The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-12-14
ENG|NEER9FF|CER
OF ARNYCONMITS
SUICIDE At HOME
so sese " nnslA
Lieut.. Col. Charles S. BromweIl,
i Nervous and Depressed,
Shoots Himself
TRAGEDY TAKES PLACE
AT MANoA RESIDENCE
s-A--Zs tts.s,s asi Y
Wife and Children Of Deceased
Are In Mainland, Former q
On Coast ~

Lient Col. chaflss s. Bromwell corps
Of engineers, U. 8. Asmy, district en-:
gineer officer and department engineer
Of the Hawaiian Department, with Of
fees at sOl Mecandless building,
committed suicide Friday afternoon
by shooting himself in the hsad with.
a revolver. While no cause has been
assigned for the. tragedy, il Is the
general impression that nervous break
down, due to oyerwork and great
mental DEPRESSION, prompted the deed
The scene Of the tragedy was at the
Ranny Scott house, at the corner o.
Manoa Road and Hastings street leasesI
by Colonel BromweIl. The deed was
lone about onss o 'clock, the colonel
being alone IN the house ut the time!
lewis, his chauffeur, went TO the army
4 ofIieef's room ON hearing a shot ami
1 found the colonel stretched out IN q.
| wicker chair, unconscious and bleeding
sopiously from a wound IN his head
Lying upon the floor &C the side of the
chair was a regulation army revolver,
with which Colonel Bromwell had shot
himself. The ballet entered the head
Just back Of the right eye, coming out
slightly above the left ear. ~
Dies IN Department. Hospital
Lewis telephoned news Of the Incl
dent TO the department hospital at Fort
Shafter and an ambulance manned by:
a detachment Of the hospital corps was.
rushed to the scene Of the tragedy
Colonel Broihwell was hurried OF to the
hospital, where he died about half7pasi
three o'clock, without gaining. con.
Colonel Bromwell had lived alone AT
the Ranhy Scott home for seyera,
weeks, Mrs. Br0mwell having accom-
panied their daughter Mildred In, Sep;
TENDER to the mainland to place her
lin a finishing school in Washington
Her son Scott is a student at Harvard
There are only two children, y
Mrs. Bromwell arrived yesterday in
San francisco, preparatory to returning
10 Honolulu, In the Wilhelmina on
the twenty first OF this month. Sht
was advised Of her husband 81 death
last evening by eablegram and in view
| Of the tragedy her mother win accom-
pany her 70 Honolulu. lt3s
Suicide Shock TO Friends =.
The suicide Of Colonel Bromwel
anne as great shock 70 his host o.
| friends in the army and in the civilian
| ,ocial circles Of Honolulu, where both
he and Mrs. Bromwell were. extremely
popular.
Colonel BromweIl was about tow,
Friday morning as usual, but seemed
greatly depressed. He went home AZ
the noon hour and dismissed hil
lchauffeur, Lewis, telling him that he
would not need him in the afternoon.
A will he had made was found in his
room aud whether or not he left any
letter explaining his rash act Is MOI
known. Lieut.. Col. Frederick Il
Reynolds, commanding the department
hospital, who went TO the house on the
report of the tragedy, gave orders :,
the chauffeur to lock the house an,
permit nobody to enter.
\ A board Of officers, cons sting of Col
| Rudolph @. Ebert, medical corps de
rr+raht Su~seon Mai. A. 8. Conklin
! and Capt. Edward X, Massee have beer
| appointed as a board tosinyestignte III
affair and report.
| was Eminent Engineer ~ t
Colonel Bromwell was one of III,
i most eminent engineers in the sorvie,
| having been in charge Of several larg
projects in different parts Of the coun
| try. He was superintendent of public
| buildings and grounds In Waahingto 4
| and military aid TO President ,R0ose
Welt from 1904 TO 1909, with tempOrar
Frank as colonel, In 1909 Ne was place
1 In charge Of the Milwaukee engineer
ing district and IN 1919 took eaptrg
of the Cleveland engineering district
He was born in Newport, KentuekS
May I :. 1860 and was the son OF Hon
Jacob Henry BFomwell, a former men
Der Of Congress. He was appointed I Z
the United States military academy
West Point from Ohio, July l.. 1880
from which instithtion be graduated i
| 1890. On account Of his great eiiieieil
ey and nigh rating he was appofhte
additional Second lieutenant Of an
I gineers june ~. 1000. 80 III ~
Rise In Army Rapid
/ From that time on bis rise was rapi
and his promot' ons were rs follows:
Appointed second lieutenant of err
gineersMay Is, 1885, graduate Of Er
oiReer School of Application. class o
1898; appointed first lieutenant Of er
gineers October ~, 1895: promote
10 captain Of engineers February ?
1901; promoted major. June o. 1907
Drrmoted lientenant-fol0nel februar. 7
"a. 1914; Joined Hawaiian Department
July u, 1914, and had served eve
since his arrival as.distriet eng; peer = :
icer and department engineer, Hawaii
an Department. 4
\ Colonel Bromwell was marriai
/ Wasbipgtop to Miss Letitia a. Scot
. member of . well-knOwa ana wealth
family OF that place, June H. 1896
Her mother now resides In Blooming
ton, Illinois. u
| Regarding the disposition OF the
body of the dead officer, Colonel ,Rey
nolds said last night that no arrange
ment had been made rs yet, as diFee
tions are being awaited FROM the main
land. They are expected TO arrive 70