Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-04
MISSING SINCE TUESDAY
Young Naval Officer Shoots Self in
New York Hotel.
WILL BE BURIED IN YORK, PA.
Married Less Than Year Ago to
Daughter of Whitman Osgood
of This City.


chair in a room at the Hotel Astor, with
a bullet hole in his head and a revolver
| clutched in his hand is at the New York
navy yard today. awaiting shipment to
York. Pa. An autopsy showed that
| Lieut.. Brilliant was suffering from men,
ingitis. which the physicians say probably
| created a morbid state of mind and
| caused him to kill himself
| Lieut.. Brilliant came to the hotel last
Tuesday without baggage and until yes
| terday nothing had been seen of him.
He registered under his right name and
address. He took small room on the
second floor. There was no occasion on
the part of the hotel people to mark his
| movements. He had no visitors during
his stay and slept late in the morning.
Door Forced Open.
The maid wanted to make up his bed
yesterday. She called four times at his
room and. receiving no answer. concluded
| that the lieutenant was sleeping AT
| o'clock. on the fifth visit, she felt that
| something was wrong. The door was
locked. so the maid had it forced.
! He was found dead, seated on chair
his coat off and his feet resting on an
other chair. alongside the bureau. He
| had shot himself once. in the right tenn
pie, the ball passing through to the left
| side of the head and falling to the floor.
| His hands were folded across his stom-
| ach. and between them they held a new,
| cheap revolver. A broken box of car
| tridges was on small table beside him.
| Near it was a sealed and stamped letter
| addressed to Mrs. Brilliant.
Coroner Feinberg found bills in the lieu
| tenants coat pocket which esta blished his
identity. Two seal rings. one of fra
| ternity and the other bearing his initials.
| were on his fingers. There was SoO7 in
cash. A bank book and check book
| showed that his balance in the Union
Trust Company Of Washington was 1922.
Word Sent to Wife.
A telegram was sent to Mrs. Brilliant
say aying that her husband was very ILL.,
Lieut.. A. ]. Marquart and Naval Surgeon
C. NJ. Oman, stationed at the Brooklyn
navy yard. both of whom had been in
Annapolis with Lieut.. Brilliant and had
| heard of their friends DEATH. had the
body taken to the undertaking rooms OF
A. Eickelberg. No. 934 9Th avenue.
Coroner's Physician O'hanlon performed
an autopsy last night. and it was then
| learned that the officer had suffered from
purulent meningitis.
| Lieut.. Brilliant was probably out of
| his head when he committed suicide" he
said.
Lieut.. Marquart. following the autopsy.
| directed that the body be moved to the
Brooklyn navy yard. %This was done at 10
| o'clock last night. The body will be
! shipped to York, Pa where the officer
| lived prior to entering the service. His
! parents live there.
capital. heard of her husbands act two
hours after his body had been found.
! Suffered From Meningitis.
Lieut. Charles E. Brilliant had been
suffering for year from purulent menin-
gifts, q disease which physicians declare
approximates incipient insanity, 1t was
learned today. This was borne out by
the autopsy performed in New York. 1t
| Is believed that this illness may have
been the cause Of his taking his life. For
| the first few months he bore the disease
| courageously, and then, 1t is said, he
| of his brother officers, it is said, knew
| of his illness, and he was always tenn
perate while on duty.
| Lieut. Brilliant had been missing from
his home here since about 2:30 o'clock
! Tuesday morning, according to informa-
ton furnished by the police today. The
| police were called upon yesterday after
| noon by relatives of the young man
some time after he had shot himself in
the Hotel Astor in New York to try to
find him. 1t was stated to the police
that Lieut. Brilliant had been drinking
heavily and that he was in nervous
condition when he left his wife, Mrs.
Rose Osgood Brilliant at their home in
the Cairo. with the intention of boarding
! an early-morning train
| The Navy Department also sent out a
general alarm. and many OF his brother
officers participated in the search for the
young lieutenant.
| Active Search Begun.
Hotels and hospitals were visited by
those who participated in the search, but
nothing was found to indicate that the
lieutenant had been at any Of them. 1t
was while the local police were making
the search that news of his suicide
| reached this city.
Friends Of the lieutenant told the police
that they did not want his disappearance
| given publicity. and asked that no mes
| sage be sent broadcast about him. They
did not have the slightest idea that he
| would kill himself and thought publicity
might embarrass him when he returned
| Mrs Brilliant kept to her apartment in
the Cairo today and denied herself to all
callers, except members of her family.
She is said to be prostrated by the news
of her husbands death
Whether she received the letter alleged
to have been written to her by Lieut..
Brilliant just before he shot himself and
which was mailed to her by the New
| York authorities last night. and what the
contents of the letter were. could not be
learned at the Cairo, where all informa-
ton in regard to the tragedy was re-
fused.
Lieut.. Lee Prior. U. S. N. a friend OF
| Lieut.. Brilliant, and who has been as
| sisting Mrs. Brilliant in arranging for
the funeral, refused to discuss the suicide
| today. The body of Lieut.. Brilliant will
be taken TO York, Pa. where 1t will be
buried Whether Mrs. Brilliant will be
able to go TO York for the funeral could
not be learned at the Cairo.
| Not Financially Involved.
Last night when Mrs. Brilliant was
informed of the suicide Of her hus-
band she said:
God knows why he did it. There
was absolutely no reason that I am
} aware of for his taking his life. He
left Washington last Tuesday. a week
ago, went to Asbury Park for a few
days and then Joined me in Atlantic
City He had been looking forward
to his vacation with much enthusiasm.
She added that he had left here last
Tuesday to go to New York on private
. business and she had not heard from
: him SINCE.