The record-union., 1896-07-25
GRUESOME DAY AT THE
SAN FRANCISCO MORGUE.
Ne Less Than Five Suicides Reported to
the Coroner in One Day.
One of Them Albert Stetson, Who Shot
and Killed Himself
The North San Juan Road Highway
man Attempts to Hold Up Picture
Agent, But Went Away Empty
Handed--Forest Fires Still Burn
ing in British Columbia.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24.-To-day
marked the busiest day the Morgue has
seen since 1893. No less than five SUI
c!des were reported to Coroner HaW-
kins or his deputies. The best previous
record was three years ago, when seven
Unfortunates leaped into the great be-
yond.
The first was the case of Albert Stet-
son. Three hours later the body of Mrs.
Olsen was found, she having turned on
the gas and then quietly stretched her
self on the bed to wait deaths coming
AT II o'clock an unknown man killed
himself in Golden Gate Park, and at 8
O'Clock in the afternoon Jacob Bill,
well-to-do butcher living at 212 Minna
street, followed suit by blowing the top
of his head off. AT ; O'Clock the body
of an unknown man was found floating
IN the bay.
Altogether it was a grewsome day.
and one that the Morgue officials are
not likely to forget.
ALBERT STETSON KILLS HIMSELF
SAN FRANCISCO, July PA L.
Stetson, the son of James B. Stetson,
the millionaire hardware merchant and
railroad President, shot and killed him
self ait l o'clock this morning.
His tragic act was committed under
the most sensational circumstances, in
the apartments of his most intimate
friend and associate, Fred Webster.
which are located at 235 Post street, at
the corner of Grant avenue.
What reason prompted him to take
his life is unknown, and, according TO
the statement of DR.. P. J. H. Farrell,
who was called in Immediately after the
shooting, there is ground for belief that
the fatal shot may have been acciden-
tai.
One thing, however, is certain, and
that is he had contemplated suicide ear
her in the evening, as win be shown by
the statement of a young woman, Miss
Amy Head, his only companion at the
time when the fatal shot was fired.
Miss Head declares that during the en-
tire evening he seemed to be in a melan-
choly mood, and although he assigned
no reason for his threats, that he fire.
quently expressed his determination to
end his life, and once went SO far as to
say that he thought that no better time
could be selected than last night.
Last night with a party of friends
Stetson and Miss Head attended the
performance at the Orpheum. after
which they adjourned to a neighboring
cafe, where supper was served.
They separated little after II o'clock
and Stetson and Miss Head started to
the home of the latter, whose rooms
We're directly under those occupied by
Webster.
AS both Miss Head and Stetson had
keys to Webster's rooms, they entered
to see that all was right. While Miss
Head was in one room, she heard shot
in the adjoining apartment where she
had left Stetson for a moment. She
found Stetson unconscious on the floor.
He had shot himself directly through
the brain. The bullet had passed from
the right temple diagonally through the
skull emerging from behind the left ear.
physician was summoned, but as
Stetson was plainly dying, DR.. Farrell,
who responded to the call, tried to reach
Stetsons relatives by telephone
His father is at Lake Tahoe and his
brother Harry at San Rafael. and the
only relative who could be found was
Charles Hugg, who was at the Pacific
Union Club.
Hugg, DR.. Farrell and Miss Head were
with Stetson when ne died, at ) o'clock
this morning.