The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-26

SQtclues
The story from Capron, Ill, of perhaps
the most fantastic suicide imagined or re-
corded is SO complete in its grimness that
wo cannot help hoping that it is the effort OF
some budding Poe of the West rather than
the act of suicidal lunatic. 1t touches
every pulse of the morbid. Statuesque
suicide is as ancient as self-destructlon. IL
has exemplars almost every day. 1t seems
in many cases part OF the mad
ness itself that the victim is driven
on to seek a horrible distinction in
the manner of his death, in the let
tiers that he writes, or the words that he
utters before the fatal deed. He who
jumped into the crater of Etna over two
thousand years ago had this in view as well
as George w. Burleigh, who blew his brains
out on Tuesday night last at the conclusion
of his lecture, one Of the advertised
attractions of which the suicide was to be.
We'have had several impulses working in
certain classes OF American society which
make such an awful scene possible.
Among intending suicides We suppose
the bare.evolving of the idea would be suffi-
cient to have it put in train of execution.
To gather an audience in public hall in q
civilized country to witness such aspectacle
would seem an insuperable objection, but
We may iairly consider that the greater part
of those assisting by their presence, had
that inherent love of clever ''sell" which
is one Of the features Of the American mind
10 IL, 10
the same feeling which makes Barnum a
hero. The belief that his "woolly horse"
was fraud is more to his fame than If it
was O real freak of nature. Some OF the
listeners no doubt thought Burleigh
would satisfy them by clever trick.
Another impulse must have brought others
there, those who half or wholly hoped that
at least the attempt at suicide would be
made The anxiety to witness such horri-
BILE exhibitions as that which sent bullet
to the brain of woman from rifle in
the hands of another on the stage at
passes are sought to behold the legal stran-
gulation of criminal was stirring in the
breasts of some who paid their dol
lar and went to the hall at Ca
prom. It is indubitable, according to the
report, that some belief was entertained
of the poor wretch's determination to give
his audience the worth Of their money, for
we hear Of two men, stationed at the
wings for the purpose, rushing out to
restrain him from the deed which,
bowever he accomp lished And his lee
ture was atheistical, and it was to be q
proof of his belief in the humiliation
of existence The receipts at the door
were to provide for his funeral. We
can hardly believe that oil this is real, it is
80 artistically complete, but we think we
have shown the social elements which
| would make it possible Shake
speare, with his fine insight, makes
Othello divert the attention Of his listeners
from the deed he is about to commit. when
he says, "In Aleppo once, when malignant
and turbaned Turk" and SO on until
he buries the steel in his bosom but the
spectacle Of pronounced suicide, with
paslichts and an audience, shows how
the plan may vary. In Japan, where
men for certain causes disembow-
elled themselves, there were generally
witnesses of the act, and how to do it neatly
was part Of liberal education, but no one
imagined that such a thing was possible
here. The worst of it is that one fool OF
this kind generally makes many would-be
imitators. Look out for dramatic suicides.