The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-04
FRENCH COMMITTED SUICIDE
THE EN-POLICE COMMISSIONER OF
 NEW YORK SHOT HIMsELF.

He Was the Friend of President Arthur and a Member of Il Famous Ring Which Controlled Republican Politics-Finan- clal Embarrassment Given as the Cause of His Deed.
 New York, Feb. S.--Stephen B. French, e,x- commissioner of police and for years one of the leaders in republican politics in this city, committed suicide at his home, on the southwest corner of the Boulevard and One Hundred and For tieth street, shortly after 10 o'clock this morning. He used a SS-calibre, self cooking Smith & Wesson revolver. He shot himself in the left breast, directly over the heart.
 He lived fifteen minutes after he gave himself his mortal wound. He was conscious during a portion of this tlms, but spoke to no one For a week past MT. French had appeared worrled ana Respondent. Business speculauons nave turned out extremely unfavoiable' He did not attempt to conceal his trouoleS from his family.
 Last night, however, his reverses or the week had apparently been lllteu from his mind. He was unusually bright in his talk. He seemed happy ana cheerful, and in the best of spirits. lie read the papers and chatted with the different members of his household as though he hadn't a care in the Worla. He went to bed about Il D. m.
 SUICIDE DISCOVERED BY HIS
 WIFE.
 His wife left him in his bedroom this morning about $50 o'clock.
 She went down stairs to the break fast table and waited there for him. When he did not appear at 10 o'clock she went upstairs again to his room He was then facing his shoes, and said that he would be down in about a min ute. She left him.
 This was the last time he spoke to her. Mrs. French returned to the break fast table. At the end of another ten minutes she became worried. For the third time she journeyed upstairs.
 The room was filled with the smoke of burning powder MT. French was ly- ing face down on the floor at the side of the bed His wife rushed to him. She saw immediately what he had done. She screamed and gave the alarm. A servant came to her help. Together they lifted the wounded man and plac- ed him on the bed.
 The hysterical cries of the women att tracted the attention of Policeman Thomsen and Roundsman Neeham of on6 TNNa11 VT. fifth street station. Thomsen went to the bedside of the dying man, while the roundsman notified Dr. Franklyn of the Montefiore home, which was less, than a block away.
 Dr. F'ranklyn dropped what he was doing and was with MT. French in less than five minutes. He was soon fol- lowed by Dr. Leewald of the Manhattan hospital. When Dr. Franklyn arrived MT. French was still alive He opened his eyes once, groaned, and then died without saying a word to any one.
 "When I came to his room at ten o'clock" cried Mrs. French hysterically. T asked him why he didn't come down. I'll be down in a minute he answered. Those were his last words"
 The doctors could do nothing of course. MT. French died at 1915 a. m. His night gown was the sole garment he wore. Under mantel at a little d's- tance was found the revolver. The man had apparently shot himself as he sat on the edge of the bed. With the strength that remained to him he had thrown the revolver away.
 There was no blood either on the bed or on the carpet where he had fallen.
 Stephen B. French was born at River head on January 16, 1929 He had cruised through the South Pacific on three years whaling voyage, had dug gold in California, run an express, a line of vessels to the Sandwich Islands, even hotel on the Pacific shore.
 His father, Peter French, was of the old Huguenot stock, exiled to Canada; his mother of sturdy Dutch descent While yet a boy Stephen went on Q three years cruise on the whaling ves- sel, Aoasta, from Sag Harbor, and de- termined to follow that way of living thereafter. But, finding his father dead upon his return in 1S47, he yielded to the entreaties of his mother and set tied down in the unromatic pursuit of Keeping a country store at home.
 Not for long, however. The news of the discovery of gold in California came eighteen months later, and French at once joined band of argonauts that set sail from Sag Harbor in the schoon- CT Sabina early in 1849. They doubled Cape Horn in safety and reached port among the first corners to the gold fields.
 For the next four years French dug gold, ran hotel in San Francisco, 9 vessel to the Sandwich Islands, and operated an express route on land by turns. He made and lost two or three fair sized fortunes. The life suited him exactly. He was by instinct gambler always.
 In 1854, on one of his trips to the Sandwich Islands, he ran across an American schooner there commanded by another French, who proved to be his long lost brother. The brother was homeward bound, and Stephen, having just then nothing better to do, joined him. They got to Sag Harbor together, and that was Stephens last voyage.
 In 1868 he was first appointed county treasurer Of Suffolk county to fill a va cancy The following year he was elected, and reelected in 1872. His friends bore him through trilmphantly In 1878 he was defeated for congress