The following account courtesy of Inger Sheil:

The Western Daily Mercury
Monday 29 April 1912

MR MURDOCH’S FATE

“ONE LEFT FOR YOU AND ANOTHER FOR MYSELF”

One of the crew told our representative that Mr. Murdoch, the first officer, who was in charge of the ship when the collision occurred, played a hero’s part. He it was who personally superintended the lowering of practically every boat that was put into the water. He moved from one boat to another urging and cheering the men at their task. When the end came, and as the last boat was handled, the water rose above his knees, and it was obvious that the boat could not survive.

“Mr Murdoch calmly pulled out his revolver and blew out his brains.”

Previously he had used it to threaten the excited steerage passengers and a group of firemen who he feared were likely to rush the boats. He drove them back, as one man said, like a flock of sheep, remarking significantly as he patted the barrel of his revolver:

“There is one left for you and one for myself.”

A number of men declared yesterday that they saw Mr. Murdoch fire the fatal shot shortly before the Titanic plunged into the darkness of the ocean depths.