The San Francisco call., 1908-03-08
GIRL WIFE TRIES
TO END HER LIFE
Grieved by Loss of Children and
Husbands Cruelty, She
Takes Poison
Prays for Death to Terminate
Woes After Surgeons
Save Her Life

Poised in the balance or life ana
death, Mrs. Jessie French, beautiful
Is year old mother, prayed for death
to end her woes, as she lay on cot
in the central emergency hospital last
night, where she had been taken after
an unsuccessful effort to end her life
by swallowing carbolic acid.
OF the dregs OF the cup of bitterness,
the young woman, according to her
own story, has tasted deeper than it
is possible to believe one so frail and
beautiful could endure Three of her
children were buried few weeks
after their birth and the fourth, a 8
months old girl, is in the children's
hospital suffering from brain fever,
from which she can not recover. But
the most bitter of all the sorrows
which have been crowded into the
woman's short life has been the cruelty
of her husband, Lorin Roy French, a
shingling contractor % years of age.
If the husband experienced any
pangs of remorse or possessed the
slightest love for his girl wife who
has borne him four children, he failed
to show it last night as he gazed in
differently at his wife in the hospital.
When asked what he believed to have
prompted the rash act he replied
coldly:
Il don't know never I'll treated
her." and left the hospital
LOSES TWO CHILDREN
Three years ago the Trenches were
married in Fresno, where the young
wife had made her horne since earty
childhood having been left an orphan
while q mere baby. A kind woman,
Mrs. Mary Davids, reared the pretty
girl and the latter always referred to
her as mother" Cne year after the
marriage Mrs. French gave birth, to
twins, who lived only a few days. An
other child followed the second year
and it likewise died a few weeks after
birth. Nine months ago the fourth
child. a girl, was born. This little one
recently contracted pneumonia from
which developed brain fever. and its
death is expected hourly.
After the earthquake French and his
young wife moved TO Oakland and
later TO Lobos square. making their
home in one of the refugee shacks- 1t
was at the latter place the young wife
sought to end her life yesterday, but
was seen in time by a child of French's
sister, who lives in a shack opposite the
Trenches. Subsequently. she was re-
moved to the hospital, where, through
the care of the attending physicians,
her life probably was spared.
BLAsIEs HER HUSBAND
"Oh. am going to die at last?" she
asked a reporter who stood beside her
cot When told she would probably
recover, she pleaded:
..Oh, God, end my troubles. Let
death come. / can't bear this any
longer and she wept like a little
child.
My little girl, the only one that God
has spared me of the four l have had,
is not much longer for this world. Why
can't go with her. Ever since mar
ried him my. husband has been cruel
to me- The cause of my little girls
illness is his persistence in living in
that damp Lobos square. That's why
my baby contracted pneumonia That's
why my baby is going to die Oh, God,
how can l stand it. Why can't 1 die,
too. I tried to kill myself, but -
and she broke into tears.
Roy has made lots of money" she
continued. recovering herself. He is
making good money now. but he does
not support me or my child. Three
weeks ago I was compelled to take a
Job packing figs Cor a concern down by
the ferry. but it lasted only one week.
1t was contract work, so there was
nothing more"
possibly could. When asked why he did
not rent a cottage in some other part
Of the city and take his wife and baby
out of damp Lobos square, he refused
to answer.