Manchester Evening News 15 Jan 1902: arrest and death of Dr Sinclair Roland
EXCITING STORY OF AN ARREST.TRAGIC SEQUEL.
At Bow-street, London, today, Ella Sinclair Roland, alias Singer, 42, married; Anna Sinclair, alias Anna Van Jarchow, 20, no occupation, both living at Edenfield, Trumpington Road, Cambridge; Allan Lairlaw, 47, journalist, Spring-street, Paddington; Charles Maurice Coleman, 31, Great College-street, Camden Town; Edward Henry Coleman, 45, printer, High-street, Bognor; and Walter Douglas Munday, 25, printer, Crescent Road, Bognor, were charged on a warrant with conspiring to print, sell, and publish obscene books, pictures, pamphlets, and other obscene libels.
Detective Arrow, Scotland Yard, said he went to Cambridge on Tuesday, and in company with other officers went to the residence of the Sinclairs, a large house standing in its own grounds. Witness informed the younger Sinclair that he held a warrant for the arrest of “Dr. Roland,” Mrs. Sinclair Roland, and herself. She immediately called out “Mamma, mamma!” In reply to the witness she said Mrs. Roland was in, but he could not see her. The officer afterwards went to a servants’ bedroom and there saw Mrs. Roland. She was in the act of putting on a servant’s skirt. He asked her if she was Mrs. Roland, and she answered, “No, I am Mrs. Tipton, the housekeeper.” Witness said he was satisfied she was the person described in the warrant, and then asked her where Dr. Roland was. She replied, “He saw you coming, and he has gone to London on his way to Germany.” The two women were then handed over to other officers, the house was surrounded, and search made for the doctor. “After searching inside and outside the house for about two and a half hours,” continued the officer, “I removed a very large washing stand from against the wall of the billiard room at the top of the house. Behind it was a small door in the wall. It was locked. I forced it, and inside I found a partition of matchboarding, giving it the appearance of an empty cupboard. I broke through that and found it was on a hinge. It was barricaded inside with two large trunks kept in position by three iron rods and a number of heavy planks propped against the rods. While moving those I heard a noise as though someone was breaking through the roof. When I got through the partition I came to another room in which there was a similar door in the wall. That door was forced, and I then saw a man crouched up against the rafters on the roof. There was only room for one man to get in, and Sergeant Badcock entered. At that time we did not know who the man was. Sergeant Badcock brought the man out, and he began struggling violently. After a time he admitted that his name was Dr. Sinclair Roland. He was conveyed to Cambridge police station. In the room next to the loft where he was concealed there was a loaded revolver. About an hour after the arrest of Dr. Roland I heard that he was dead.”
The officer continued that he afterwards found at the prisoner’s a number of books on the psychology of the sexes, published by the University Press, and other documents.
Evidence was given of the arrest of the other prisoners, who were all remanded.