The San Francisco call., 1896-12-12
FORGOT HIS DUTY.
Operator Hammond Ended an Unhappy
Life by Taking Poison.

Operator Hammond Ended an Unhappy
Life by Taking Poison.
OAKLAND, CAL, Dec. 11.-O. E. Ham
mond, an operator for the Associated
Presses, died early this morning as the
result of a does of poison. He was drink
ing last night and seemed to be we'll sup
piled with money. His last drink was
sodawater, after taking (which he fell back
as though in fainting fit. He was at
once taken to the Receiving Hospital and
the doctor pronounced it a case OF NOR
phine poisoning.
Hammond had wife and five children
living in Alameda A letter from his wife
was found in his pocket. which plainly
showed that he was spending in dissipa-
ton what should have gone for his wife
ana children.
One paragraph explains the rest. 1t
says: elf I should write what l have
thought for the past ten days you would
not care to read it. 1t is hard to be an OBJ
ject of charity when we ought to have
plenty and to spare | have paid out
every cent I had, expecting more, Of
course. Bena came over and found me
crying. We were out of fuel and two pay
days had gone by and not even a word
and [ had promised to pay for the gro
ceries and could rot.
1.-The rent collector has been here twice
and all'the other bills were going on.
will try to do my part, but there is one
thing you ought to do. After we get
down there you should give me the salary
each week and let me try to pay as we GO
along and keep out of debt. l did not
show the children the letter. They asked
to read it, but | burned it and made an
excuse to them that [ had put it away
somewhere"
The pitiful story was told at the inquest
held tonight.
High School Graduates.
OAKLAND, CAL, Dec. 1.-THE gradu-
ating exercises OF the Oakland High School
for Decor mber, 1896. will be held in the
gymnasium next Wednesday. The class
is as follows:
Grace Olive Dunsmoor. Bernice Young, Mar
tha Gabrielle Watts, Charles Stuart Ayres,
Lucia Mary Wallace, Lucy Eliza Wilcox, Anna
California Westdahl Lucy Crouch Vrooman,
Ethel Stein Valentine, Margaret Troil, Eu-
gene Wellington Roland, Bessie Palmer, Cath
crime Augustine McGovern, Elizabeth David
son Mcmillan, Helen Annette Morley, Olive
Louise Mccall, Anna Elizabeth Muma, Louise
Matilda Lisbon, Jennie Kinney Lennon, John
DIETRICH Hoffman, Clara May Hummer, Edna
Lowell Gardner, Edith Crane Fulton, Lula Ed
wards, Lille C. NJ. Flathmann, Arthur Erwin
Colby, Rose Bridges, Josephine Denise Fryer,
b.
Brustgruen, Mathiida Elizabeth Hartmann,
Blanche Amelia Perkins, Elsie Gertrude Brown,
Henry Smith, Louise Hinkley Whitehe ad,
Henrietta Ellen Heimbold.
Ruined by lotteries.
OAKLAND, CAL Dec. l1.-August
Lundbladt, the man who timed the ferry's
lifeboat some time ago while going to his
rescue in the bay, and whose dead body
was taken from the estuary on Wednes-
aH hu inn < -.
lottery. The winning completely turned
his head. be thought that by continuing
at the game he would soon be million
aire. For time he was accustomed to
play the Chinese lottery at the rate of
$500 a day. He soon lost all his money
through the game and dissipation, He
was single man about 35 years of age.
FarreIHs Claim Is Doubted.
OAKLAND, CAL, Dec. 1.-The story
published this morning in the teIegraphic
dispatches about John Farrell and James
Clinton OF Syracuse, N. Y, and about
their investment OF $48 in California which
is now worth $4,000, is not credited in
this city. w. R. Davis, who knows more
about the water front of Oakland than
any other attorney in the State, says there
is possibility of the man having good
title to the lot, but the probability is en-
tirely against any such thing.
Sawyer's Defense.
OAKLAND, CAL. Dec. 1I.-Attorney
Sawyer, whose conduct is under investl-
CATION by the Grand Jury in connection
with the litigation of the Dulcich estate,
has published long statement in his own
defense, in which he seeks to show that he
has done nothing outside the limits of
honor and decency in has profession. He
reviews the case at length, and claims that
h optinnq are above SIISDIciOQ.