Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-16
Mp. CHIEF
DiES FROM A
PISTOL SHOT

Reelmentai Color Sergeant George W.
IUnderkircher. of the Fourth United States
infantry, chief of the Brownsville military
police firce, died Sunday night at o'clock
at the base hospital a the result of pis-
tol shot through the head. Whether the
shot was accidental or self inflicted with
suicidal intent is not known. as no one saw
the occurrence, and Underkircher left no
word, 50 far as was developed in an inves-
litigation by army officers today.
| The shot was fired about 8 80 Sunday af-
ternoon in Underkircher's Office in the
north end of the city hall. The shot was
fired with pistol said to have been owned
| by Underkircher. 1t was a $50 Savage of
a special design.
Sergeant Underkircher was seated ut his
desk. When the report Of the shot was
heard, fellow officer rushed into the room
and found Underkircher fallen forward on
his desk. pistol by his side. The bullet
entered the right side of the head just back
of and above the temple, emerging in IN al
most direct line on the other side. City
Physician T.. +. Dickason was summoned
and attended the injured man until the ar
rival of an ambulance and physicians from
the base hospital
| Letters left by Underkircher. and now
in the hands Of the military authorities,
gave no hint that would lead 10 solution
of the incident Officers both in civil and
military life, knowing the man to be cool
and 1evel headed under all circumstances,
were at loss to explain it, but were in
clined to the belief that in some unknown
way the pistol had fired while Under
kircher was cleaning il.
| Both in Brownsville and in Galveston.
the former station of the Fourth infantry,
Sergeant Underkircher established re-
markable record as peace officer. During
the mobilization Of the guard Sergeant I'm
derkircher aud his men successfully han
died a situation that would have proven al
most impossible for civilian officers.
| To the users and smugelers of cocaine,
morphine and other drugs, Sergeant Under
| kircher was a nemesis. Both here and
IN Galveston "dope" smuggling was prac
tically broken up through his ability 10 de-
tect users of the drugs. So remarkable
were his successes in this field that the
city of Galveston offered to procure his
discharge from the army and pay him a
handsome salary 10 serve on the detective
force of that city.
| Fellow military police officers are in
clined to scout the theory that the "Chiet,"
for so he was known through the army,
had Intentionally taken his own life. The
NJ P's say that Underkircher was in APP
parently his usual frame of mind just be-
fore the shooting.
Sergeant Underkircher was highly es-
teemed by his commanding officer, Colonel
+. f. Hatch, who visited the city hall and
the base hospital when the news of the
shooting reached Fort Brown.
| Underkircher entered the United States
Army twenty-one years ago. lie j. sur
vived by his mother. Mrs. Lena Under
kircher of Kalamazoo, Mich, who has been
notified.
| Following instructions from the mans
mother il was announced today that the
funeral will be held nj the Fourth infantry
headquarters at Fort Brown Tuesday af-
Iternoon at 3 o'clock. after which the body
will be shipped to kalamazoo. Mich.