The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-31
COULD NOT LIVE
WITHOUT HIM.
Belle Meinert Shoots Her
self in Her Lovers
Presence.
THE WOUND NOT FATAL
Drew a Pistol From Her Pocket
and Fired a Bullet Into
Her Breast.
THIS Is HER SECOND ATTEMPT
Both Parents Objected 10 Their Mar.
riage and Joe Cuneo, Her Lover,
Got Tired of Her.
THIS Is HER SECOND ATTEMPT

Belle Meinert q pretty girl about q years
Of age, attempted to commit suicide last
night in the presence of her lover, Joseph
Cuneo, by shooting herself under the left
breast.
Cuneo is about 20 years of age and lives
with his father, carpenter, at 2433 How
ard street. He met the girl about eight
months ago and soon afterward gave her
an engagement ring.
Cuneo's parents objected to the girl as
the future wife of their son, and she be-
came aware of the fact. Last Tuesday, in
her fathers grocery and saloon, on TWEEN
ty-third and Vermont streets, she at
tempted to shoot Cuneo, declaring that
she would kill him and herself, but was
disarmed by Policeman Doherty, who
happened to be passing the store at the
time.
About 10 o'clock last night the girl met
Cuneo. They walked along Howard street
talking about the objections to their mar
riage. and when they were between
Twenty-second and Twenty third streets
Cuneo told her that they would have to
part.
She gave him her purse and gloves, and
Ounce asked what was the matter with
her. She replied, II am, going to kill
myself" and pulled revolver out of her
pocket. He jumped back, thinking she
would fire at him, but she fired at her left
breast and fell to the sidewalk.
Policeman John Connolly heard the
shots. He ran toward them and asked
the girl who shot her. She replied: II
did," Connolly picked up from the ground
dropped from her hand, and on searching
her pocket found 32-caliber revolver and
number of cartridges.
Connolly rang for the patrol wagon and
sent the girl to the City and County Hos
pital, where DR.. Dudley found that the
bullet had entered the left breast and ex-
pressed the opinion that the girl would
soon be all right again.
Cuneo was taken to the Seventeenth
street station, but after making his state
ment to Lieutenant Burke, and subse-
quently to Captain Gillen, he was dis
charged.
II never intended to marry her." said
Ounce. 81 met her about eight months
ago and gave her an ngagement-ring to
folly her along. She often told me that
she was fonder of me than she had been
of any other man, and If | did not marry
her she would be corpse and so would L.
"After her attempt to shoot me last
Tuesday l was afraid when she pulled out
the pistol tonight that she intended to
SuOOb lie uESt. tO10 uSr iALenuSO BAf-
ing her the shake and 1 suppose that
was what made her shoot herself.
my parents would not let me marry
her, and I had no intention myself OF
doing so. After 1 became acquainted with
her learned of her past life, and that set
tied me.''
The girl, when spoken to at the hospital,
admitted shooting herself. She was
averse to talking, but said that her parents
objected to her marrying Cuneo and she
determined to die rather than live without
him.
The girl lives with her parents at 1912
Nebraska street. It is said she became en-
amored of another man four years ago and
has baby 3 years old. This is supposed
to be what Ounce learned of her past life.