Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-05-29
SLANDER AND SUICIDE.

The papers OF yesterday (says the Boston
Herald) contained notices of the suicide of two
young women, the victims of slanderous tongues
Miss Mary Martin, young lady of about twen-
ty years of age, drowned herself in a stream at
Detroit, Ne. The cause for this melancholy
act Is stated to be that, during the past winter,
stories have been circulated injurious to her
character. She protested her innocence to the
young man TO whom she was engaged and said
70 him short time before her death, A" if I
thought there were no happier days in store for
me would drown myself 1t does not ap-
pear that this young man encouraged and
strengthened her by expressing his disbelief of
the slander, and probably his lukewarmness
was the means of precipitatng her upon her
fate. Ii this be 30, We envy not the feeling
that must haunt his breast when he thinks
upon the lost one. Still less do we envy the
feelings of gossips who by giving currency to
wicked reports, have driven a young girl to an
untimely grave.
The woman who drowned herself in the Mis-
sissippi, near St. Louis, last week left in
pocket Of her dress a letter which, better than
any words we can offer, explains the depth of
the misery she suffered before taking her life
by her own hands. In the letter occurred the
following:
MY DEAR WILLIAH-In now write to you for
the last time. When you read this l will be
no more. You have driven me to death by
your last unkind and unfeeling letter. You
believed tho lying tongues Of slander, and the
false oath that was taken. One that loves YOU
and only worships yOu-they have lied about
me- II L was not true and devoted to you
who on this earth is! / have been a faithful
and true wife, and now you have driven me on
10 this cold world, without any money and but
few friends, and you say for me to lead the life
of fancy woman, for such was my life whilst
living with you. But that / pronounce a lie,
and those mean, lOw-life women who told you
80 have sworn 10 q lie"
Thess two cases are brought to us in one day
The records of year in the United States will
probably disclose moro than one hundred suf-
cides from this cause while the number Ofsuff-
fersrs from slander, who live on in life of an
guish may, perhaps, be counted by thousands
There can be nothing more base and detesta-
ole, more hendishly cruel, more heart-b break
ing, than lying lips and slanderous tongues
when directed against the reputation of
young woman. SANDERS indeed, under any
circumstances. against any one, are abOmina-
bic; but men OF the world can stand up against
them, and thousands of men and women can
live them down. But there are those of such
peculiar sensitiveness, as to wilt before the
slightest breath of scandal, just as the pure
white camilla becomes tarnished and stained
By the slightest contact with other substances
1t TO be feared that too many among us
are given TO scandal. And what makes this
propensity the more deplOrable is the fact that
it itunthinkingly. Given to gossip, they stab
character at every word, with as little thought
OF the consequence that may ensue, as though
they were sweeping away cob-webs. They dis
euss the virtue Of a helpless maiden with cold
blOOded deliberatiOn, enough to make one shud-
der They cOnsi gn her to 4 life OF infamy, with
tho greatest selfcOmplacency. If they could
penetrate into the privacy Of their victim. and
see the agony which their thOughtless and heart
less gossip has caused, they would shrink back
aghsst and be filed with horror. Such a view
would bs most efectual remedy against the
propensity 10 scandal.
We trust that the two melancholy cases we
have noticed in this article will serve as a warn
ing TO those who are prone to ''eut up" the
characters Of others. To a well regulated mind
and feeling heart, there is nothing so utterly
disgusting a 10 see a beyy of men and women
engaged as aSSassins Of character. Such an Oc-
eupaton exhibits the worst phases OF humani-
~. Ii betOkens deprayed taste, a deprayed
mind, and want Of self-respect Slanderers
are like carriOn crows, who seek out as choice
mOrselS, purifying substances, leaving that
which Is sweet and cleanly untouched. A Sian
derer and scandal-mOnger does not speak of the
virtues Of his victim, the goodness Of heart, the
acts of beni6cence, the moral character and
great personal worth with which that victim
may be endowed. But he seiZes eagerly upon
some slight error dilsteS upon it, grows elO-
quent over it, magnifes it, until il seems to be
one huge earbuncle, great plague spot infect
lng the whole body.
From lying lips and deceitful tongues may
car souls be delivered