The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-09
SHOT HIMSELF
WHILE CRAzED
THROUGH DRINK
Attempted Suicide of
Guy II. Borland.
BULLET IN THE ABDOMEN
WALKED THE STREETS HOURS
THOUGH WOUNDED.
The Unfortunate Youth Well Known
About Town and Is the Son of
Prominent Busines~
Man.

Temporarily craZed by liquor, young
Guy II. Borland, one of the best known
of the very young set who tread the
primrose path, sent a bullet into his body
last Tuesday afternoon and is now lying
in the Waldeck Hospital. The would-be
suicide is son OF James II. Borland,
general agent of the National Surety
Company, with offices at 30S and 800 Claus
Spreckels building. Besides being no.
tary public, young Borland has been
clerlling for his father, and it was in the
private office of the company that the
desperate youth fired the bullet that
narrowly missed a fatal course.
The elder Borland is at present in the
East and Guy has been travelling the
downward path for some time. Although
only a year or two past his majority, he
has been a familiar figure in the tender
loin for many months.
For the past two or three weeks, how
ever, his friends say he has been drink
ing to an unusual extent, and had de-
Veloped an appetite for abSinthe, which he
consumed in large quantities.
The inevitable woman in the case ap-
pears in the person of commanding
blonde, who has been an almost daily
visitor at young Borland S office of late.
A few days ago the young man intro
duced her TO an acquaintance as his wife.
The friend was surprised. as the woman
appeared to be Borland's senior by sew
eral years. To other friends Borland
spoke of her as his wife, and said he had
married her only a few days ago.
Tuesday afternoon Borland entered the
outer office, where two young lady stem
ographers were at work. He appeared to
be considerably under the influence OF
liquor, but aside from that there was
nothing unusual in his appearance. Bor-
land passed into the private office, locking
the door behind him. 1t was then about
$50 o clock.
The two stenographers thought nothing
of this and continued with their work,
when they were startled by the report OF
a pistol coming from the private once;
They summoned assistance from some OF
the adjacent offices, but it was Impossible
to effect an entrance, as the door opening
into the hall was bolted as well as tn9
other one. The janitor was sent for, ana
Just as he was about to force an entrance
the door opening into the hall swung open
and young Borland walked out: ..>-o
SITS all right" he exclaimed: NO
body's hurt" and he entered the elevator
and went up into the cafe. He was p3ler
than usual and his vest vas con isi olE
and showed no sign of being wounded
After a time Borland went down stairs,
accompanied by the colored Once poy' ne
stopped in the lobby of the building and
spoke to the janitor, who advised nm 10
get some fresh air and he would feel bet
In the meantime, after Borland opened
the office door and went up 10 the cafe,
the room was searched and an old-faSh-
toned derringer, CARRYING an an unusually ny
large bullet, was found. IhlS was the
weapon the desperate youth had turned
After passing into the street nothing
more was seen of Borland until about }
o o'clock that night, when he went to the
Waldeck and summonlng the attending
physician opened his vest and exposed
wound in the abdomen.
Can you fix that up?' he asked the
doctor without manifesting the least con-
Germ.
tempt was made to extract the bullet,
but without success, as it was thought TO
have lodged in the back. There had been
some internal hemorrhage, and the doctor
was amazed at Borland's strength and
vitality in walking about for so long
time after receiving such a wound
Yesterday the patient was placed under
an X ray, and it is hoped the bullet can
be located by that means. The attending
physician says that Borland's strength
is simply marvellous. But he is in no i'm
mediate danger and will entirely recover
if he takes proper care of himself.
His immediate relatives only are al :
lowed to see the patient and they will
make no statement whatever In fact.
every effort was made to hush up the af-
fair entirely with the result that it did
not leak out for twenty-four hours after
the shooting. The colored office boy, who
left the building with Borland, has dis
appeared; the two stenographers will not
admit that they even heard the shot, and
those who were called in had nothing
whatever to say about it. -
Shortly after the shooting the blonde
lady called at the office, and on being in
formed of the shooting hurried away and
has not since been seen.