The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-06-06
Lieutenant Colonel Kendall Auto
maticalIy Promoted BY Death
Of COL John [. Phillips
LATTER KILLS HIMSELF
IN MILITARY HOSPITAL
MelanchoIia Resulting From In
luries To Head Causes TragicaI
End Of Brilliant Surgeon

Suicide in the COMMISSIONED ranks OF
the Medical Corps Of the regular army
has raised Lieut.. Col. william P. Ken.
dali sanitary inspector of the Hawaiian
Department to Q colonelcy. BY the re,
cent tragical death of Col. John l..
Phillips, Medical Corps, U. 8. A., in
washington, Lieutenant Colonel Ken.
dali having been the senior officer of
this grade in his corps, was automatic.
ally raised to the rank Of colonel and
! senate confirmation of the change is ex.
pected almost daily ut Headquarters of
the Hawaiian Department. Colonel
Phillips committed suicide on the TWEEN.
ty-second day of May, so when Colonel
kendans commission is issued IL win
! date from that day. Immediately upon
, receiving official notice of his elevation,
Colonel Kendall will don the white
eagleS insignia of his new rank. Whe.
Their or not he viii remain on duty in
the Hawaiian Department remains for
the war department. to announce. The
probability lia however, that he will
be transferred.
Had Been Hospital Patient
Colonel Phillips, formerly was in
eharge Of the Walter Reed Army Gen
eral Hospital in Washington. At the
time of his death, and since September
last, when he accidentally fell down
an open elevator in the hospital, injur.
ing his head, from which he had not
recovered, he had been a patient at
the institution. He became a victim
of melancholy and suffered from hal
lucinations that at times made his case
one difficult for the surgeons to master.
AS had been his custom since being
a patient, he arose early on May %,
and, after taking his bath and eating
breakfast, he underwent the routine OF
treatment prescribed for his case, ap-
pearing in good condition.
Orderly Finds His Body
Between eleven o'clock and midday
he left the hospital quarters and started
for walk alone. That was the last
seen of him alive.
Between noon and one O'Clock,
Thomas Tuthill, an orderly of the hospi.
tai, passing through a secluded rayine
near the main front of the hospital,
found the body of Colonel Phillips lying
in a by.path. He had been instantly
killed by a thirty-eight caiber bullet,
which he had fred through his heart.
Pinned to the lapel of his coat was a
note addressed to his wife and daugh-
ter, who live at the hospital officers
quarters, telling them that he was tired
of life and asking their forgive ness,
The text of the note was not made pub.
lie.
Phillips High In Prof ssion
Colonel Phillips was native of
North Carolina, and was appointed TO
the medical corps from that State in
December, 1889, one year after his gra.
duation as a doctor from Columbia Uni
Versity. He served through the Span
ish American war and in 1888 was ap-
pointed assistant surgeon of the, corps
with the rank of captain.
In 1900 he was promoted major of
the service and in 1908 was made
heutenant-cOlonel,a and in April, 1912,
was promoted TO the rank Of colonel
of the corps. More than a year ago
he was assigned to the Walter Reed
Army General Hospital as the chief
surgeon. He was ffty-seven years old
and stood high in his profession.