The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-08-22
Public Suicide.

The New York Times, in speaking of
the Capron, ILL.,, tragedy, adds the fol-
lowing cases to the list:
The Jewett case, which occurred in
this city couple of years ago, in which
a retiring partner, dissatisfied with the
division of the business, seems to have
dashed grenade on the floor of the
counting-r room, and to have dissolved
the partnership by involving himself
and partners in common destruction,
will be remembered, as ranking among
the remarkable cases, if it was really
case of intended suicide; but the utmost
examination of which the case admitted
left room to think it may have been an
accident. Even Burleigh's project of
advertising his suicide is not altogether
novel, for books narrate that once, in
London, a man advertised extensively
that he would upon certain day, put
himself to death in Covent Garden, for
the benefit of his wife and family;
tickets for admission one guinea each.
A similar courting of publicity is OBJ
servable in a London case, which oc-
Cured in the reign of George III. AS
that king was one day passing in his car
riage through the park to St. James Pal
ace a man dressed in black standing
close to the rails watched till the royal
carriage came opposite him, then pulled
paper from his pocket addressed to the
King, which he stuck upon the rails,
and then drew pistol and shot himself
dead. Though the place was crowded
with people, they were watching the
King, and no one observed the unfortu-
| nate mans movements in season to stop
him. Investigation showed he was a
James Sutherland, who had been Judge
Advocate at Minorca, but had been re-
moved under circumstances which dis
| tressed him so much as to derange his
mind. It is narrated that nine Chinese
servant girls, by exchanging confident
ial accounts of which they each witnessed
in the families in which they served,
| became so disheartened with life that
they agreed to leave it in company, sewed
their clothing together SO that neither
one should fail in purpose, leaped into
the water, and were drowned. There
are accounts of man who accomplished
self-destruction by lashing himself to
the stick of a large rocket, and of another
who did the same by leaping into the
crater of Vesuvius.
In Paris man, to sacrifice his life
cast himself into a pit where the bears
were kept, and before hecould be drawn
out was so much mangled by them thai
he died within few hours expressing
however, much satisfaction. And two
lovers, in France, whose parents refused
them leave to marry, tied ribbons to the
triggers of two pistols, exchanged las
kiss, and at signal, each pulled the
ribbon which discharged the pistol tha
the other held, and they fell dead to
gether. Joint suicides of lovers have
not been uncommon, but few have beer
as sentimentally planned as this one
One of the most extraordinary attempts
at suicide upon record is that made by
Lovat, resident of little village in th'
Territory of Belluno, in 1906. He wa
insane on religious subjects, and con
person the cruciixion of our Savior
He constructed within his Iodging-roon
a wooden cross, and provided himsel
with nails, ropes, crown of thorns, etc
Anticipating that he could not easil,
nail himself to his cross he made ne
which he fastened over it, securing it a
the bottom of the Upright beam, so tina
it might partly sustain his weight. HI
then assumed his crown of thorns, re
moved his clothing, and girded his loin
with white cloth, wounded his sid
with knife, and, introducing himsel
into the net, nailed his two feet and hi
right hand to the cross. And at las
he succeeded, by a serieso of ingeniousl,
prearranged contrivances, in swinging
the cross, with himself upon it, out a
the window, so that it confronted tn
villagers as they came out next morning
He was, however, taken dowE and ctlre'
of his wounds, though not of his melan
chOlv.