been saved (along with its owner) from the Atlantic when the Titanic sank. Even at a young(ish) age I remember this story troubling me, for it simply did not make sense to bring a large trunk on a lifeboat when so many were doomed through lack of space.
Hence I dismissed this narrative and not until these photographs came into my possession did I consider doing any research. However research was not difficult, for Maitland Kempson is a most unusual name and his status made him quite easy to trace. Both trunk and owner were indeed fished from the sea, however this was not a ship sunk by an iceberg but another famous sinking during the First World War when RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland on 7th May 1915. It sank in 18 minutes, with the death of 1,198 of the 1,959 on board. This event is held to have brought the United States into the war.
Maitland Kempson died shortly after the second photograph was taken, the Great Yarmouth trip was to prove his last holiday. The trunk was sold to a collector around the time I was born. This was the second time I found family memories to be misleading, my genealogical research was inspired by such - maybe I shall relate that story another time.
Most importantly it shows how the wanton destruction of photographs is criminal and should never happen. Agreed few will be of any interest, yet they can be useful tools in genealogical searches, and as historical documents are irreplacable.