Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-05-07

ticed at some length. Ii seems That IN the
five wears. fSg1-1S85, there were in France
no less than 6O,352 accidental deaths, of
which nearly five in every six (49, $50 were
of miles, and only about one-sixth 90, 715)
females. of these the largest class were
accidently drowned; namely, 1858, or
about one In three; secs only were de-
stroyed by fire, and 1,727 died of dissipa-
ton, Drunkenness may be reckOned a
species of suicide, but we have also the
genuine suicides reported. In the five
years, .1S51-1S55, they were is, 19i in the
next five years they rose. TO. 20,O0S, and
from 1sS1-1S65, stand at $780,, or more
than third as many as died by accident.
Between fifth and sixth OF these com
mitted suicide in the department of the
Seine, in which Paris stands something
more than half of them were country peo-
pie, who, it seems, commit suicide at the
rate OF one-enly in every alo,6l annually,
while the tienizen rs of the city do the same
thing at the rate of one In every 4,5o3.
Females make only fifth part of the
whole numbers. S93-the male. suicides
amounting to 1s,41t OF the whole NUM-
Der 141 were less than Is; $50 were from
Is to 21; 2,755 from 81 to 30; 3,4S3 from
| 30 to 40: 4.626 from 40 to 50; 4,S15 from
III I'D w. f,-NJ W. w w. 1851 'OiA
20 to so; 3S4 upward of so, and Psi of I'M
Concerning tins statistics of suicide. in
our own country, we regret we have no
later record than the United States census
of 1860 g9T5g a1ToTEI no
In the Eighth Census we are told that
in 1850, 49f persons destroyed themselves
making n in 10000 deaths from known
causes. In 1860, 993 persons-1S9 males
and 204 females-put an end to their own
lives. There we're S.S7 per cent, almost
four times as many male as female sui
cides. The proportion of these to total re-
ported deaths was larger at the North
than at the South, on both sides of the ALE
ghanics In The free States ii was more in
the East than in the West, and the reverse
was found in the slave States, The largest
ratio, II per cent, was in New England
and New York, where we find the total
number of suicides reported at 39I. In
the Pacific group of States, comprising
Oregon, California Dakota, New Mexico,
Utah and Washington, it was 81 per cent,
and there were Al suicides, the percentage
being about double the highest in the At
lantic States, and three times the average
of all This is accounted for by the fact
that the allurements of a gold-producing
region called together a class of reckless
and ambitious men, who, in that land of
sudden fortunes and rcverses, were led
through disappointment to despair and
WEAKNESS of life, and finally to self de
struction. IL is noticeable that the next
higest ratio i. in the New England States,
where business perplexities are deeper,
and the cares and responsibilities of nier-
camille life more Onerous than in any other
section of the country, and where some
times mere ripple upon the great ocean
OF finance and trade, skaters the proudest
fortunes, and carries men from the lOttiest
eminence of ambition into the lowest
depth of despair rr a., -. r.-
The methods rcsorted to by the suicides
to effect their purpose, including drown
ing, hanging, poison, shooting, cutting
throat and strangulatiOn, comprise in them
selves a curious and remarkable study.
In all the statistics on record we find that
the females used the milder means, and
the males the more violent: the Eighth
Census showing that II males and ii fe-
males cut their Threats; 100 males and )
females shot themselves; $50 males and 81
females hanged themselves; 93 males and
IL females took poison; 40 males and 81
females drowned themselves. The differ
ence OF taste, me ntal habits, and culture of
the two sexes was thus curiously mani
tested; poison, hanging and drowning
seeming to be the least Objectionable to
women who were bent on selfdcstruction.
The statistics show that while somewhat
more than three fourths of the males, less
than half the females, rcsOrted to meas
ures of active and immediate violence !;
and while somewhat more than half the fc-
males used the milder and passive means,
less than half the males thus quietly de-
stroyed themselves. The total ratio of
special means used in 10000 suicides was
~ per cent. in the United States, 10 per
cent. in England, g per cent. in Scotland,
q per cent. in Ireland, .15 per cent. in
France, and sc per cent in Brussels. The
special means used for selfdestruction are
more minutelys described i'm the Swedish
reports than in those of any other country.
In the United States, England, Scotland,
and many other parts of Europe, the pop
ular method Of committing suicide is by
hanging The next mode, according to
popularity is the pistol, then poison, and
then drowning. The French have many
methods peculiarly their own, q favOrite
one of which is by inhaling the fumes of
charcoal 9tany- people suppose this to be
an invention of the French, but it is
fashion that originated with the ancients
The story that. Purcia.s slaughter of
Cato and wife of Brutus, filled
her mouth with Goals from burning bra
zicr, and so died, after the defeat Of her
husband at Phillippi, means. doubtlessly,
that she inhaled the fumes of charcoal
This Was more than nineteen hundred
years ago; ard more than. forty wears
earlier Quintus Lutatius Catulus, one of
the victims of Marius, committed suicide
"by swallowing fire" according 10 Florus !;
but Velleius Paterculus says that he~ shut
himself up in place lately plastered with
mortar, hidfire brought in to f:lisea strong
smell, sRd then by inlfaliBg the nexious
vapor and holding in his breath he found
death agreeable TO his wishes This
form of Suicide has long been a fAvoritc
one with self-murderers, because it is pain
less and the features are not distorted.
Persons who have been accidentally smOth-
cred by the fumes of charcoal, and then
resuscitated, describe the sensation as sim
liar to that Of falling intOra pleasant, al
most rapturCus, sleep, as, indeed, in one
sense it is. .aiILI WON N 81
The Chinese methods of committing sui
eide are both curious and remarkable
Widows, on the death of their husbands,
resolve in most Instances not TO survive
them, and procee to tske their own lives.
Some take opium and We down esisl<lie be
side the corpse o. their husband ?, Others
starre or drown themselves or take poison.
Another method is, by hanging themselves
in public, having previously given notice
to that effect, sothat all who desire imay
lie present and behold the act. L ~
1 In China fsfr ic ri oil