The Suicide of Boulanger.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6268, 2 October 1891, Page 2

The Suicide of Boulanger.

THE NEWS CONFIRMED.

A PREMEDITATED AGP,

[PEE PRESS ASSOOIATION , .--OOPXBIOH1!. j

. •,'; . ' . BBueSßig, September 30v The news of the death' of General Bonl/anger by his ,own hand is, confirmed. Ik appears that accompanied by his niece arid secretary, drove to the oemetery, and leaving his companions outside, he walked up to the tomb of Mada&e Bonnemain and scattered flowers on it: ''■'$ All the time ho appeared to be'lir-ai meditative and gloomy mood, .and suddenly drawing a revolver which hei had ,cpncekled/about him, he placed the muzzle .'to his head and fired. The bullet entered the right?temple, death being instantaneous, .and.,the ; lifeleee bodyof the general fell'across the tomb of '-'\ Madame Bonnemain, who at her death left a. large fortune to General Bonlanger. Sincethe death of Madame Bonnemain the General hae been and has suffered!, severely from insomnia.

' • r ! ■ ! October 1, On the body of General Boulanger, there were found , addressed to his' wife and daughter, letters and telegrams in which he expressed a desire to die owing to the loss of his mistress. : ' In some political notes left among his papers General Boulanget urges the French Revisionists to pereerere with the programme they have sketched out.. The, General, it appears,, had previously attempted suicide in the "hpSel at which he was staying, andhis"friends, eue-pecting-thaf he would, repeat rl the" rash attempt consequent <on_ his demeanqr,' followed him; to tiie .'cemetery. ;0n their arrival they found the General so calm and self -possessed:, that' tb'ej at once acceded to his wish : to be allowed tc spend a few moments at Madame Bonnemtiin'e.tombalone. They had not long retired when .the, fatal shot; Was, fired. General Boulanger had often remarkexlthet his life was a burden and he would soon die. He had become quite emaciated and haggard in appearance. A blood-stained photograph of Madame Bonnomain was found next his heart. The General had purchased a vault next .to that of the deceased lady, and everything points to the conolusion'-that'the deed was premeditated!. •' Before leaving for thecatnetery he kiseed hie mothe*,' remarking that he was going' to a fete. >■ '"■''■ v

Paeiß, Ootober I. The comments in the Paris press on General Boulanger's suicide, are half generous and half contemptuous.

The news of the suicide of General Bonlanger is confirmed by this day*e cablegrams. Men and Women of :the=Tifli» ~— ~ supplies the information that the. deceased Frenchman was born at Bennee, 1,8375» Hiemother, who is "still alive, is a native of Wales., In 1856 he was appointed SubLieutenant in Ist Begimeritof Algerian Tirailleurs.. . From that time, hie military career ihae been very distinguished, and has advance in his profession unusually rapid. In 1867 he took part in the Kabyle expedition. In 1859 he was wounded at Turbigo, and received the decoration of the Legion of Honor after three years': servjoe. la 1861' he was with the expeditionyiOoohin. China. During the Franco-Prussian war he acted as Chief cf Battalion in= the army of |*a,ris, and was. wounded,at Champigny. In ISBO he', was 'appointed,! Brigadier in which position he began to show signs of a great talent for organisation . JJe.,waß, moreover, sent tothe.Unitecfc States as head of the mission' on the Centenary of Independence. For a short timehe was attached to the War Office %.%■ Director of Infantry, which position hequitted to proceed as General of Division i» Afrioa; In twenty mpnths he returned to' the War Office as Minister, January 7tfc fc 1886. Duriig his tenure of previous bffio* he had shown great zeal and determinaAfo*,. His activity' had led in some instaaees to dispute.' Such had been the result, in Tunfe. of his-arbitrary resolution to, exalt th& v military over the civic authority." During , r" his early career he had moreover been ia close relations; with the Extreme Left itt politics, and his appointment was regarded as , a , concession to .the power of MClemenceau. His republican sympathiea were shown by 'the energy with"; which her urged forward the expulsion of the Princes* from France, though* it was afterwardei proved that he had written in almost fuK some - 1 terms of '.< • gratitude ; to ', ttie? -.1 Do o d'Aumale, his superior officer, when promoted Brigadier-General. The:Generai is an energetic and oapable organiser, and was before his downfall described as the rising hope of the party of "La Revanche" in France. At 'the . election of : 1888 the General was elected for the Nord by 172,528 : votes as against 75,901 for hie:inos"t successful opponent. la July of that year he fought a duel with M. Fioquet, and was severely wounded in the throat. He was idolised by the populace as the coming, man who was to save France from the blunders of incompetent statesmen; but hiving' been charged by the Senate with appropriating, while Minister of War, £10,000 of 'public money for purposes of his own propaganda, he fled first to Brussels, and.then to London, in order to. avoid arrest. After residing in Jorsey, he returned to Brussels, where ha resided at the time of his death.