San Francisco County CA Archives Obituaries.....Brown, Maria March 12, 1895 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Steve Harrison raleighwood@juno.com February 14, 2010, 4:49 am San Francisco Call, March 13, 1895 “A WIFE MURDERER AND A SUICIDE. Harry Brown Took His Wife's Life and Then Killed Himself. HE WAS VERY DESPONDENT. Attempted to Asphyxiate Himself, but Failed— Then Used a Revolver. "Life is not worth living, and were it not for the fact that I have no friend on earth in whose care I would leave my wife, I would go to bed to-night and never get up in the morning." Those were the parting words of Harry Brown, one of the best-known sailor boarding masters on the Pacific coast, to Edward Harris, the clothier, at 602 Kearny street, last Monday night. Yesterday morning the dead bodies of Brown and his wife were found in their bedroom at 611 Lombard street. The wife had evidently arisen, dressed herself, opened the window and was looking out into the yard. She was a little deaf, and did not hear her husband come up behind her. The next moment she was in eternity, her husband having sent a bullet crashing through her brain. The murderer stepped back about ten feet, put the muzzle of the pistol behind his right ear, and he also fell lifeless. The two bodies weltering in their life-blood, one beside the open window and the other beside the bed, presented a ghastly appearance when removed by the Coroner yesterday. The story of the tragic affair as far as is known is best told by N. Nelson, a partner of the deceased, who saw both him and his wife half an hour before the shooting. "Brown and I," said he, "had the contract to supply the steam-whaler Jeanette with a crew and when we parted on Monday night the understanding was that I was to find the steward and Brown the carpenter and get them aboard first thing this morning. I kept my part of the agreement and called for Brown about 6 o'clock Monday morning to assist him in hunting up the carpenter. I saw Brown in his room and at that time he was fully dressed and his wife was standing in front of the window. She told me that her husband had attempted to asphyxiate them both during the night. After she was in bed, according to her, he turned the gas out and then turned it on again. Sufficient oxygen, however, got into the room through an open window to save them, but two canaries that were hanging in cages in the room were killed. "When Mrs. Brown told me this story I thought she had been drinking. I saw the dead birds, but came to the conclusion that they died from natural causes. Brown remarked in an aside, 'Don't pay any attention to her; she's crazy,' and then told me to go ahead and find the carpenter and he would follow me. "At this Mrs. Brown got excited and asket [sic] me take the pistol from under the pillow. I advanced toward the bed, but Brown got there first, and securing the weapon put it in his hip pocket. 'What the ____ is the matter with you? Are you crazy?' he asked his wife, and then turning to me said, 'Come along, Nelson; we'll put that carpenter aboard.' "We went downstairs and got into my buggy, but we had not driven a block when he told me to stop. He was very much agitated, and the cold perspiration stood out on his forehead. 'I'll have to go back, Nelson,' he said, 'I can't leave my wife that way. You noticed how worked up she was, didn't you? The woman is crazy.' "I had to admit that Mrs. Brown had acted queerly, so I said that I would take the carpenter down to the boat. Brown got out of the buggy, trembling in every fiber, and without saying another word hurried back to his house. I went on to the Jeanette, got my man aboard and then drove back to Lombard street. I met Jack Borrill, who was Brown's bartender for twenty years, and he told me that Brown had killed himself. I asked him how Mrs. Brown was, and he told me that she was all right. He meant that she was dead, too, but I did not know that until later in the day. Without waiting to go upstairs I drove to Harris' store on Kearny street and told him about the death of Brown. Harris then got into my buggy and drove to the house. "I don't know how Brown was fixed financially, but he had been despondent for some time. When we went out driving he used to say to me: “There's nothing in the business any more, Nelson. A man might as well be dead as to live in these times.' The shutting up of the 'cribs' on Kearny street, between Pacific street and Broadway was a big loss to him. Another thing that preyed on his mind was the marriage of his daughter, who ran off with a plumber named Burwick. The couple now live in San Leandro. "Brown once had the reputation of being very wealthy, but I think he was going down hill lately. I know that he had several notes outstanding. "Brown came here in 1867 in company with Captain Jack Borrill, and he married the woman he yesterday murdered about twenty-five years ago. While at work in Sacramento he murdered a woman who was said to have been his mistress. Influence was brought to bear, and he got off with a sentence of ten years in San Quentin. After serving three years he was pardoned out by Governor Booth. He then made several voyages on the coast, and finally branched out into the sailor boarding-house business. He made money rapidly and at one time was reputed to be worth $150,000. He was the owner of a number of valuable horses, and last Sunday he and his wife were out driving in the park behind the finest span of horses seen out that day. About a year ago his only daughter ran away with a man named Burwick, and they are now living in San Leandro. The young woman was about to become a mother, and when the news of the tragedy was conveyed to her she was compelled to take to her bed and is now dangerously ill. For years Brown kept the old Horseshoe saloon on Kearny street and almost every person connected with the shipping of the port knew him as "Horseshoe" Brown. With all his faults he was loyal to his friends and during the past two winters almost as many poor sailors and destitute men were lodged and fed by Brown as by the Salvation Army Lifeboat. While he was not flush of ready money still there was a considerable amount due him and be expected to receive in a few days $700 from the sale of some bone which came down on the whaler Nicolene. James Laflin, the shipping-master, was to pay him $325, and James McKenna, the owner of a number of whalers, was to pay him $500 in a few days. He owed Edward Harris, the clothier, about $1500, but that sum was fully secured by a number of sailor advance notes, which will mature in a few days. Still Brown was always used to having from $500 to $1000 at his instant command and the absence of ready money bothered him. Some years ago his wife was thrown out of her buggy on top of her head. This accident affected her memory and also her hearing, and this was probably one of the reasons why Brown did not want to leave her behind him.” END Additional Comments: San Francisco Call, March 13, 1895 (Wednesday), Page 12, Column 3. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanfrancisco/obits/b/brown67ob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 7.5 Kb