New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-29
SUICIDE.

For number OF sulcient reasons IL is 10 pc nOpeu
that Mr.. William C.. Burleigh. sometime Comtist,
Atheist and PessImist at large among the more adj
vanced intellectual circles of the less advanced
OHIO towns. but recently unsuccessful barber of
the village Of Capron, in the same State, did not
blow hls brains out the other night at the conclusion
of an eloquent in6de lecture, as the wild Western
reporter demented by the heat of the dOg-days and
lifted into loose ecstasy Of invention by the recent
local reduction in the price of beer says he did.
The loss of q barber an atheistic lecturer more
or less does not signify enough are always
left TO keep up the breed; but such mode
Of exit. Notwithstanding that 1t carries with it
some assurance Of brief pOsthumOus celebration, is
seriously to be deprecated. The reporter affirmed
that the lecturer cOnspcuously advertised this fea
ture of the entertainment, as the peroration and
dramatic wind-up of his discourse and although he
charged an admission fee Of dollar, the unusual
attraction offered by the opportunity to see whether
infidels really had any brains, drew
crowded audience, comprising the elite of
Capron. The same inventive chronicer declares
that two of the lecturers friends stood
at the wings for the purpose of hwarng his rash and
fatal intention, but they forgot to nterpOse until
the intellectual department of the orator was be-
yond recovery reconstruction.
fsuch an event could really have taken place. it
would have thrown a curious light upon the char
actor and habits OF the elite of Capron and Incl
dentaly illustrated the liberal curiosity which per
vades Western society But it would not have been
more curious surprising than many suicides that
have really taken place. 1t Is only q few years
since q French actor, reaching the tragic crisis
of the play in which he engaged, stabbed him
self to the heart really instead Of only seeming to
do so, and was borne off amid tremendous applause
aud yocferous encores Aud a wit of his nation
declares that suicides by leaping from the summit
of the Column Of July became so frequent that an
official notification was posted forbidding those
contemplating that act from ascending and point
ing out the very low price of charcoal. tolerably
regular though by no means excessive number fso-
cal macontents jovously dare the tumult aud abyss
of Niagara, and doubtless 90 down the food with q
kind of solemn ecstacy, glad to be hearsed thus
imperally at the end of lives so desolate, aud
90 forth into the unknown Kingdoms
the echo OF so thunderous and pOmpOus dirge.
Empedoces chose the crater Of Ktna to make
flaming end of tho days which were his in the EARTH
so that he and his work should be remembered
while Mongbello wore its plume of fire and bel
lowed from its Yulcanian caverns under the deep.
CatOs going forth and that of Brutus and the whole
heroic Roman cohort of the self-slain seem trivial
and tame beside that of the great poet and philoso
pher DiodOrus mentions epidemic of self-dc
struction which broke ont among the virgins of
MiIetus. and which could only be arrested by a
decree ordaining that the bodies of the
suicides should be- dragged naked through
the city. This stopped it, and the damsels
took I'D their abandoned lutes and cymbals, and
striking them TO airy of mirth and delicate
cadenees of desire, found that life not such
dsagreeabo thing after ALL And it IL said that GER
tain soldiers of Tarquinus Superbus in revolt at the
ignomiuy of tasks imposed them, slew themselves
in great numbers and the survivors were only recon-
cied TO life by aroyal edct declaring that the bodies
of the suicides should be nailed upon the
cross and exposed to pOsthumous infamy, like
those of malefactOrs. In one of tho dismal sea-
sons in the great Fredorck's career, when
his army was oppressed by defeat sick for home,
exhausted with terrible marchings and life and
death struggles maintained till nature could endure
no more, many suicides took place among the
soldiers and the frenzy threatened TO become cpl
demic but il abated when the King went among
them with sensible words of remonstrance and en-
enlargement.
There is so much that is curious in the history of
this crime that little occasion is left for surprise at
any caprice whatever of an individual suicide, and
If il should turn ont that Mr.. Bureigh or anybody
else. barber or otherwise had, by appointment and
advertised prearrangement, unroofed himself with
n pisto in the presence of Capron or any other nu
dience. it would only be necessary TO say that an
UNPLEASANT maniac had taken q conspicuously I'M
peasant mode of departing from this world and
flat the assembled audience greatly in need
of missionary.
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