The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1872-11-29
CURIOsETgEs or SUICIDE.


piate sn!cloe. Ieficct health and
thoughts Of death in any shape arc not
congeni1l. When the mind brcols con-
tinually on death it is not in healthy
state, whether or not it contemplates self
destruction. That unhealthy bruoding
is the route to suicide, and the flncies to
which it gives rise ON the way are often
very curious. There is something gro
teque in the careful preparations many
suicides make for leaving the world grace
fully. There is q sort Of ghastly humor
in their farewell which, while it may not
provoke a smile at The time, leaves a sort
Of an impres ion of buriesquc on the
memory. All cases Of fuicide are sue
ccsslul robberios, and the robbor leaves
himself confessed in the hands Of society
and the law to 70 with what they like.
The suicide robs misfortune and time of
their lawful prey and mocks at punish
ment and rctribut,on
lie thinks to suspend the laws of na-
ture by dying before his time, and prob
ably rgoices while in the act of proving
himself an exception to the majority Of
mankind. Some suicides seem to take
particular pains to work up their cases
into sensations, and make just enough
doubt and mystery to leave their mourn
ful stories intensely interesting. The
different modes in getting out Of the
world conceived by their minds often
show ingsnuitT~ortliy of encouragement,
if directed toward some cause in life.
Their last words, when they leave any,
are intended to make their friends feel
more miserable, and wish above all
things they had lived. This is an unfair
advantage to take of the living, and
sometimes suggests that il might have
been the sole object of the suicide to make
the world feel badly.
Suicides Of diatrent naticnalities ox-
hibit various methods and traits. Amori-
cans have a fancy ior hanging, but they
often shoot; the French take poison,
either in the stomach or lurc,; the Ing
lsh rather favor drowning; the Germans
are rather undecided about the bost way
10 d. 10; they are the most sensational,
and furnish instances Of the most curious
suicides on record.
There is always somsthing eZtraordi-
nary about Germah's method Of help
ing himself out OF the world. He show,
more deiibaration and active preparation
for the event, and he usually succeeds.
lie looks upon failure as entirely mex
cusable, when the thing can be made so
sure. The Germans have lately taken
the notion to 60 off in pairs. We have
two late instances which IRE curious.
A few weeks since two young Germans
in London made themselves tn subject
of many newspaper comments. 1t is
supposed they were guilty Of robbery in
their own country, and fed to the worlds
hiding place, London They had plar Y
Of money, and made it fly in debauchcyy
and all sorts Of ex6eaes. At length their
money was spent, and in desperation they
shut themselves up in a room, with the
understanding that they should Kill each
other, or that each should kill himself
The proposition so desperately made was
as desperately carried out. Pistol shots
were heard in their rooms; the door was
broken open; one Of the young men was
found dead on the floor, and the other
badly wounded. The testimony Of the
wounded man was taken az the coroners
inquest, and the finding Of the jury was
that thedead man came to his death by bis
hand, but that his wounded associate was
accessory to the deed, the penalty Of
which under English law is death.
A counterpart of this tragedy recently
happened near Baltimore, aud the vic
TINS were also two young Germans.
They arrived in Baltimore early in Au-
gust, and had layga rolls Of gseonhacks.
They were laboring under great nervous
excitement, aud gave themselves up to
reckless excesses. From their movements
it was supposed they had committed a
robbery, and detectives were set to watch
them. They stated thu. they were bro.h-
ers, and gave their names as r. and G.
Muller. Being hunted by the police they
LET town and were heard ol no more un-
ill their bodies were found in a wood
about two miles from the city. Il wcs
at frat supposed they had been murdered
for the money which they were known to
possess, but subsequent developments led
to the belief that, driven to desperation,
and brought to bay by the police, they
deliberately killed themselves, or shot one
another. This is maryelously like the
London affair, the. only difference being
tina, 10 one case the agreement was car
ried out in a crowded city, and the other
in the woods.
In bo.h instance ,he men were Young;
were suspected Of robbery and Of being
fugiiiye5 from justice, were possessed Of
con iderable sums Of money, lived dis
soluio life, squandered their money, or
were robbed of all they had, and wound
ny a short career by an agreement to kill
themselves.
The latter case was deemed very SIN
guar one in Baltimore, but il becomes
still more remarkable in connection With
the similar one in London.