The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-10

D66ll Cdlleu d lonely L4dli'
Percival Selby, his younger brother and
a member of the firm, went to Stockton on
Friday and remained there over night.
The same night Ralph slept at his home,
took breakfast with his mother and sisters
as usual and left the house, presumably
for the Sansome-street office.
Percival arrived in the city by the early
train. about 1880 A. NJ, and went at once to
the Office where he left his satchel, and
then went down to the waterfront to at
tend to some freight business with relation
to small steamer which the firm had re-
Gently undertaken to operate between here
and Redwood City.
He did not get back to the Office until IL
o'clock, and at once saw that his brother
had not been there that day. He became
somewhat anxious, but business affairs
absorbed his attention.
AS Ralph had not put in an appearance
the brother went to lunch, returned and
was again absorbed in the details of his
Saturday afternoon business, expecting to
leave at the customary early hour OF that
day.
At 2 o'clock mail carrier tossed hand
fuI of letters upon his desk. He ran them
their importance, and leaving some I'M
opened.
One of them was addressed to him in the
familiar hand of his brother, and, relieved
with the thought that he had been sum-
moned from town and that this note would
explain his absence from the office during
the day, he broke it open.
There was but line addressed to "My
Dear Brother" and saying: 81 am tired
of life and have gone away to die.
The young man was in his Office alone,
and this message had come to him IN the
thick of the days business, taking the
slow course of the mail and in the company
of dozen others treating of most indiffer-
ent matters.
He read it over three or four times and
then rose up like man who has been sud
denly struck blind. 1t could not be
jole-that would be too CHASTITY. He
seemed to feel his way TO the door and
went out among the hurrying crowd OF the
Saturday afternoon half holiday.
Where was Ralph? That was the ques-
7 ton, and not one of these could answer it.
In the careless crowd he saw one at least
who would be interested. 1t was Seymour
hurried after and handed him letter. The
two men looked at each other and one of
them said: "Let US go to the Morgue."
The officers there knew nothing and the
two men were relieved to that extent
that there might be some mistake or some
hope They began to telephone from the
Coroner's office to all their friends i'll reach
of the wife-the mother on Buchanan
street, the brother in Oakland, the sisters
at Menlo Park. None of them had heard
OF Ralph.
They were at the wire long time. Cen
trail, after time, cut in and asked if that
was the Coroner Office.
Yes"
''Is it the Coroner?"
''No; who wants him?'
Just here another voice struck in: "Is
this the Coroner's officer"
Yes"
This is the Merchants Exchange. Our
Point Lobos station tells US they have a
dead man out there-shot himself just now
through the temple. He is lying on the
hillside above the beach,"
Perciyal Selby handed the receiver to
Church and leaning against the wall, said:
ask him who it is"
There was a short colloquy between
Church and the man in the Merchants
Exchange and then Church hung up the
receiver.
Percival Selby fell down in a chair. His
friends and the deputies held him and
tried to comfort him, but the man had lost
his brother, and the suddenness of it must
be allowed to find its own relief.
They called a carriage and drove him to
his mothers home, and there the terrible
news was broken-the news of the letter
that had tarried too long.
There is no one to tell the story of what
Ralph Selby did in those hours of the
morning from the time he left his mothers
house until O'Clock, when he sat down on
the hillside overlooking the ocean beach,
near Point Lobos lookout, and placed re-
volver to his head and fell dead.
At the same hour his brother was hurry
ing through the thoughtless crowd on
Sansome street with his warning letter in
his hand.
Some boys-Richard Tietzen of 1916
Folsom street, and William Frost of 1887
Mission street-heard the shot from where
they were on the railroad track above, and
ran down.
They saw what had happened, and one
of them called Officer P. Schafer, who
stood guard over the body till the Morgue
wagon came.
There was nothing on the body that
offered any explanation. There was a
bundle of business papers-the mere Incl
dents of his business.
Among them was certificate of deposit
in the name of J. Prentiss Smith in the
Bank of California for SOL Al.
The body was taken to the Morgue, but
soon after, by instructions of friends, was
taken to an undertaking establishment.
None of the relatives called to see it.
The home on Buchanan street was
closed against all but the nearest friends
and relatives. The family remained alone
with its grief. The suicide comes upon all
the relatives and friends of the deceased as
complete surprise. Save that he had been
dissipating somewhat of late, they say
there was absolutely no reason.
He was in good health and circum-
stances, and his sudden turn from life of
quiet taste and habits was looked upon as
something that would mass after a hrief