The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-06-20
Mental Derangement Ascribed as
Cause Which Resulted in Rash
Act of J. L. Pvormann, Well
Known Honolulan.
1pHlrs as si.gnp ar tiss
Two Reyolyers Used by crazed
Man; Bodies Are Found by the
House Servants; No Message Is
Left to Help Solve Mystery.
From wenIdnesday Aavertiscr)

\
John l.. Pvormann, chief accountant
of Castle & Cooke, shot and killed his
mother, Mrs. 3. Pvormann, and himself
about ten o clock Monday night at
their home at Alapai and Prospect
streets.
Their failure to appear for breakfast
yesterday morning resulted in a search
by servants which revealed the. bodies.
Both had been dead for twelve hours.
Downstairs tho breakfasts that had
Teen ordered by Pvormann the night
before were steaming on the table, wait
ing appearance of Pvormann and his
mother. The Chinese cook and Jap.
anese- yard boy who constituted their
little. establishment were eating their
morning meal. alone half wondering
what delayed the people of the house
and painters engaged in the last extern
sive alterations to the house were work
ing above the rooms where the bodies
lay.
Police Notified,
Shortly after ten o'clock yesterday
morning a frantically excited man call
ed up the police station and tried to
tell Clerk Foaha that a muraer and
suicide had been committed at place
he was too nervous to distinguish. At
ter several attempts POaha guessed it
to be Aala Park and the patrol wagon
was rushed down there, ending up in a
collision with Waialae ear near the
bridge. The front axle of the auto was
bent, putting it out of repair, although
damaging the ear but little.
Upon the return of the officers to
Il nj IN nd
Alapai was substituted for "Aala
Park Deputy Sheriff Rose arrived
on the scene shortly afterwards. The
still excited informant, however, had
reported that the victims were Japan
ese and the police were astounded upon
finding the master and mistress of the
home dead in their rooms.
The body of Mrs. Fvormann was in
bed, carefully covered with the
clothes. and to all appearances the wo-
man was sleeping peacefully. Her hand
was under her head and her smiling
face. Only the little hole and powder
marks above the temple and the. pallor
Of the features indicated that life had
long left the body. On the bed was
found a 3S caliber revolver, one shell
empty.
The police were at loss to account
for the presence of the gun until later
when it was discovered that Pvormann
had shot his mother with this weapon
left II on her bed, and then .cnded his
own life with A caliber revolver
The bullet penetrated her head and
was found in the pillow. The latter
weapon was discovered by Pvormann',
bed in the adjoining room, beside which
he had ended his life.
y His end was CHASTITY in the extreme
tile heavy caliber weapon having been
fred through his mouth, the discharge
blowing off the top of his head and
the bullet penetrating the ceiling. The
bed was disturbed and he was in pa
iamas. All indications pointed to the
fact that he had risen to consummatt
his designs after himself and mother
had retired.
Interrogate Servants.
The Pvormanns kept Japanese yart
boy and Chinese cook employed, thu
former staying at the house and the lat
ter living at Waikiki hut arriving al
TIE Alapai street place about half7pas
six each morning.
The japanese testified to Deputy
Sheriff Rose that he had been out til,
night before and had not returned home
until halfpast ten. He had heard nj
shots or any other sounds subsequent t.
that. The time of the tragedy was set
however. by the testimony of neigh
Dor, j. j. Drummond, father of Super
visor Dfummond of Maui, who said thai
when his family was retiring about ter
o'clock the night before they had heart
two fiat reports from the Pvormanr
house. They paid no attention to them
however, thinking that someone was re
turning home aud falling over the lum
Der in the yard.
The Chinese cook, Con Yick, state5
that, he had arrived at the house yes
to-day morning at the usual time. Ill
let himself in with his own key int
the kitchen, which was divided from
the. balance of the house and proceeded
about his usual morning duties. Aftel
he had prepared his own meal he call
ediip the yard boy and they had break
fast together, wondering why the Others
were mot up yet. The breakfast fo
the family was then ready.
} Not until the painters arrived die
their suspicious become aroused so thor
oughly that they decided a search wal
necessary. The japanese had key t.
the lanai aud from there they got int
the house through an Unmatched window
No answer being made to their sum
mons, they went into the bedrooms anC
found the bodies.
Pvormann Was Prosperous.
Pvormann, whose act came as tn
greatest shock yesterday TO scores o.
acquaintances, was well off. The i'm
pfoyements and additions to his hom'
are said to. have cost 10000. Secre
tary Petrie, of Castle Cooke, wher'
the man was chief accountant, believe
him to have $4,000 insurance on hi
home. Various unauthentic reports O
his savings of modest fortune hay,
been beard, but until search is mad,
into his affairs, it is impossible to Sc
any definite figure. "t'
Everything about the life of Pvor
mann and his mother points TO thei
cratic lives, Mrs. Pvormann, an invalid
being said particularly to be sufrere
from mental nervousness Their splen
did home was large enough for a famiI,
of ten, although they lived entirely
alone and never received visitors. Hi
friends even go so fer as to credi
Fyormann with statements to the eff
feet that he did not believe in reeeiv