Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-27
WOMAN'S SUICIDE
IS KEPT SECRET
COR0NER'S OFFICE TRIES TO
WITHHOLD NEWS
sALEsMAN's WIFE TURNS PISTOL
ON HERSELF
In Fit of Dependency Mrs. Percy M.
Sanford Sends Bullet Into Left
Breast and Dies Next
Day

After Withholding for four days the
suicide of Mrs M. L. Sanford, 81 years
old, of 757 Whittier street, who shot
herself in the left breast with an auto
matte pistol belonging to her husband
Percy M. Sanford, a salesman for the
Smith Premier Typewriter company
and who died early Saturday morning
at the California hospital, the coro"
ners office was forced to dtVulge the
information when the death notice ap-
peared in an afternoon paper yesterday.
According to the belated information
received from William Mcdonald,
deputy coroner, Mrs. Sanford had been
despondent since the birth of her
daughter, four years ago.
Friday she made an appointment to
meet her husband and little girl, who
had passed the day with neighbors,
at the Sixth street park. On his ar
rival there Sanford found his daughter
waiting for him and together they
searched the place for Mrs. SANFORD.
After waiting there more than an
hour they returned to the home and
found all lights burning. Sanford en-
tered the house and after searching
several rooms found his wife lying on
the floor and the blood oozing from a
wound in her breast. Nearby on the
floor was his automatic pistol, with an
elected sneu lying close n.y.
In Semi-conscious Condition
Mrs. Sanford was in a semi-con-
scious condition and gasped that she
had shot herself while in a fit of de-
spondency.
She was taken to the California hos
pital, and despite the efforts of physi-
clans, died early Saturday morning
The body. according to Mcdonald,
tO q local undertaking
establishment without the matter be-
ing reported to the coroner, and 1t was
not until 10:30 o'clock Saturday morn
ing that Sanford appeared at the office
of the coroner, reported the facts to
Mcdonald and waived an Inquest.
Mcdonald, it seems, forgot the oc-
currence, and when asked later If there
was any news for the papers, promptly
reported that there was nothing
doing"
When asked about the case yester-
day the coroner's office denied that 1t
had been requested to withhold the
case and declared that Sanford had
made no request to keep the matter
from the public.
Despite the fact that a representa-
tive of the coroner's Office was asked
Sunday concerni9g any cases that
might be of interest to the public, the
usual reply of nothing doing" was all
that was received.
News Leaks Out
The same tactics prevailed Monday,
notwithstanding the fact that the cor
oner's office was asked half dozen
times whether or not there was any
thing of interest to the public.
Yesterday Mcdonald, after seeing
the death notice in the noon edition
of an afternoon paper, appeared at the
newspaper reporters room at the CEN
trail police station and endeavored to
"slip" the information to reporter for
a morning paper.
There were a number of reporters In
the room at the time, but he singled
out the reporter of a paper which, 1t
is said, helped to get him his position,
and attempted to give the news ex-
clusively
His clumsy efforts were noticed by
others, and later when he was asked
about the case he gave out the infor-
nation.
"If you will only be easy with me
this time" said Mcdonald, 'T will
never do 1t again. Just give me one
more chance and I will never hold out
another piece of information as long
as I am in this office"
The coroner signed certificate of
suicide and Mrs. Sanford was buried
yesterday.