Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-26
col, LUSKS SUICIDE
Army Engineer Cut His Throat
With Razor.
HL-HEALTH THE CAUSE
Was on Leave of Absence for Six
Months.
FORMER ASST. COMMISSIONER
Was Popular in That Position and Re-
greet Expressed at the Dis
trict Offices.
ILL-HEALTH THE CAUSE
FORMER ASST. COMMISSIONER

Lusk Of the Engineer Corps Of the United
States army committed suicide late last
night at the home Of his daughter at Sandy
Hook N. j., by cutting his throat with q
razor.
Col Lusk had been in i'll health, and
some time ago obtained six months leave
of absence. He came here to visit his
daughter, who is the wife of Lieut.. J. B.
billiard of the Ordnance Corps, stationed
at Fort Hancock.
A brief dispatch was received today by
Gen. Mackenzie chief OF engineers of the
army. informing him of the death of Col.
John l.. Lusk Of the Engineer Corps at
Sandy Hook, N. j., this morning. The tele-
gram, which was sent by Lieut.. j. B. Dill
lard of the Ordnance Corps OF the army,
son-in-law of Col. Lusk. contained no par
ticulars of the death. but 1t was surmised
Immediately that the colonel had committed
suicide.
Since the Spanish war Col Lusk has been
in i'll health He was brought back to
Washington from the war suffering with
an attack of typhoid fever, and for many
weeks was a patient in local hospita.
His brain was affected and he entertained
the hallucination that he was personally
Cured during the war. Subsequently, ne
recovered to such an extent that he was
given the United States engineering assign
ment at Rock Island, Ill. He fell Ill again
and then was granted a years leave OF ab-
sence. Upon his return from that leave
he apparently was as we'll as ever. and.
as assistant to the chief of engineers en-
tered enthusiastically into his work. Later
he was sent to Detroit. Mich. as engineer
In charge of the lake survey. There his
health broke down again and his mental
affliction become more acute than ever.
About month ago he was granted a leave
of absence for eight months. in the hope
that he might recover his health.
The report Of his tragic death was a
great shock to his friends in the War De-
artment. He was held in high regard and
was so valuable a man that every effort
was made to save him to the service. Col.
Lusk was fifty-one years old and was
graduated from the Military Academy at
West Point In 1873. He filled some of the
most important engineering details of the
army. including that of assistant to the en-
gineer Commissioner Of the District of Co
army including that OF assistant to the En-
cheering at West Point, assistant to the
chief of engineers. and other important de-
tails throughout the country.
From June 2. 1888. to March q, 1898. he
served in this city as assistant to the En-
gineer Commissioner of the District during
a portion of the administrations of Com
missioners Raymond, Robert and Rossell
and performed his duties in a manner en-
inently satisfactory to the people of the
District. A few years later while stationed
at the War Department as an assistant to
the chief of engineers. he served as a mem
Der of a board OF experts appointed to con-
slider the feasibility of the completion of the
tunnel from the Georgetown distributing
reservoir to the Washington city reservoir,
near Howard University. 1t was upon the
favorable report of that board that that
important work was undertaken and COM
pleted with most satisfactory results.
AT the outbreak of the Spanish war he
left West Point and took command of Com
pany +, Battalion of Engineers, with which
he proceeded to Tampa for embarkation for
Cuba, and was subsequently placed in COM
mand of the Battalion of Engineers of the
5th Army Corps. In May. 1898, he was ap-
pointed lieutenant colonel and chief of en-
gineers, United States volunteers. and as
signed to duty on the staff of Maj Gen. w.
NJ Graham, United States Volunteers. COM
manding the I'd Army Corps at Camp Alger,
Falls Church. Va. He continued on that
station until September 1898. when he was
assigned to duty in this city as assistant
to the chief of engineers and member Of
the board of geographic names.