Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-10-30
Three Suicides.

A mad, miserable fool, debauched and
ruined in body, mind and estate, cut his
throat. Horrible! said everybody; what
wretched victim of his own wicked folly !!
and the mangled corpse was put out of
sight and the poor mans name was forgot
ten as quickly as might be-; remembered
with shudder, if at ALL even by those
nearest and dearest to him. at--'is'
A thriving and enterprising man, young
and strong, went into business at an un-
commonly early age. His devotion to his
occupation codld not be too highly praised.
Early and late he was cropping among his
books and accounts, hurrying about to see
this or that man or plunged deep in the
calculations and fgurings of a far7ahead
speculation. He took no vacations, he
hardly ate, he gobbled or bolted whatever
he inserted into his stomach as you may
see grim fireman shovel square junks Of
coal into the hot steamboat furnace door.
He rose early, and retired late.
He did 'chew," but it was tobacco, not
victuals; and he found that the harder be
thought, the more he chewed, for the slim
ulus of the nasty weed served to goad
along his weary brains. gs p 1=f -
Very good. He grew rich and respect
ed. He also grew crooked and sallow,
cross and lean: and his breath-faugh!
He died, aged thirty-nine. They had
very elaborate funeral and buried him &,
magnifeently; for he had already, as the
satirist said, "a very pretty fortune to be-
gin Il e next world WITH" and, doubtless,
when the porter of heavens gate spies
soul coming, not all bare and naked, but
with a gay hearse Gathering along behind
ii, and plenty of people in hacks at five
dollars each, he gets up and admits that
soul into Paradise with low bow, and no
requisition for ticket of admission what
ever. ss. i .,-.- h .f
He had killed himself, however; but it
was respectable because it took almost
twenty years to do it. A suicide, not for
but for selfshness.
There was slender, eager, bright-eyed
youth, a student. He studied as ambitious
students do; sitting all day, sometimes all
night, over his books. He ate good greasy
boarding house victuals and swallowed the
draugh ridiculously called coffee. He neith-
er rode nor walked nor swan nor boxed
nor sawed wood. He took the "valedic-
tory" at college; and then, with the divine
fire Of love for men burning in his breast
and another destructive fire burning there
too, and showing its red signal on his
check, he went out to more studies, and in
due time became the wonderful young
minister of an almost worshipping congre-
cation. For year or two he sustained
the labor of some pastoral duty, and of
his sermon writing and delivery, and his
l. bor was effective, both because his increa-
sing deathlike look added a horrid power
to his aspect and delivery, that quite char
med and oyercame the young ladies especi-
ally. .rf .-ssl.,s -.s-- ..r,.,.. :
But he died; and what flaming OBJ
ituary upon the ignorant boyl He had
'.given his life to save souls;;" was a mar
tyr to his ardent beneyolence; an affecting
spectacle of the power Of the spiritual over
the earthly; and his early death was a
'smost mournful and mysterious dispense
ton of that Providenee $hich had thus
snatched away most beloved minister
from bereayed congregation" The fool!
rs if he could not have done more of the
work he honestly desired to do if he had
lived longer! .Mysterious dispensation."
Yes, truly, as mysterious as if he had died
lpon being shot through the head
Oh, ignorant, bereaved congregation and
Mourning friends; this wonderful young
nan was slow suicide, by well meant but
rightful ignorant of the dearest laws of
lealtb. e
A suicide is as foolish, as fatal, and as
wicked, if it takes ten years as if it takes
,nly moment; and the swelling and
vriggling of the poisoned wretch, the spout
ng blood of the gaping wound, are not,
.bstractly, whit more horrible than the
low drying up and wasting, the gradual
leformities of the ten and twenty years
'ver which so many self.murderers spread
heir deliberate proceedings.-LJe Hlus-
rated .s