M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-02-21
DU9cm JUSTICE MARRYING
AGAL TO-A GHOST.


Some Of our contemporaries are wsvm-
ing themselves into state Of comic in-
dignation over remsrk--quile gratuit-
Gus. Il mus, be confessed, ma De BY Mr.
Cory, 10 . recent debate upon CAPITAL
punishment, in the legIslsture-lhat =
man has tight 10 take his own life
whenever be deems Il Geessssry. The
Enquirer sccusss Mr.. Cory OF holding
70 "the right of suicide" and appears to
spPrehend very serious consequences
from so fragTsnt deviation from sound
democratic principles in our represent.
alive. WhateYsr may be the "inalisn
able rights of American citizens in this
behalf, we are Inclined TO look
upon the process Of cutting ones throat
20 be, in general, very unadvisable, il
net msnilestly impropeh Still il can
not be denied that theTe are several Of
our fellow citizens, in whom an act Of
fslO' Do 80 might be justly viewed ss
mere prsiseworihy in themselves and
eaehcial TO society thau any other
achievement. recorded in their history
Some people, it is said, are born to hang
ed and in the truth Of the remark We
have the most implicit belief; and there
are certainly those TO whom we should,
If consulted in the case, prescribe sui
eide as the readiesl neans 10 get Tid of
that most lOaIbsome and pestilent thing
--themselves. We looked with some
care through ths articles of several OF
our editorial friends, in the hope 10 find
projec. for some statute TO preVent
the too frequent use Of hallers, char.
coal, razors, strychnine, and the like,
but without success. They evidently
found the case tso difficult Tor their
handling. 1t is 10 be feared tha! the
laws to forbid the use Of the ordinary
meanS 10 take French leave" of hu mar
society would be Of little avaiI;and laws
10 punish could hardly be expected to
exhibit much efficiency in cases where
the defendent has got the start OF the
officer. and removed himself, IL not out
OF the reach of the habsas corpus, be.
yond the jurisdiction of the tsmporiul
cuh;s, Providence has so ordered i'll
that, in general. the question whether
or not a man shall sever the thread OF
his existence is, while he renal us here,
exclusively his own. The consideAtio
Of the case asan offence belongs to an.
other tribunal, whose deliberations We
doubt not wisely are hidden from mort
al knowledge.
We behave that suicide committed
by aman in full possession Of his reason
would be high moral crime; but thst
such crime was ever actually perpe-
tTate1, remains 10 be proved. Suicide
has, we confess. !uoked TO US ouly pc
culiar mode of natural death when a |
soul and q diseased body to.
gethsr combine 10 hasten dissolution. -
Ii this be true, the fright Of man to
take his own life whenever he deems
it necessary" Is no more to be quest.
Toned than his right to eatertaip a (av.
or or enjoy pulmonary consuu ptioa,-
However, this is a dull subject. aud we
do not care to pursue il. Practically we
shall be obliged TO let people bane,
shoot, hang, and drown hemSslres when
ever they deem it uscessary--uuless in.
deed we adopt the practice OF the Dutch
Magistrate, who, when asked what judg.
nent he would give iua ease OF suicide,
replied, "Mide Got, no NAN shall do such
dings in my juri:dictiOn." 'ilIe shall
pay" responded his honor, "von fine
of 1--WE hundred dollar, and ShTand com.
mittet till he maTrieS the GAL" Eithe,
this iSa case in point, OF the court was
undsr a missspprehension.-Cia Con-