The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-11
INTO The RIVER.
w. w. Brewster Commits Sui
eide at Leavenworth.
Writes Letters to Young Lady
Indicating an Unbalanced Mind.

Writes Letters to Young Lady
Indicating an Unbalanced Mind.
W. w. Brewster, for many years a
resident of this city and motorneer
on the city railway, committed suicide
Friday by drowning himself in the
Missouri river at Leavenworth. His
body was recovered later in the day ct
Parkville, Mo. L. NJ. Penwell left here
this morning for that place and will
bring the body here for burial.
The strange part of this tragedy is
the fact that the dead man wrote let
tiers to Miss Vivian T. Rush of 1409
Kansas avenue in this city, telling her
of his intended suicide and bequeath-
ing to her all of his property. Brewster
was worth in the neighborhood of
$4,000. Miss Rush received the letters
Friday, the day of the suicide. They
were written from the Centropolis
hotel at Kansas City. Brewster is pref
ty well known here, having worked for
a number Of years for the street rail-
way company. 1t was well known that
he had saved considerable money by
his habits of strict economy. His father
died a few years ago and left him some
property in the Santa Fe district.
Brwester removed to Hoyt, Kan. three
years ago and bought property there.
He visited Topeka often and while
here was always the guest of the Rush
family. p. L. Rush, father of Vivian
Rush, conducts grocery store on the
avenue, and is an old friend OF the
Brewster family
A few weeks ago Brewster sold his
Hoyt property and bought the two
story house at the corner of Fourth
in
been acting queer lately, and it is be-
ieved that he had lost his mind wor-
rying over petty troubles.
The following is the letter Miss Rush
received from him Friday, together
with the enclosure, all of which go to
prove that Brewster was insane:
Kansas City, Mo-. April 8.
Miss Vivian Rush:
will write you my last letter on this
earth. When you receive this letter I
will be dead. I have had trouble
enough. These vermin is more than
can stand. I found that this was the
only way to get rid OF everything. I
would have got along all right had it
not been for them. just began to
could not endure it no longer. You
must not get them on you. Just set
| fire to them. The lines on the west
side is wrong and there is two judg-
| ments against the place. They was
| man sold booze when he owned it. So
you can see how it stands. 1 wanted
Mr.. Elliott and the man to give an
abstract but he got the county clerk
| to look the books over and said that
| the title was all o. K. This is the way
| 1t stands, you see. I have been duped
w. W. BREWSTER.
Another letter from Kansas City,
dated April 9, was also received by
Il, H.
| follows:
81 came up from Kansas City, Mo-,
morning. I went to st. Joseph yester-
day. 1 will drown in the Missouri
| river between Leavenworth and Kan
! sas City. I have been in good many
| fixes but this is the worst of them. I
| would have come to see you but I
would have broke down and that
would have made me feel SO bad. 1
can't help but cry at this moment. 1
will drown tonight, SO goodbye.
| "W. w. BREWSTER"
One of the enclosures to Mr.. c. D.
Skinner of the Merchants Transfer
company is as follows:
Mr.. Skinner: Please give Miss
Vivian T. Rush two boxes that belong
"w. W. BREWSTER"
One addressed to Frank Blanch,
who holds the key to Brewster's house
at Fourth and Golden avenues, is as
follows:
| "Mr. Blanch: Please give to Miss
| Vivian T. Rush the key to the house.
| Yours truly,
"W. w. BREWSTER"
| Addressed to j. w. Thurston, the
cashier of the Bank of Topeka, is the
! following:
'Mr. Thurston: Please give my box
to Miss Vivian T. Rush that is in your
| bank. Yours truly.
ssw. w BREWSTER.
| A key to this box in the bank was
| enclosed in the letter. This box is sup
| posed to contain in Brewster's private
| papers. He had hauled his household
! goods over here from Hoyt and they
| were stored by the Merchants Trans
| fer company. Some of the men here
who have known Brewster for some
| time declare that it was formerly his
custom to carry considerable sum Of
money about with him. He saved al
the money he made and was believed
| to be pretty we'll Off His father left
him considerable property when he
died a few years ago. Brewster dis
posed of this property for cash at the
time. A business man here who talk
ed with Brewster the day before he
| went to Kansas City said that he die
not appear to act or talk strangely
except that he was very nervous. He
said he was going to Kansas City or
business, but went no further into de-
tailsg Little or no money was found
on Brewster's body when 1t was ta-
ken from the river. 1t is believed
however that he had lately put mos
of his ready cash into real estate.
Miss Rush stated that the first in
timation that she was to be his he'll
was in the letter she received from hin
| written in Kansas City April 8. Sht
said that Mr.. Brewster, on the occa
sion of his last visit at the Rush home
| appeared to be worried over the pro
perty he had recently purchased here
Ii was not up to his expectations, HI
said. Still there was no suspicion from