The San Francisco call., 1904-07-27
MONEY ARRIVES
JUST TOO LATE
A. Burrows Is Dead When
Wealth That Might Have
Saved Him Reaches Hotel
WRITES JOKING LETTER
Certain That He Was Beaten
in Life'S Battle He Pens
Jingle and InhaleS Gas

The moment that A. Burrows. an at
tornev. flung aside his last cent piece
and decided TO end what seemed a
hopeless existence Monday evening
enough money TO give him a fresh
start in life was shipped to him from
Grass Valley. The Wells Fargo mes
senger with money for Burrows ar
rived al 4l6 Turk street, the scene Of
the suicide, yesterday morning just as
the MorgUe wagon drew UP before the
hotel Burrows had committed sui
eide by inhaling gas.
Burrows had been in financial straits
for some time. On Monday night he
found himself reduced TO the last cent.
He thought of former property and the
friends of better days who had grown
cold 70 him. and his one remaining
copper coin seemed TO mock him. The
ghastly humor of the situation struck
him forcibly. He tossed aside the
cent piece and sitting at a table
scrawled the following doggerel: ~
Coroner: To you I will conhde.
This IS G Of suicide.
The csuses-they are multiplied
TO mention some would hurt my pride.
Let them remain immystified-
AL my old triends-''the true and trie6.H
Esve passed 20 the other side.
On palmer words have chilled or died)
Alone an 1.-The suicide,
Back to old earth I journey blythe;
70 her embrace whate'e er betide
We all return, howe er allied;
And thus 70 go I'm satisfied.
or splash IN the water with a surgle for
or gas turned on TO produce certain death.
Or swallow OF poison. not caroolic acid.
But some Of the kind that's bitter but placid
Ike rphtur1-oueeu OF the night ana OF
That induces repose and coma so deep-
That "a rlffee the ValleV of Death
As child in its Joy sometimts runs out OF
breath
AS Burrows was writing the jingle
and meditating bitterly ogar the brutal
jest Of the situation 4 client whose ac-
count was overdue was depositink 5000
with Wells-Fargo at Grass Valley.
Burrows, Of course, was entirely ig-
norant Of this He imagined himself
completely down and out of the battle
of life, then determined to take the de-
feat with a jest on his lips.
he entered an adjoining bathroom
and plugged all the crevices in the door
and window. Wrenching out the burn
er he turned on the gas 5et. Then he
spread a quilt upon the floor and lay
waiting the end.
As ne lay there dying, satisfied that
he was no longer able to cope with
circumstances, the money that would
have given him new life was speeding
TO San Francisco Ss fast as an express
train could carry it. AS the rescue
drew nearer the shadows of death crept
close TO the unfortunate attorney. Had
the love Of life that is strong in every
man asserted itself. had Burrows post
poned the deed but Sn hour he would
have been alive.
The express train whirled into the
Oakland mole probably just as the sui
eide uncOnsciously gasped Vainly for a
few breaths Of pure air. Tie gold came
too late
An attache Of the hotel detected the
Odor of gas in the hallway about 9
o'clock and Burrows was found dead.
The MOrgue wagon arrived simultane-
ously with the money.
Burrows was about 46 years old. He
leaves q niece in Oklahoma. He came
10 the hotel at 416 Turk street about
three weeks ago and asked for credit
which was readily granted as he had
been a guest before. The body was
sent to the MOrgue.
The deceased attorney. was at one
time a prosperous citizen Of Grass VAL
ley and Aas deemed an authority on
minikg law. He married twice and
leaves several children by the first
wife. from whom he was divorced. The
second wife died a year after his mar
riage and Burrows left for San Fran
cisco with his hOusekeeper. It was re-
ported that he was infatuated with the
woman. She deserted him soon after
the pair reached this city. Letters to
friends in Grass Valley indicate that
Burrows intended TO go to Tonopah to
practice law.