The San Francisco call., 1899-07-20
Aged George Bailey Twice Attempted to End
His Sorrow at Her Suicide by
Taking His Own Lie.
The Tragedy That Followed That Night Of Wild
Reyelry at the French Ball eliminated in a
Decidedly Sensational Aftermath,

can be imagined when his sleep was
disturbed about $50 o'clock in the
morning by Florence Parkers summons
at the door
Bailey arose hastily and admitted
her. She pleaded once more to be TAX
en- back, but he refused. She told him
then. starting to leave, that she intend
ed to commit suicide. Something in
the manner of the girl alarmed her for
mer protector and he commenced plead
ing with her to do nothing so rash. She
was firm, however, and Bailey believed
that she would make away with her
self f she was not watched.
Wait a minute till 1 dress myself
he said, leaving her to go into his bed
room, and I'll go with you and talk
the whole thing yer"
He never saw her alive again. While
he was dressing she left nOiselessly and
he found her place vacant when he
went into the room a few minutes later.
alley returned to bed to sleep a
/ troubled sleep, which was broken the
second time by the arrival of a messen-
ger from Mrs. Parker. who said the liv-
eryman was wanted Immediately at the
hOuse-that Florence was very sick. 1t
took Bailey the shortest possible time
to reach 1419 DevisaderO street. fully
prepared as he was to hear that the girl
had tried to kill herself. He was not
prepared, however, for the announce
ment that met him at the door that she
was dead The man was completely
overcome and had to be supported into
! the room where she lay. He broke
/ completely down at sight of her body
and wept bitter tears.
AS soon as he could pull himself to-
gether Bailey made his way to his
rooms. where, as after events proved,
he set about the work of sclf-destruc-
ton Carefully locking the doors and
stuffing the cracks, he prepared for
death First of all he wrote a note in
which he admitted that he had killed
himself for love of Florence Parker
and asking that ne be buried at her
side. Then he turned on the gas. and
he having placed the note on table
where it could be seen by the first
conner, he doffed his coat and vest, took
from it's place on the mantel a photo
graph of the dead girl and, stretching
himself at full length on the bed, the
photograph resting on his breast, he
turned on the gas and prepared to die.
just in time to save his life. 1t was
his custom to appear at the stables
each morning between $3.50 and
O'Clock. Ten o'clock Saturday morn
ing having arrived and there being no
sign of him, the attaches came to the
conclusion that he was oversleeping
1t was decided to call him. and one OF
the stablemen went over to his rooms
at 10 Jones street for that purpose.
The man knocked on the door several
times. and getting no response, was on
the point. of leaving in the belief that
his employer was not in the rooms,
when he detected a strong odor of es-
Gaping gas A brief investigation con-
WINGED him that the poison was COM
ing from Bailey's room. He hurried
back to the stable and informed the
others of what he had discovered add
ing that if Bailey was in the room he
must be dead.
This information caused an alarm in
the stable, and three or four of the
men hurried over to the room in the
hope that they would arrive before it
was too late They broke in the door
and found their employer at full length
on the bed, purple in the face, gasping
for breath in the last stages of as
phyxiation. On his heaving breast
was the photo of Florence Parker, and
on the table was the note he had
penned before he turned on the gas
Dr. Mcneil was sent for at once,
and upon his arrival went to work
to resu@citate the dying liveryman.
The fact that he was dying had
soon spread among his friends, and
/
large number of callers at his
rooms, among those summoned being
| Lille Nelson, who had accompanied
Florence Parker to the French bali.
| She was sitting at the bedside when
the work of the physician began to
have it's effect and Bailey opened his
! eyes. The man was suffering intensely
/ and begged to be allowed to die.
| Florence was dead. he said. and
he had nothing more to live for.
II might have married Florence" he
sobbed, ''and this would not have hap
pened. 1 loved the girl. but I could not
stomach the idea of that fellow, Sig
| Bettman for a father-in-Iaw.'
His friends talked with him while the
| doctor worked away, and shortly after
12 O'Clock the Hveryman was pro-
nounced out of danger. He had calme6
down considerably, and, although tear
! full. announced that he would not again
| attempt his life. He insisted on hold
ing the hand of Miss Nelson and Of
! talking to her about the dead girl.
Notwithstanding Bailey's protestations
! that he would not seek sOlace for his
! sorrow in suicide, it was determined by
his friends that his condition was such
that he might try it at any time. 1t
| was decided, therefore. to place a