The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-04
TERRIBLE sUICIDEbIN RUSSIA
HOW DEsPAIRING LovER SLOWLY BURNED
HIMSELF TO DEATH-CURsINa HIS LOVE WITH

d HIMSELF TO DEATA-CO6S4Nd Ills LOVE WITH
HIS LAST BREATH. ~ aal
most extraordinary suicide has just taken place
in the Russian town Of Jhitomr under exceptionally
fearful circumstances. The story is told by the ST.
Petersburg Zestung:-"A few days ago we'll dressed
traveller arrived the Hotel de France stating that
he was Mr.. Joseph o. colonial agent. and that
he wished to stay o short time in Jhitom1r upon
business. room on tho second door of the hotel
was assigned to him and he spent two or three days
in walking about the streets. although the weather
was unusually wet and stormy. On the fourth
evening he retired to his room early aud
locked himself in. Next morning he called
at his usual hour. but returned no answer to the
summons. After good deal Of futile knocking and
shouting the hotel proprietor became alarmed at
his tenants protraced silence. aud caused the door
of the room be broken open. terrible spectacle
presented itself to the assembled household. Mr.
O-'s body was lying on tho bare bedstead, from
which the mattress and bedclothes had been re-
moved of the sheets partly covered the legs OF
the corpse which otherwise in state of nudity,
its left hand pressed tightly upon the region Of
tho heart and its right hand convulsivcly
clutching the hair The eyes wide open.
fixed in CLASSY death stare. and the features dis
torted with agony, An oppressive odor. as of
scorched fat, pervaded the room. No wound
perceptible upon the body, but the chest trans
versey barred in several places by dull red stripes
medical officer, had made it's appearance the
scene OF this horrible tragedy. tho corpse
turned upon its face. when the cause OF death be-
came for the first time apparent to the terror
stricken spectators. deep and broad burn was ex-
hibited in the middle OF the back. and the spine
found to be completely carbonizcd. Upon the floor,
underneath the bedstead discovered the wicks.
embedded III little blotch OF cold stearine of three
candles which had been taken out the candle
sticks and fixed mp planking upon a layer of
melted grease, and the flame of these candles Mr..
o. had laid upon the skeleton framework Of his
ha all
suined until he died. manuscript. placed upon .
table close the bed. contained not only
the reasons which prompted this unfortunate man
to undergo self-infictcd marty rdom, but de-
tails of the orturng process by which he had chosen
to destroy his life. II was written in four languages
German, Russian, Polish and CZechish--and COM
menced In u Arm. bold handwriting the last few
pages however. being scarcely legibic. having evil
IDENTIFY been penned IN dire agony.
SUICIDES LETTER.
The first paragraph. in German, ran as follows:-
81 thought it would cease. but it ceases not SO be
IL, then. Hereby propose to solve an important
qucstonnamcly, are suicides In their right senses,
or they the victims of mental alteration? Thus
does not touch the real point at issue. A makes
up his mind to put an end to his life when he finds
that no takes interest in it; when he cannot
discover IN tho whole wide world the least thing
which awakens sympathy In his breast. The ques.
tion therefore. is not whether the suicide be mad
sane. but whether or not he have any thing to
hope for from lite. hope for nothing III life, but
my intellect perfectly clear. lin Russian There
is still another Question to solve I'm Germany
Are suicides towards? That lover who allowed
himself to be dragged to death by o horse before
the eyes OF his betrothed affords no proof to tho
contrary. Perhaps no would have cast himself loose
from the cords that bound him had II been in his
power to do That other fellow, who burned
himself to death In Odessa was probably no coward,
tor he might have thrown away the petroleum
lamp and thus saved his life. Yet his clothes
already on fire. and the straw hc lying
upon smouldering; still he may have wished
to escape death. had 1t been feasible. Now.
burning candle. to the flame of which tho back
bone and spinal marrow arc exposed. must ccr-
tanly make end OF life; that sort of death