Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-04
Decide Youth Swallowed
Roach Powder to Take Own
Life After Party.
ROOMMATE BELIEVED
ADMISSION WAS JOKE
Charles F. Brandler Was Found
Lying in Bath Room Early
Yesterday Morning.

Charles F. Brandler, 23-year-old
Georgetown University law student, who
was found dead early yesterday in the
bath room of his apartment at Clifton
Terrace, after a drinking party, came
to his death from taking poison with
suicidal intent, according to the verdict
of coroner's jury at the morgue this
afternoon.
While four young men, most of them
college students, and as many young
business women testified concerning de-
tails Of the party, only one could give
firSt-hand information of how young
Brandler came to his death.
Girls Had Gone Home.
The latter witness, Peter Toner, who
occupied the apartment with Brandler
and another young man, said Brandler
came into the living room from the
bath room about O'Clock, and at least
an hour after the girls and other mem
bers of the party went home. Toner
said young Brandler had done consider
able drinking throughout Sunday, and
that he held up pharmacists box as
he appeared, saying, Look here, Peter,
I've just taken some of this"
Toner said the others manner led
him to believe he was joking. 81 exam
ined the box" Toner said, land 1t was
half full of roach powder. begged
Brandler to tell me the truth, and al
though I did not believe he had swal-
lowed it gave him first-aid treatment
and asked him to go to bed. Believing
him to be all right, went to bed my
self. We were getting up the next morn
ing when Brandler's brother, Francis,
came and told me Brandler was lying
face down in the bath ROOM"
Physician Was Summoned.
1--WE put him to bed and called DR..
Paul A. Calfeld OF the Children's
Hospital staff, a lifelong friend of
Brandler,s. We did not know it at
the time, but Brandler was dead then
The doctor told us as soon as he
came"
Coroner J. Ramsay hewitt questioned
Toner and Brandler'S younger brother,
student at Catholic University, in an
effort to learn why medical assistance
was not summoned when they heard of
Brandler's having swallowed the potion.
Francis Brandler testified he did not
hear his brother make the assertion,
but had it secondhand from Toner
shortly after. He said, like Toner, he
refused to believe his brother had swal-
lowed the powder.
Both young men said there had been
quite a few friends in and out of the
apartment from about IL o'clock Sum
day morning until 2 O'Clock Monday
morning. A midnight Saturday, Toner
said, he had an alteration with three
young men in the lobby of the apart
ment building after they had refused
to move the automobile from in front
Of the building when he sought to drive
from the curb.
Policeman Restores Quiet.
An officer from the eighth precinct,
Ruby Donalds, told the jury policeman
his precinct to investigate disturbance.
He said things had quoted down when
the policeman arrived.
In his testimony Toner denied that
there had been any argument in the
apartment. He said he returned up
stairs for assistance when the three men
refused to remove their car to let him
out of his parking place.
At that time, he said, he suggested
that the five young women who were at
tending the party go home in a taxicab,
and they concurred in this. Toner then
went back downstairs with some COM
panions, but the three men had gone.
Young Brandler and Toner shared the
apartment with Charles Hommell, who
testified he went to bed about IL o'clock.
Hommell is a student at the Lewis Hotel
Training School. Francis Brandler had
come to town to visit his brother, and
decided to spend the night when he
thought 1t was too late to return to the
Catholic University campus.