Word was received here yesterday morning by telephone,
announcing the sudden death of F.M. Brady at Rye the night
before, from heart failure. Mr. Brady is one of the pioneers
of Arizona and the father of Mrs. Lee Walker of this place.
His son, John was on his way to Tempe with a bunch of cattle
and Mr. Walker hurried out to meet him and give him the sad
news. Mr. Brady, upon learning of it, immediately returned to
his home. The funeral arrangements have not been announced but
internet will probably be made there.
M.J. BRADY
March 26, 1909
M.J. Brady, whose residence has been at 244 South Second Street,
died yesterday morning after a long illness of a kidney
affection. He had been feeling better for a day or two and
Wednesday evening prepared for a good night's rest retiring
at rather an early hour. In the morning he was found dead in
bed by a daughter. A physician was summoned but he was
already far beyond human aid and as no one was in attendance
when he died, Coroner Johnstone was notified. The jury found
that death resulted from natural causes. The funeral will be
held this morning at 9 o'clock under the ceremonies of the
Catholic church. The dead man was 51 years old and a native
of Syria. He had lived in Phoenix twenty years and is survived
by his wife and four children. He was engaged in merchandising
all his life.
ANSEL M. BRAFF
July 5, 1909
Ansel M. Bragg, the first grand master of the Masonic Lodge in
Arizona, a tireless worker and one of the pioneers of the
territory, died at Garavanza, Calif. last Thursday from a
stroke of paralysis. Most of his time was spent in Tucson
while he lived in the territory.
BOB BRAWLEY
July 11, 1909
Robert Brawley, a man past middle life, died Sunday afternoon at
2:30 o'clock in the annex to the Alhambra Hotel, of heart disease
and was buried at 4 o'clock in the Mesa Cemetery. Death came as a
climax to a prolonged indulgence in alcoholic spirits. It would
seem that the interment took place with a promptitude that was
rather unusual but the local health officer made careful
examination of the conditions and gave permission for
interment. Life was unquestionably extinct before action
was taken in that direction and as the deceased had no
relatives or others personally interested, there was no
occasion for delaying the funeral. He was without funds
and the expense of the funeral were defrayed by local
contributions.
Bob Brawley as he was familiarly called, was a laboring man and
had been employed in the vicinity of Mesa for two or three years
on the transmission line and elsewhere. Though his position was
a humble one his personality was interesting and while he had
no intimate personal friends, he had no enemies and all who
knew him felt rather more than the usual interest in a casual
acquaintance. He was a man of sunny disposition, an Irishman
by birth. No one who knew him thought of passing him without
speaking even if only to hear his ready and witty reply. He
came from Ireland about forty years ago and until coming west
a few years ago, lived most of the time in the Lehigh, Pa.
coal fields.
MAY BRENINGER
January 3, 1909
The death of a young and promising person always has an added
pang by reason of its unseemliness. Even more deplorable is
such a death when it is also unexpected and comes with a
shocking suddenness as in the case of May Breninger, the only
daughter of Mrs. G.F. Breninger, which occurred yesterday
morning at 3:30 o'clock. May had not been well for sometime
but her condition did not seem to be serious until a day or
so when acute diabetes was rapidly developing and death
followed a confinement of only one day to her bed in the
family home on North Sixth Avenue near Bennett Lane. She
was a remarkably bright child and a popular pupil among
all her playmates of the Central School which she attended,
being in Miss Thomas' room. It was only a year or two ago
that the family was bereaved by the death of husband and
father and this affliction falls with great severity on the
sorrowing mother, her two surviving brothers and grandmother,
who now comprise the family circle. The funeral will be held
this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock in the parlors of G.F. Merryman
and interments will be in the old Masonic Cemetery.
MRS. JACK BRENNAN
Feb. 4, 1909
By her carefully planning her own death by four different means,
Mrs. Jack Brennan, 60 years of age, shot herself just above the
heart at her home at 1107 South Third Avenue early yesterday
morning.
As the woman was uncertain in her mind just which method of
suicide would be preferable is shown from the elaborate and
varied preparations she made for the act. On the sewing machine
at the foot of the bed where she was found, was a razor with
stout cord bound about the lower part of the blade so that it
would not bend back when forcibly used. On the window sill,
near the sewing machine, was a half filled bottle of chloroform.
It was undoubtedly one of the means for self extermination that
the woman pondered over. That she contemplated drowning herself
in the river is known from a letter addressed to her husband,
which was found lying by her side. While the letter was not
opened, a part of its contents could be discerned through the
thin paper of the envelope. A part of the message read, "I
shall go down to the river and drown myself." It was her
intention when she wrote the letter to walk down to the river,
which is not so far from the house, and end her troubles.
Perhaps the walk to the river in the darkness deterred her and
turned her to other methods. She finally disrobed, got into
bed and shot herself in the left breast with her husband's 33
caliber revolver.
Mrs. Brennan was alone in the house at the time, her husband,
Jack Brennan being employed as a teamster at the Glendale Sugar
Factory. Mrs. Brennan had been ill for a year and it is though
that despondency over her illness was the chief cause of the deed.
The body of the woman was discovered about noon yesterday by John
Buckley, a teamster who lives next door.
Buckley has been in the habit of taking care of Mrs. Bennan's
cow. When Mrs. Brenan did not appear at the Buckley home
yesterday morning to get the milk, as was her custom, Mr. and
Mrs. Buckley went over to investigate. They found the doors
locked and the shades drawn. By lifting a screen, Buckley
got into the house and found Mrs. Brennan lying dead in bed
with the quilt dawn up close about her. He notified the police
station. Officer McGarr responded and called up Coroner
Johnstone who impaneled a jury to view the body. The revolver
was found close to the woman's right hand. It contained four
cartridges, one of which had been exploded. Dr. Wylie made an
examination and found that the bullet had passed completely
through the woman's body and lodged in the mattress beneath.
The inquest will be held today at 9 am.
Mr. and Mrs. Brennan are well known in Phoenix, having lived
here many years. For a long time, Brennan was employed by John
T. Dunlap, but of late has been working at Glendale.
The Brennan Inquest
Feb. 5, 1909
The coroner's jury in the case of the death of Mrs. Jack Brennan,
yesterday found a verdict of suicide, the conditions not being
materially different from the previously published accounts. Mr.
Brennan said his wife's name was Jenette and that she had been
ill about seven years. The letter heretofore mentioned was a
very brief one and there as little that was not read through
the envelope. It was addressed as follows: "Mr. Jack Brennan
in care of Buckley, please hand this to Jack, my husband."
Within was a small slip of paper from a memo pad of the Mutual
Life Insurance Co. and on it was written only "I killed myself
to get out of misery. Mrs. Brennan." Then she had added below
the signature, "going the river to drowned."
LEO BRIZZEE
November 9, 1909
Leo Brizzee died Sunday evening about eight o'clock at the
home of his mother, Mrs. Ann Brizzee. He was taken ill Thursday
night with what appeared to an attack of la grippe, and on
Friday was reported doing nicely. On Saturday he commenced to
grow worse and Sunday evening he died. He had been sleeping and
the family had left the room, leaving Willie Kimball, a close
friend, watching. Mr. Kimball noticed he was changing and
called to the relatives but before they could get to the room
he was gone.
He was the youngest son of the family, being twenty four years
old the first of last August. His father, H.W. Brizzee, died
eleven years ago. Besides his mother, he leaves three sisters,
Mrs. J.D. Robertson, Mrs. W.H. Newell and Mrs. M.I. Pomeroy
and three brothers, Everett, Arthur and Henry.
He was well known in the Salt River Valley. He was a loveable
character and bore a good reputation among his hosts of friends
who are shocked at the sudden taking away of one of the best
known young men in the community.
The funeral was held from his late residence yesterday
afternoon, Bishop J.L. Horn officiating. The remains were
followed by a large number of sincere mourners.
