POSED AS BARONET

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 594, 27 July 1933, Page 7

POSED AS BARONET

suicide of bridegroom polloiwing lightning courtship. DRAMATIC DISCLOSURES j Swift tragedy, whicb ended a strange romance, has caused a tremendous sensation in the British colony of Kenya, East Afriea. The day after his wedding in Nairohi to a London igirl, a yoRhg settler, who posed as a , baronet, sliot himseif at the ho'tel where he had planned to spend the honeymoon with his ibride. Police inqniries led. to dramatic diselosures, it being revealed that the' vicfim was the a'dventurous son of an antique dealer. The principal figure in this extraordinary drama was Ronald Turnover Brewer, who had posed as Sir Ronald Turnour-Brewer. This self-styled "Sir," who had visiting cards printed in title form, was introduced to Miss Margery Smith, sister of the son-in-law of Brigadier-General Sir Joseph Byrne, Governor of Kenya. There followed a lightning courtship, and after five days' acquaintance Brewer proposed. He was accepted at 10 o'clock at night, and ■arrangements were made for the couple's civil marriage at the district commissioner's office at noon next day. The bride arrived for the wedding in a Gffvernment House car in the company of Lady Bryne, who attended the ceremony. Brewer Found Lying Dead. After the wedding the bride left with friends, and Brewer proc'eeded to the hotel, where he booked rooms. Later he went in search of his wife, and found that she had gone to a country township named Thika, about 30 miles away. It was subsequently revealed that she had told Brewer that as she was a Roman Catholic she refused to consider the civil wedding as sufficient, and would wait until she had heen married in a church before joining him. It was at nightfall that guests at the hotel were startled by the report of a shot( > Attenda.nts ruished to Brewer's room, where he was discovered lying dead across the bed, with a bullet wound in the head. Police inquiries in connection with the tragedy revealed that "Sir Ronald Turnour-Brewer" was an imposter. It was established that he was the eldest of five children of an antique dealer, who, before his death, lived at Sheen, Surrey. Relatives in London reeeived a cableigram from Brewer stating that he had been married. "This came as a surprise, as we had no news that he was even engaged." explained a brother in an intervigjv. "My brother worked for my father when he left school. I rather think that his association with antiques encouraged his somewhat romantic ideas about his ancestors. He made many researches into the family history, and definitely had an idea. that he had some claim to a title," Young Widow Sobs»at Inquest. The young widow sobbed as she told the story of her tragic romance at the inquest on her husband. Evidence showed that the dead man h'eld in his right hand an automatic pistol. He was also holding two pieces of a torn wedding photograph, a hunch of flowers ,and a note from his wife, who had left him immediately after the wedding breakfast. Witnesses stated that Brewer claimed that his grandfather, whose name was stated t0 be "von Gothenheim," had a British title whic'h was taken away from him. After the grandfather 's death Brewer's uncle had appealed on the subject of the title to the Privy Council, but nothing was settled, so when his uncle died Brewer assumed the title. It was stated that decaased was found shot half-an-hour after receiving a message from his wife saying that the marriage had been too hasty, and that she must consider matters carefully.