The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-06-25
compared with the wealth of goodness
and love- Sartain's Magazine.
Suicide by Starvation.

plice of Fieschi, OF starving himself to
death, is not the first example of this
kind on record. The same mode of sui
eide has, on several former occasions,
been successfully adopted by accused
and condemned persons. 1t has been
remarked that the horrible tortures Of
hunger do not produce delirum, or even
annihilation of the intellectual faculties,
except when violently imposed upon by
power superior 10 that OF the victim.
The suffering, on the contrary, when in
Cured for the purpose Of suicide, and
endured with energetic, but fatal deter
mination, seems TO excite aud invigorate
the moral faculties, and to increase their
aclteness. In spite of the exhaustion
and pro,tration Of the physical organi.
zation, the immaterial portion OF the
system acquires new strength, and con-
tains an inconceivabe development ol
power.
A very curious example of suicide by
means Of starvation occurred some years
ago in Corsica. During the elections
the Sieur v rushed into the elec-
toral college, armed with dagger, which
he plunged into the breast Of a man " he
had done him some injury. The man
fell dead at his feet. The assassination
was committed in the full light of day
and in the presence of an assembled
multitude. Never was an act Of Italian
rendelta more singularly executed.
v was tried, found guilty, and
condemned to death. His high spirit
and resolute character were well known
and ii was suspected that he would seek,
by voluntary death, TO evade the dis
grace of perishing on the scaffod. lie
was, therefore, rigidly watched and
every precaution taken TO deprive him
of the means Of putting an end 10 his
existence. He resolved to starve him,
self to death during the interval which
elapsed between the sentence of the
Court of Asszes and the reply which
the Court of Cessation would make to
the appeal he addressed to it.
He had succeeded in concealing from
the observation Of his jailors portion
of the food with which they supplied
him, so as to make them believe that he
regularly took his meals. After three
days abstinence the pain Of hunger be.
came insupportablc.
1t then occurred to him that he might
the more speedily accomplish the object
he had in view by eating with avidily.
He thought that the state of exhaustion
to which he was reduced would unfi
him 10 bear the excess, and that it woulc
inevitably occasion the death he SO ar.
IDENTITY desired. lie accordingly sat down
10 the food which he had laid aside, anc
ate voraciously, choosing in preference
the heaviest things. The consequence
was, he was selzed with violent fit o
indigestion, from which, contrary TO hi:
expectation, the prison doctor speedily
cured him.
He then resumed his fatal design. lie
suffered again what he had undergone
before. The torture was almost beyont
his strength, His thirst, too, was intol
cradle. 1t overcame his resolution. Ht
extended his hand toward the jug of wa
Ter which had been placed in his cell
He drank with avidity, and paS restored
to life.
To avoid yielding again to a like
temptation he daily took The precautior
of overlurning the jug of water whicl
was brought TO him. Lest he should bt
induced 10 raise il TO his lips, he threw
II down with his foot, not venturing tt
touch it with his hands. In this manner
he passed eighteen days. Every day, Al
different intervals, he MOTEL down in hi.
album a minute account of his sensa.
tlons. lie counted the beatings Of hi.
pulse, and marked their number from
hour TO hour, measuring with most scru.
pulous attention, the gradual wasting ol
his strength.
In several parts of this melanchol,
memcnto he declares that he felt il harder
10 bear the agonies of thirst, than those
OF hunger. He coniesses that he was
frequently on The point Of yielding to the
desire of drinking. He nevertheless re.
sisted.
He was surprised TO find his sight be.
come more and more clear, strong and
acute it appeared to him like the de-
velopment of a new sense. Tie nearer
approached bis latter moments, the more
his power OF vision seemed TO increase.
On this subject he thus expressed him
self;--" 1t appears as though | could
see through the thckest walls"
His sense of feeling likewise attained
The most exquisite sensibility. His hear
ing and smelling improved in similar
degree. His album contains many Gu
rious statements Oh these subjects.