The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-10-14
sELF-sACRIF1CE.
THE HISTORY OF SUICIDE.

FELo DE sB.
Toe New York Sun reports paper read
before the New York Medic Legal Society
by r. s. Gurnsey on the penal laws relating
TO suicide in ancient aud modern times:
After defining the difference between the
two classes of suicides recog nized,by the law,
the author took up the history of suicide
and the laws bearing upon it In different
ages and different countries. The Mosaic
law contains no penalty for felO de 30.
the first suicides mentioned in the Old
Testament were those of Saul aud his ar
mo. bearer Sameson's death can hardly
be called suicide. Josephus says that N
Judea the body of the man who had taken
his own life was not buried till after sunset.
In some parts of India suicide was Onee
considered meritOrious, but the selt-immo-
lation of widows on the funeral pyres OF
their husbands is no longer permitted. In
and no disgrace attaches to the victim OF
his own violence, or to his family.
N JAPAN SUICIDES ARE FREQUENT,
and the taking of ones life is often looked
upon as meritorious. When an official hes
failed in the performance of his duty, lie
has the privilege of performing hari-kari,
or disemboweling himself, to save him The
disgrace of dying by the hand of the ex-
ecutiOner. II be avails himself OF ihe
privilege, his property is saved from ior-
fixture and his family from dishonOr. In
some countries the act Of suicide is looked
upon as heroic, and frequently the sons of
the self-murderer are rewarded for the
courage of their father with important
appointments and promotions. The
StOlcs, the disciples OF Zono, taught
that suicide under certain circumstances
was right; that as man had nothing to fear
after death, he was at liberty TO take his
OWE life whenever it became irksoms TO
him. Pythsgoras held that no man had the
right to leave his post without an order
from his commander, but other philoso-
piers reasoned that as mau's life was his
own he could disnose of il as he PLEASED,
Egesius was said to be so eloquent in praise
of death that hund reds who heard him mad
away with themselves, and suicide became
epidemic. Ptolemy. alarmed at the spread
of the tnfatua.ion, ordered Egesius away
from Alexandria, and the people ct ones
cams to their senses. At one tune in France
POISON WAS FURNISHED TO ALL
who could give satisfactory proof that it was
better for them to die than to live. A cob
bier who had determined 10 kill himself
thought he would do it with eclst; so, hay
ing prepared his poison, he began letter
which was to be read after his death, and TO
be talked of throughout the province. He
started of with quotation, and continued:
"Thus says Moliere," but fearing that ne
had erred in attributing the remark to Mo-
heres he took down his favorite author and
began 20 read. After an hours pleasant COM
muniOn with the great writer he put the
poison away and went TO work at his last.
The Milesian virgins once became afflicted
with the insane notion that they should com
nit suicide and many OF them ObeVed the ina |
pulse. A law was passed ordering that the
BODY of the suicide should be dragged naked
through the streets, and this effectually dis
PEELED the illusion. Some of the Roman jU- |
rists said that suicide was felony unless |
permitted by ths emperor. Under one 9m-
per0r the soldiers were set to ditching aud I
making sewers. Mortified at what they !
looked upon as an lgnOminy, many OF them |
commit ed suicide. Under another soldier |
attempting suicide was treated as deserter. |
DOnitian decreed that the suicide of an &C |
cused person should entail upon him the dis |
honor that would have attached to him had |
his crime been proved. Among th9 e2rly |
Christians there was an ardent
LONGING FOR MARTYRDoM,
and under the influence of Tertullisn's say
ing, ''The blood OF the martyrs is the seed |
of the church." numbers of them fell vic
Tins to their religious fausticism. A
bishops council in the fifth century decTeed |
Su0N HulCAuC W 40 buO OhOCS VI III
fuence. After ward the church treated it as |
a sin, and the body of the self-murderer was |
buried without the sacred rites. In che |
time of Louis TX. of France, the body of the |
suicide was subjected TO the grossest indig |
mites. Ii was taken from the house |
through an opening made for the purpose, |
was horribly mutilsted. and buried at |
night. No mass was allowed for the soul |
of tbe dead man, but the charitably dis !
posed were kindly permitted TO pray tor It's |
repose If they felt inclined. MshOmet ex
pressly forbids suicide in the Koran. and tho !
crime is extremely rare among MahOGnme- !
dars. The Roman Catholics, the Greeks, |
and Protestant Episcopal churches prohibit
the reading of the burial service over the |
body of the suicide, except in the case OF one
who died while insane. The statute law of
England prohibits il in all cases. At the |
time OF the Reformation in England, the
suicides property was cOnfiscated to CON-
pensste the state for the loss OF a subject,
his body was buried at the cross roads, and
a stake was driven through it to mark the
detestatiOn of the law, and to
DETER OTHERS FROM THE CRIME.
This very ancient rule fell into general if
not entire disuse many years ago, but it WAS
not repealed until the fourth year OF George
Tvs reign, and even then, to manifest the
horror Of the law at the act of suicide, it was
ordered that the body, which might bs
plsced in a churcbyard, or other consecrsted
ground, should be buried at night and with
out the performance OF religious rites. The
Indians OF South America, when oppressed
beyond endurance by their Spanish conquer
Ors, made away with themselves in
great numbers. Thy were checked emily by
being told that if they did not desist from
the practice, their masters would commit
suicide too, and follow them into the next
xvovlc vvharo THAR Tolls and tOrmautr ahnuld
be increased ten-fold. This threat had the
desired effect. There is little suicide among
the North American Indians. 1t is only the
squaws VINO kill themselves. They always
do This by hanging to tree, and invaria bly,
select the smallest tree that will ans Wer the
purpose, believing that in the next world
they will be Obliged to drag the tree about
with them forever.