The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-12-18
BRAVEO WAR;:
DIES FOR LOVE
Pat 0'Brien, Hero Of Five
Armies, Kills Self When
Spurned by Wife.

DOS ANGELES, Cal, Dec. 10
Hundreds OF persons prominent In
the local motion picture colony
who had recently been associated
with Lieut.. Pat O'Brien, officer OF
the Royal Flying Corps. and famed
as a war aviator, were shocked to-
day to learn that he had killed him
self in fashionbly downtown
hotel shortly before midnight.
The act followed an unsuccessful
effort to effect a reconciliation with
his wife, formerly Miss Virginia
Elizabeth Allen, famous beauty
and movie actress, of Washington
d. C., from whom he had been sepa-
rated.
USES ARMY PISTOL
An investigation by the police to-
day showed O'Brien ended his life
with As caliber army automatic pis-
toI. The body was found after hotel
attendants had broken down the door
of his room after hearing a shot.
1t was stated that the aviator had
planned to go to San Francisco with
in the next few days to receive war
ment at the hands of the British con-
sui there, and had tried to see Mrs.
OBrien. known as virginia Dare" a
motion picture actress. His wife Is
said to have told him over the telc-
phone that she was i'll but would see
him today.
A LITTLE BIT OF CLAY.
O'Brien went to his room and
. ct a.
his wife, shot himself Another note
written by OBrien and found near
the body as il was being removed to
an undertaking establishment fol-
lows:
"Only a coward would do what I
am doing. But l guess / am one.
With all my war record | am just
like the rest OF the people in this
world-a little bit of clay.
"And to you, my sweet little wife,
] go. thinking OF you and my dear.
sweet mother, my sisters and
brothers. And may the just God
that answered my prayers in those
days I spent in making my escape
from Germany once more answer
them. And bring trouble, sick ess,
dis8race, and more bad luck than
any one in this world has ever had,
md curse forever that awful woman
that has broken our home and has
taken you from me-.
BLAMEs THE WOMAN.
"Shc caused this life Of mine, that
just a few minutes ago was so
happy, to go on that sweet adven-
ture of death.
please send what you fnd back
to my dear mother in Momence, Ill.
ITO the fvc armies ] have been
in, the birds, the animals ] loved
so well, TO my friends, to all the
world and TO adventure, | say good
by. FAT O'BRIEN.
Beyond the accusation mentioned
in O'Brien's note no reason was
known today for the arrangement
between his wife and himself. They
had been married less than year, IT
was stated and came here last June
DR.. Howard e. senEer, who had
been O'Brtep's physician. was quoted
today sS saying he believed the ayts-
tor was mentally unbalanced, due to
hi. war ~xpcrieuccs.
SPECTACULAR CAREER,
OBrien's career during the war
was most spectacular. While mem
ber of the Canadian flying forces.
which he joincd before America en-
tered the war, he was shot down be-
hind the German lines and captured.
He was in German hospital for
many weeks, and after his recovery
was ordered to a prison camp.
While en- route to camp ne escaped
through the window OF a moving train
and made his way across Germany
to the Dutch frontier. burrowing his
way under the famous German wire
entanglement erected along the bor-
der
Since the war he had written a
book reciting hio war experiences and
had been in considerable demand as
q lecturer on war topics.
O'Brien was one OF tho very ccw
orators who succeeded in escaping
from the clutches OF the Hun. On his
return TO England he was granted
the longest interview with King
George that monarch had permitted
since the beginning of the war, hnv-
ing held the King spellbound for
ffty.nvc minutes.
The actual experiences OF ihis young
officer who was called Smiling
Pat" and who was but twcn'y.nino
years Of age, would inspire with envy
movie" director specializing in
faxed thrills.
To begin with O'Bricn was brought
down in his machine from n height
OF 5000 feet. lie survived this Plunge
only to become prisoner Of the Ger
mans.
Next he jumped from the train in
which he was being conveyed TO a
prison camp In the interior ot Ger
many. the rate Of speed OF the train
being no less than thirty-nve miles
an hour at the tine. After this he
spent seventy-two days crossing Ger.
man territory to Holland, most OF the
time crawling to avoid detection, and
,t.J In fulI nritIrh unifortn