Michael's Death

[AnnaPink]

I know this subject has been pondered on and debated exhaustively, but I did want to ask about this comment Nico makes in his 12-29-1975 letter to AB regarding Michael's death: 'he and Rupert banged on somebody's door on the way to the river and said "Come on out and bathe"'. Wondered if anyone knows anything more about this, as it is the only reference to this incident I've found? I'm wondering specifically who's door this was, and if they had anything more to say on the subject? I know it is very arcane, and really isn't important in the larger scheme of things, so I am a little relunctant to bring it up, but the incident certainly does (in my mind, and apparently in Nico's as well) sway the evidence of the death towards "natural causes" and away from suicide, for pretty obvious reasons.

[andrew]

I remember asking Nico if he knew whose dooir - and he didn't... but I agree that this, along with other factors, tips my thinking at least towards an accident - tho evidently not Lisa Chaney!

[Malain]

Yes, this piece of information seems to solve
the mystery. They must of went to bathe and
got swept away, Michael being a bad swimmer
Rupert probably tried to save him. I do wonder
why there were reports of them clung together
or bound at the hands. Maybe this was just gossip
or exaggerated rumors.

[andrew]

Check out the detailed coroner's report in the two local Oxford newspapers - both in the database (just search for "Oxford"). Frederick Carter - the man who dragged Sandford Pool - stated that "when I fetched up the first body [= Buxton], I found something drop off. I thought it was the limb of a tree, but I then thought it was the other body which dropped from the first one. We took the first body round to the hotel at Sandford, and then went back and dragged in the same spot. We found the second body at 3.15" - the first body having been recovered an hour earlier. The Oxford Chronicle's editor has interpreted this as BODIES CLASPED in the paragraph heading... draw your own conclusions!

[Malain]

So I finally got to read the coroners report, I own a
MAC computer and for come reason the data base
searches wouldnt work on it. Now I am at my dads
computer (a PC) and the database works fine.
(Good things come to those that wait)

The coroners report is very very interesting.
What I've always been searching for.
Thank you Andrew.

From reading it, I think its
pretty obvious what happened. They went to
bathe, Rupert went in first, swimming out to
a rock and Michael then followed, but not being
a good swimmer struggled at the half way point. Rupert
went to save him and got pulled down himself.
So Sad. Even sadder is the way people
exaggerate, or even twist facts to say they
intentionally had a suicide pact, even more
ludacris, hands bound together or that the
two were lovers. I do admit all the more
romantic, but no less tragic.

Although the mystery in my mind is solved,
Michael for some reason, out of all the
children still remains the most intriguing but I
can't figure out why. I guess thats the magic of it all.

[Smee]

To beguin with I beg your pardon for my english. I can read without problems but I'm afraid that my writing can be plenty of incorrections.

I have been some months reading and exploring this wonderful site (thank you Andrew, it's a fantastic work and the best database I've ever seen in an Internet site).

About Michael's death I am a bit confused, mostly because the traces and the opinions of his friends and family are sometimes incongruous, sometimes contradictories, sometimes both.

Even Nico, in his letter dated Dec/21/1975 writes to Andrew:

"I've always had something of a hunch that Michael's drowning was suicide — he was in a way the "type" i.e. exceptionally clever with varying moods. He couldn't swim a yard, though Rupert Buxton with whom he drowned (also exceptionally clever) was a very good swimmer — but why did they choose a known danger spot which already had a memorial announcing a death by drowning? When "found", their arms were round each other. Most presume one went to save the other — probably correct — but which? In a strange way I would prefer it to have been intentional rather than accidental. "

But only eight days later, Dec/29/1975...

"... As for Michael's possible suicide: if I had put money on it I'd invest pretty heavily on "natural causes" "

When someone beloved dies in tragic circunstances one can spent years thinking about what really happened or what could be happened or, even worst, what could have been happened if...

Greetings fom Madrid-Spain

[andrew]

Yes, very contradictory. As Nico says, he wanted to believe it was suicide for Michael's sake - i.e. Michael got what he desired - but then when he looked at the evidence objectively, came to agree with me (and Seb Earl among others) that it was probably an accident.
PS Many thanks for your kind comments about the site!

[Robert Greenham]

Malain, A belated tip which might help you for the future:
I, too, have a Mac (an iMac G5) but I experienced no problem accessing the Oxford newspaper cuttings in Andrew's database. Be sure to use the latest version of Mozilla Firefox as your web browser.

[Taylor]

Where was Michael's funeral held?  There is never a mention of this and I am guessing the church in Hamstead.

[andrew]

Yes, pretty sure it was Hampstead Church.

[Taylor]

Michael's tombstone is tilting.  Can we take up a collection to have this made right?

[andrew]

Well being a romantic, I have to say that I love tilting tombstones!

[Taylor]

I too am a romantic, but preventative measures would keep the tombstone from being damaged

[TheWendybird]

I would like to help see it's taken care of myself...but i do get what Andrew is saying haha But would like to know it's taken care of.

[Taylor]

I will see that the grave is taken care of