The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-01
He Suicides Over the Grave of
His Mistress.
HE LONG CONTEMPLATED THE ACT
Friend Tried to Dissuade Hmm Con
STAINS Much Moved at the News-Aband-
oned by Former Adherents.


tendant who stood near by suddenly heard
sharp report in that direction. Rushing
to the spot the attendant found General
Boulanger lying dead upon the ground
with revolver clenched In his right hand.
Examination of the body showed the dead
man had placed the weapon to his right
ear and fired the shot. The affair caused
great excitement here and some commU-
ton among the generals followers in
Paris. The police and dead mans friends
here have taken possession of his lodgings.
The generals position, financial and
political, has been getting blacker and
blacker recently. He had no hopes for the
future and his remaining friends were few
and becoming colder as the once famous
general dropped more and more out of
public notice. There is no doubt the gen
eral was conscious of these facts and they
preyed upon his mind. Coupled to this was
the morbid love or infatuation which he
mad Tor his dead mistress, to whom he was
greatly attached. The body of the dead
man was taken to his late residence in this
city.
This evening friends admit recently he
frequently openly svowed q desire for
death and it is even added the general sew
eral times of late made attempts to take his
own life. The consequence has been he has
been watched closely as possible by friends
who remained loyal. Even they, however,
appear to have grown tired of their task
and warned the generals niece and the
latter's husband. The niece and her hus-
band arrived few days ago and the first
thing they did was to cause all weapons to
be taken away and hidden. General Bou-
LANCER must have noticed the precautions
and managed to secure and hide the pistol
with which he shot himself. Boulanger,
according to stories told this evening, made
no secret of his WEAKNESS of life since the
collapse OF his party, and particularly so
since the death of Nine de Bonnemaine.
His friends now recall the fact that when
the coffin lid was finally closed over the re
mains OF his mistress, he kept on repeating
aloud, In heart-broken tones: ''Au revoir."
Every day about o'clock in the after
noon, since her death, Boulanger has gone
to the cemetery and deposited handsome
floral emblem upon her grave. He would
stay by the grave, sometimes for an hour,
either engaged in prayer or deep thought
The family was surprised when this morn
ing they heard him order the landau much
earlier than usual. Nobody, however.
seems to have had the slightest idea he in
tended to commit suicide.
Stopping in Brussels at the present time
Is one Of Boulanger's most attached ad-
he came from Paris upon receipt of letter
from Boulanger about q week ago an
nouncing he intended to commit suicide at
an early date. Dutins came to Brussels
for the express purpose of endeavor1ng to
persuade the general to alter his mind.
Dntins and his leader had several long in
terviews, during which the former did his
utmost to persuade the general he
should abandon such morbid
10
alarmed after his departure this morning,
sent for Dutlns, and together they started
for the cemetery. In the meantime General
Boulanger had left the landau at the gate
OF the cemetery and walked slowly and
calmly to the tomb of Nine de Bonnemaine.
He remained there some time in deep
thought and was afterwards seen slowly
walking around the cemetery still thinking
deeply. Contrary to first reports received
Of the affair, the general must have walked
about the cemetery for nearly an hour and
half before he returned to Nine. de Bon
nemaine's tomb. All reports agree in the
statement that as soon as the general
reached the tomb the second time he i'm
mediately placed pistol to his head and
shot himself. The report of the revolver
was heard by the coachman, who was
driving the generals landau, and by the
valet who accompanied the suicide to the
cemetery. They both rushed to Nine. de
Bonnemaine's tomb and there found the
general quite dead, lying across her grave.
Death must have been instan taneoua.
AS the police were bearing the generals
body away from the tomb of his mistress
with the intention Of placing it in tue Ian
dau for conveyance to Brussels, the dead
mans niece, accompanied by NJ Dutins.
reached the cemetery. The niece tainted
upon hearing the news and Dutins' grief
at being too late to save the life of his friend
was excessive. The corpse has been pre-
pared for burial, but is only being viewed
by intimate friends of the family. The lat
ter unanimously desire the funeral should
be of the most simple order. Some of the
generals POLITICALLY friends are in favor of
public demonstration. The corpse reposes
upon table, draped with black cloth. The
remains are clad in a black frock coat.
upon the breast of which are several
decorations, notably the cross of the Legion
of Honor, conferred upon the general after
he had been wounded in 1869 at Turbipo in
Algeria when lieutenant.
The wounds in the temples caused by the
fatal shot have been hidden by pieces of
broad, white silk ribbon, so pasted as to al
most completely conceal the cause of death.
Relatives persistently decline to furnish
the public with any definite information as
to written declarations which he left be-
hind him. Boulanger left will and poIiti-
cal testament in his desk. 1t is stated the
| latter declares mistaken confidence in his
party, enioins his friends to prosecute the
great aims he always had in view and as
cribes his own death solely to inconsolable
grief over the loss Of Nine. de Bonnemaine.
The funeral will probably take place Sun
| day afternoon, The generals mother, aged
eighty-six, is still irm in the belief that her
son went TO fete and has not vet re-
| turned.
| Shortly after Nine. de Bonnemaine,s
death General Boulanger's wife wrote.
offering to forgive the general and share his
exile, but her letter remained unanswered.
Towards the end Of August, after violent
paroxism OF grief, Boulanger laborouslv
with penknife, GA bientot, Marguerite +"
From that day he was changed man. He
became emaciated and haggard almost be-
yond recognition. Upon learning of the
suicide, Prince Victor Bonaparte called and
remained at the residence for half an dour.
A large photograph of Nine de Bonnemaine
was found under Boulanger's clothiog next
to his heart.
In addition to the photograph of Mime.
De Bonnemaine, a lock of white hair WOW
en- into the shape of heart was found next
to Boulanger's heart. The general mad
written long letter to his mother. an
nouncing his departure on long VOYAGE
and bidding her not to be uneasy His re-
mark in presence Of his valet, "Though /
am abandoned by everybody, still know
what to do" appears to confirm the report
that the real cause Of his suicide was the
stoppage few days ago Of political subsI-
dies from supporters, indicating that his
career was finished.
1t is rumored that the archbishop of Ma
lines refused to authorize religious sery-