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Lights Wrote:

Tyr THIS link, guys!

Atlantic Liners

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Article- Mysteries: Shots In the Dark
This article ©2004
Atlantic Liners
& J. Kent Layton
www.atlanticliners.com


The most controversial account of gunfire occurring on the ship as it sank was centered around
Collapsible A, forward on the starboard side of the Boat Deck, as the bow was plunging into the sea.
Reports from highly varied sources - many of them in personal accounts to friends or family - came to
light that officers had used firearms in those last moments. Some of the most shocking among these
were reports that some passengers had actually been shot by the officers. Even more shocking were
reports that the officer who shot the passengers then turned the gun on himself.
We know that the officers were armed; Chief Officer Wilde had made sure of that earlier during
the sinking. But which officer or officers had played a part in this event? We know that Chief Officer
Wilde, First Officer Murdoch, Sixth Officer Moody and Chief Purser Herbert McElroy were all
present. We know that there had to be an event that included gunfire, because otherwise there would
be no reason for numerous witnesses to report it in a manner that was apparently not originally
intended to become public.
But identifying the officer or officers responsible is more difficult. Not one of these men’s bodies
were ever found, and hence there is no forensic evidence to eliminate or single out any candidate.
None of them had any apparent previous motive for suicide, but this was an extraordinary situation
where tensions and emotions were running high and any one of them could have done anything in
the heat of that moment.
Some have felt that First Officer Murdoch, in command of the ship when it struck the iceberg, is
the most likely candidate. Based on the limited evidence at hand, perhaps he was. However, Murdoch
is to this day considered a proud hero by his relatives and home town - and most rightly so. When it
began to come up that Murdoch was a likely candidate - and especially after James Cameron’s Titanic
was released depicting him as the officer who commit suicide - his “defenders” were quick to point
the finger in other directions.
Certainly even nine decades after the fact, the subject is highly charged emotionally. However, it
must be remembered that even if one of the officers on the scene did shoot passengers in a scramble
during those last moments, he was doing his duty in trying to protect the collapsible from being
swamped or sunk during a panic. That that same officer would have turned the gun on himself after
that might have been no more than a natural reaction to the realization that he had just taken another
person’s life.
All of the officers in question worked like heroes during the sinking, and many a survivor owed
their life to the efforts of these men and others. That they paid the ultimate price for their sacrifice
only extols their nobility. They gave their lives that others might live. How they met their individual,
tragic ends is immaterial.

This article ©2004
Atlantic Liners
& J. Kent Layton

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I am Catholic and wonder if those who commit suicide have a chance to enter heaven?

Here is Jack's answer:

Yes, according to Hebrews 11:32 - Samson who is one of the heroes of the faith and committed suicide was with the Lord. But if you want to know where the Catholic Church stands, read point 2283 in the Catechism and you will see that God has a special place, a remedy for those he loves and who commit suicide.

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Point 2283 - We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who take their own lives. By ways known to Him alone, God can provide the opportunity of salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

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Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibilty of the one committing suicide.

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