The San Francisco call., 1909-07-27
LAWYER ENDS Ills :
LIFE BY HANGING
S. P. Flynn, Once of Most Bril-
liant Attainments, Commits
Suicide at San Jose
Came TO This City Recently
From Michigan, but Failed
to Gain Footing
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call

Especial Dispatch TO The Call
SAN JOSE, July 26.-The body of S.
p. Flynn, San Francisco attorney.
was discovered this afternoon hanging
from pair of clothes hooks in a San
Antonio street rooming house. The
mouth was badly burned by carbolic
acid, and it was evident that death
was due either to strangulation or to
poisoning.
Among the effects upon the body was
a receipt showing that Flynn was
MEMBER of the lodge of Elks in Bay
CITY, Mich, and that his dues are paid
up TO the first of April 1910. Various
papers in his pockets would indicate
that he had wife and daughter resid
ing at 1905 Jackson street, San Fran
cisco, and that he had been in Califor-
MA but short time 1t would also
appear that he had made repeated at
temptS to get employment counsel
In the San Francisco graft prosecution,
and that he had been in San Jose about
two weeks.
LEAVES SEVERAL LETTERS
Several letters which had been
penned shortly before his death were
round lying upon the floor in proxim-
lty to the body One of them was
written to his daughter who is with
her mother in San Francisco. In it
was inclosed letter to Detective w. J.
Burns of San Francisco These letters
were evidently written before he con-
templated suicide.
second letter was written about 5
O'Clock yesterday and is his farewell
message to the world. A third letter
was found sealed in an envelope ad
dressed to his wife and daughters, and
the coroner has refused to make the
contents of this message public. That
1T is a farewell letter to them is evi-
dent from the nature of a postscript.
which he failed to inclose IN the same
envelope.
In this postscript he denies that he
is suffering from insanity or that he
is about to kill himself while under
the influence of liquor. He submits
proof that he is perfectly sane by
clearly describing his mental processes.
DESCRIBES MENTAL PROCESSES
"One can not be insane and be con-
scious of his every act and the proba-
bic result thereof he writes.
'It is just o'clock, and / am
prompted to make my exit with feel
ing of charity, If, not indeed, love in
my heart for every human being"
were the last words that he penned
before fastening a pair of trunk straps
around his neck In his room last night.
He then fastened the other end of the
straps to the hooks upon the wall and
drank the contents of a vial that he
held in his hand. The body was dis
covered this afternoon by housemaid.
Little is known of Flynn in San
Jose. He came here two weeks ago
and sought to effect partnership with
various attorneys about the city. 1t
was apparent tha+ he was well ac-
quainted with California law, but he
was not successful.
TO MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER
The following postscript was written
to the letter to the wife and daughter,
the contents of which the coroner re-
fuses to make public.
P. 81 have sealed the envelope in
which my letters are inclosed and hence
may not inclose this. 1t should be read.
however, with my letters to you.
My wife and daughters.
l have deemed it best not to express
regret for the reason that l am not con-
scious that | entertained any. My frame
of mind may be described as that of
complete resignation to what l at this
moment believe to be my fate, inevi-
table fate Were / upon the scaffold
with the black hood drawn over my
| head I could not be better convinced of
the fact, and / believe that | am i'm
measurably more resigned than | would
be if | occupied the latter position.
/ am not, however unaware of the
! fact that my acts may reflect upon
those nearest and dearest to me. 1 am
consoled. however, by what | believe to
| be fact that you will be the gamers
thereby in many ways. | will relieve
YOU of the expense that you have suf-
| fered in the past and are doubtless ex-
periencing at the present time upon my
account.
/ .
1t will render impossible my sinking
/ lower in the social scale whereby ]
may even against mysinclination affect
! most injuriously your lives. More
over, the only possible injury that
| could result to either of you would
result from a feeling that my action
resulted from an insane impulse or
| through the influence of hereditary in
| sanity. but let me assure you both
that there is not the slightest founda-
| tion for such a theory or for such a
| feeling or belief Be that whatever ii
may be, the cause is not insanity, un-
| less one can be insane and be con-
scious of his every act and the prob
! able result thereof.
NOT DUE TO DRINK
And if you be inclined to attribute il
| to the use of Intoxicating liquor, dis
miss that from your minds also. In
toXicating liquors and the indulgence
therein to excess is without doubt in
|
/ existed long before / commenced to
/ drink intoxicating liquors.
/ Furthermore, it is my belief that
my indulgence in drinks at intervals
during the last 10 years at least pro-
| longed my life to that extent. Strange
as it may appear. the only way that
have found relief from these attacks
during these last mentioned periods
was through the conditions, physical
and mental that resulted from drink.
"But I will admit that the cure was
even worse than the disease in many
respects, especially in respect to what
ever the act 1t might have been the
means. of my having committed. I an
! thankful that 1 have escaped, that
passed through the experience that
have without injuring anyone or bring
ing in any human beings. For the last
| 10 days l have drunk but half glass
of claret at dinner and not to exceed
five glasses of beer, not more than two
in any one day, none today. Again
bid each of you good bye. Signed, S
| p. Flynn.
Pathetic Close of Life
The suicide of Stephen P. Flynn al
San Jose yesterday brought to pa
thetic close of life marked with every
lDrOmiSe Flynn was born in Bay City