The San Francisco call., 1908-03-31
Wild NIGHT OF
ORGY PRFCFDFS
TUTTLPS DEATH
Leaves Conference With Wife'S
Mother to Make Frenzied
Tour of TenderlOin
Shot Fired, Ending Life in Pres
ence Of Daughter, Caused
by Secret Woe
Some Event of Sunday Alter
noon Is Thought to Have
Led to Suicide


Deep mystery shrouds the tragic
suicide Sunday night of Leonard r.
Tuttle, a wealthy machinery manu-
facturer of San Francisco. at his home
in Mill Valley. After night of wild
orgy in San Francisco in an effort
to forget some desperate trouble
which seemed to burden his mind,
Tuttle caught the last ferry to Mill
Valley, and after arriving home shot
himself through the heart in the pres
ence of his II year old daughter,
Gladys.
Beyond the fact that he was
haunted by some terrible phantom of
woe, no motive is known for Tuttle's
act. He was president of the A. l..
Young machinery company of this city
and widely known in business circles.
His associates say commercial affairs
could not have been behind the deed Of
self-destruction.
Tuttle's movements the night of the
tragedy have been traced, and it is
known that throughout Sunday he was
laboring under some great excitement
Immediately after luncheon in his Mill
Valley home with his wife and daughter
he did during the afternoon is not
known positively. A blank occupies
this part of the record OF the fateful
day But it is believed that within, the
hours of the afternoon something oc-
CURED which caused Tuttle to resolve
to end his life.
HOLDS FAMILY CONFERENCE
Shortly after $50 clock Tuttle sent
an automobile. Securing a machine he
, hurried to the home of his mother in
law, Mrs. T. L. Seaton, at Frederick and
De Long streets stopping on the way
at the ONCE of the machinery company
in Fremont street, where Tuttle
alighted. saying to the chauffeur that
he wanted to get his overcoat. Hasten
| ing on to the Seaton home family
council was there held, evidently about
the subject which preyed on Tuttle's
mind, and in which w. ]. Foley, for
mer business associate of Tuttle, par
ticipated.,
During this conference Mrs. Seaton
wept continually, and both Tuttle's and
Foley's voices were frequently raised
to high pitch. This conference lasted
1 which
Tuttle came running from the house,
leaned into the automobile and directed
that the chaur III drive with all haste
| to the central police station. There
Tuttle was closeted for rs minutes.
Coming out he climbed into the au-
tomobile again and cried out to the
| chauffeur:
WANTS TO FORGET
Take me some place-any place
where | can forget. Oh, I'm in terrible
trouble / must forget it,
The automobile driver suggested the
NO; It's too cold Some place where
there's people and noise and some
thing to take my mind away"
After a few minutes further parley
with the chauffeur Tuttle finally di-
rected that he be taken to q. tenderloin
| den operated by Tessie Wall. On the
way down Tuttle stopped to telephone
to the home of his mother in law.
| There Tuttle began to imbibe wine
and champagne. spending money with
! a lavish hand in company with fe-
male inmate. Tuttle was wrought up
to a high nervous pitch and the liquor
seemed to affect him no more than
water.
Up to the last minute before the
time of the trip of the last boat to
Mill Valley Tuttle stayed in the place.
He then hurried to the boat, barely
catching it, His act of suicide when
he arrived at his home is best described
in the words of his daughter Gladys
as she testified at the coroners in
quest yesterday.
CALLS TO HIS WIFE
when father came in late last night
I heard him go straight to the dining
room slipped downstairs into a
side room. | heard father call to
mother several times.
oh. my mind is gone, my mind is
gone he seemed to groan over and
over again. Then heard him making
| noise as IL he was moving the fur
niture or opening the sideboard draw
| ers. and finally he started to leave
the room.
II was so frightened i could hardly
stand, but I rushed to the door and
said to him:
dor
"Tll show you, he answered, and