Mrs. Burden Brownell (d. 1898)

BROWNELL, ANDRES

Posted By: Dorothy Gosse (email)
Date: 11/23/2002 at 18:11:40

Dubuque, July 9 - The dead body of Mrs. Burden Brownell lies in the home of her father, Claus Andres, 515 Windsor Avenue, this city. The gash in the dead woman's head caused by a bullet, explains in part the reason for her death.

Mrs. Brownell was murdered by her husband, who shot her, and then turned the revolver upon himself, sent a bullet into his own brain. His wife's would did not prove fatal until Thursday. The husband died with a few hours after the tragedy without regaining consciousness. He never knew that the bullet that he aimed at his wife's head would not cause her death until more than two weeks later. He shot to kill her immediately, and that he did not is only because his aim was bad.

The tragedy occurred in Oelwein on the evening of June 22. Surgeons who attended Mrs. Brownell after the shooting declared the wound to her head was not a serious one. She remained in Oelwein and suffered little agony from her injury. After the dead body of her husband had been laid away she came to Dubuque intending to spend the remainder of her days with her parents.

Shortly after her arrival here, however, the wound broke out afresh and gave her new agony. A surgeon who attended her sought to ease the pain, but all efforts proved unavailing. Mrs. Brownell weakened gradually until her life was despaired of.

from Oelwein Register - July 13, 1898