The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-11-02
FOUND DROWNED.
The FrIshttui kssSrd oil city's Deaths
by Drownlilsi

The FFlEhttul RetSrd OF 4 CttY's Deaths
by Drownllsi
The death record by "iound
drowned" in cities like New York,
London, and Paris, Is frightful. People
read almost daily ID the newspapers
tue announcement Of death by drown
ing. The announcement is SO simple,
SO frequent and SO same.1ike that the
reader easily passes on from 1t, cateless
Of even noting the usual description OF
the dead body and the dress 1t had on
when found drowned. The two words
"found drowned are often, however,
the epitaph Of those whose life and
death, il the story were told, would re-
veal the desperation Of the worst frail.
ties Of human nature, OF unbearable
shame and grief, Of the deyouriug re.
morse for q wicked life, Of mems acts
who feared neither God nor man, and
in aa many cases would as plainly show
the evils Of intemperance and the con.
stant imminent danger Of loss OF life,
It Is not difficult task TO follow In
Imagination the footsteps Of an intend.
ing suicide.
fhe horrible state OF mind in which
the unfortunate man or woman, rs the
case might be, was goaded into frenzy
must have been worse far than tho
most cruel bodily suffering that can be
supposed. Be suicide q oowardly act
or not under any conceivable sircum-
stances supposing that in certain
contingencies II could be considered as
exhibiting some shars OF courage
still, when the time draws nigh for tho
destruction OF ones self, for the leaving
behind even Of every sorrowiul recol-
lection OF passing hour OF sunshine,
the relief Of The river covers over IN
unknown something which IL Is appall.
ing 10 contemplate.
There must nesds be some dreadful
grief breaking the heart In the case Of
every suicide. The proud man brofen
down, discarded by old companions /;
the unfortunate merchant who breads
the inevitable exposure; even the
ridiculous lover, who thinks life is
worth nothing because he can't marry
some particular young lady, each has
80 heavy load to bear that despair
seises him and death becomes prefer.
able 10 life. But tie few last hours Of
all Of them, while they afe creeping
toward the water, looking Of II and
dreading u, but still irresistibly at.
tracted TO It's calm and certain depth,
must be that agony beyond endurance,
in which the doom Of the sickened soul
is sealed.
a more tender spectacle Is only too
often to be seen In the suicide Of the
young girl who Is lost to the world in
the betrayal from which she is suffer-
ing. Want, destitution, no friends, no
home, no hope; sorrow, pain and de-
spair, all hers. She may have stfiyen
fully in the consciousness OF her secret
to do little; but what she lacks her.
self she gets nobody 10 supply, and
with the first evidence Of the shame
that is upon her, she Is scorned, never
pitied. SO she creeps 10 the river, and,
when all is silent on the dock, throws
herself in, and next day there is the
usual announcement that, at such o
place, o young female was found drown
cd, dressed in such and such o way,
who seemed to have been very beauh.
full. Everybody knows this, and still
how few ever think OF turning the
young woman's face from the grave.
The charitable people are all in state
OF pity when they hear her description
given as q tenant OF Tho Morgue.
at times we have the dead body oi
an unknown man or on unknown
woman found drowned, and there are
such marks upon It that those who find
1t whisper that there was foul play.
The body Is taken TO the Morgue, the
coroner notified, o post.mortehn held,
and, whatever may be the suspicion,
there Is still no absolute evidence TO
show that these might not have been
accidental marks. But even the sis.
picion suggests the scene. What
fearful cry for help that must have
been from the boat out in the middle
Of the river, where three to one the at
tack was made, and the terror Of i'm.
mediate death first Mortified the doomed
man. How he struggled against the
iron grasp that bent his head under the
water and held It there till they thought
he was dead | What a quick, distorted
vision the drowning man had OF those
he loved and thus was parted from
forever As the boat moved away the
murderers would not look at each other
in the face, though they would oil fain
be surer still that the drowned man
could not rise up from the water and
charge them with the deed. Next day,
or within q few days, the body floats 10
o pier and Is picked up. The police
arc summoned, and from the station
house word Is sent TO Police Head.
quarters, thence to Mr.. Kellogg, who
sends an ambulance, and the body Ia
taken TO the Morgue, where 1t Is regis
tered as Found drowned"
In New York alone an average OF over
one hundred bodies are taken from the
harbor and rivers and 10 the Morgue.
This year the record thus far shows
that over 100 men, women and children
have SO met death. Many Of these