Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-07-11

SUICIDE FOR VANITY.-Some time ago an IL
linois farmer invented suicidal machine of
very ingenious construction, and made a great
sensation by using it upon himself His success
seems 10 have worked upon the weak mind of y
Chicagoan, Frederick A. Jeffrey, until he re
solved to try his hsnd at getting up sensational
suicide. In posthumous publication he says:
There is m emulation and generous rivalry
between st. Louis and Chicago which l like,
an, Chicago being my favorite, shall help her
in my humble way aud knock the spots off st.
Louis in celebrating the Centennial Fourth"
His method of comforting distinction on Chicago
consisted in the getting un of complicated and
extraordinary case OF suicide.
Jetfery was u young man whose habits seem to
have been good, and he was in prosperous cir
cumstances. On the night Of July 4th he LODGED
ut the Palmer House and committed suicide,
leaving behind him for publication statement
Of the method he employed, and denying that
be had any particular reason for the act. With
Tut going into details, we will state that he ar
ranged to swallow poison, cut his throat with
razor, and shoot himself through the heart the
latter acts being of simultaneous commission af-
ter tho taking OF the poison. Before entering
up N this part Of the progr ,!nme he had sus-
pended himself over bath tub full of boiling
water his clothing saturated with alcohol, to DO
set on fire by slow torch, and attor certain
period of cremation he expected to fall by the
turning Oh LH6 Gurus SusIeioIHS lin, INV VIZ
tub below, where his remains would be psrboil-
ed. His cremation arrangements were failure,
but that the rest of the programme WAS carried
ont appears from the coroner's verdict, as fol.
lows:
1--WE, tho Jury, find that the said Frederick
Addison Jctfery now lying dead at the Palmer
House c. ne to his death on the 9th day of July
1876, by cutting his throat with razor, shooting
himself with pistol through the heart, taking
also I'D over dose OF hydrate of choral, and f.
nally hanging himself with rope around his
neck, with the intention of committing suicide
ard it is our opinion, acc riding to the circum
stances shown, that he WAS in a state ofinssnity
The insane vanity that prompted the man is
conspicuous in the following extract from the
letter he left behind, giving an account of his
plans:
zone thing I had al most 70 got en- to mentions:
I sm going to put = mirror before me Just to see
if will be frightened. l think it more likely
thst shall laugh but as want to enjoy it all
I'll put the glass up anyhow. Next reach for
The lumber of rcisons, conveniently near, and
swallow its contents entire; probably shall sigh
fcr more Well, at this point shall hurry up,
ftr deadly acids work destruction quickly"
He left directions that his body should be con-
signed to Buff 10 doctor, whom he requested
to mount his skeleton on wires.
Unuer the Roman Empire epidemic of sui
eide among young girls WAS checked by a law
requiring the public exposure of their bodies in
the streets, subject to peculiar indignities The
lear OF post nortem disgrace was sufficient in
this case, but Whist could be done if passion for
;arbarcus and fantastic suicide should become
epidemic1 In the present case and the case of
the Illinois farmer, noticed some time ago, sheer
love of sensation seems to have been the dom-
nsnt motive, and it hardly seems possible that
any amount of post mortem indlgnity TO their
ramsns could have affected their determination
Perhaps inventive genius in this line may be
exhausted, and the poor fools who rscked their
IN 1avisp rnOdns of salf-rnur.
der will be without imitators-BaH american
Two 'stal cases OF sunstroke occurred in west
Trey, n. Y, yesterday. !