The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-25
EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.
Traveller ErOils His Back Over Il Slow
Fire, and Describes His Experience.

Tue st. Petersburg Zestu,ag publishes
the esfoHowing account of "a suicide re-
Gently committed in the town of hitomir
under exceptionally appalling eireum--
stances. A few days ago a well dressed
traveller arrived at the Hotel de France
of that city, stating that he was Mr.. Jo-
seph O., Colonial agent, and that
! wished to stay short time in .Jhito-
| mir upon business. A room on the sec
ond hoor 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
I room early and locked himself in. Next
| morning he was called athis install hour,
but returned no answer to the summons.
After good deal of futile knocking and
shouting, the hotel proprietor became
alarmed at his tenants protraeted ST.
lence, and caused the door of the room,
to be broken open. A terrible specta-
Gle presented itself to the assembled
household. Mr.. O-=-'s body was lying
on the bedstead, from which the
mattress and bedclothes had been
removed; one of the sheets partly
covered the legs of the corpse, which
was otherwise in a state of nudity, its
left hand pressed tightly upon the re
gion of the heart, and it's right hand
convulsively clutching the hair. The
eyes We're wide open, fixed in a CLASSY
death-stare, and the features distorted
with agony. An oppressive odor, as of
scorched fat, pervaded the room. No
wound was pereeptible upon the body.
but the iehest was transyersely barred
in several places by dull red stripes.
As soon as the police, accompanied by
the local medical officer, had made its
appearance on the scene Of this horrible
tragedy, the corpse was turned over up
on its face, when the cause of death be-
came for the first time apparent to the
terror-stricken spectators.
! !. Adeep and broad burn was exhibited
in the middle Of the back, and the spine
was found to he completely carbonized1
Upon the floor underneath the bedstead
were discovered the wicks, embedded in
a little blotch of cold stearine, of three
candles, which had been taken out of
the candlesticks and fixed upon the
planking upon a~layer of melted grease.
Over the flame OF these candles Mr..
o. had laid upon the skeleton frame
/ work of hisbedstead. and ) sl1ffaEeds bis s
spine to be slowly consumed until he
died. "A manuscript, placed upon ta-
bic seloseste the lied Contained not only
a resume of the reasons which promptl
ed this unfortunate man to undergo
I self-inflietedV 7 marty yrdonl, Tbutg minute
details Of the torturing = process
| I. l. H. 70 ic
life ItNwas written in four languages
German, Russian, Polish, and SGzechish
and commenced in firm, bold hand
writing, the last few pages, however
being scarcely legible, having evidently
been penned in dire, agony. The first
paragraph in German, ran as follows
IL thought it would cease, but it ceases
not!l So .beit,X them Il Whereby | pro
{ pose to solve an important question
namely are suicides in their ssrigh
senses, on are they the victims of menta
, aberratiorie Thus the question is com
! monty put; 7 butaI fancy that it does no
: touch the real point at issue. aA"1nal
makes up his mind to put an end to nj
life awhenshe finds that he. lakes no IN
! terest in it ); when he can not discoye
! in the whole wide world the least thins
= which awakens sympathy in his breast
q The qhesuons therefore, is,Enot whethe
- the suicide be mad or sane, but Whethe
! or not not he. have. any thing to hope TO
: from life. i, I hope, for nothing in, life
q but my intellect is perfectly clears I'll
Russian / There is still another que:
= lion to solve. oln GERMANY Are sui
: cides cowardse That lover who aliowe0
!. / himself to- be dragged to dea.hi by 4
) horse before the eyes, of his betrothe
7 affords no proof tothe contrary. Perhap
8 he would have cast himself loose fror
! the cords that bound him had it been
4 his power to do, so.1 That other fello"
y who burned himself to death in Odesss
: / was probably no coward, for he migt
!. have thrown away the petroleum lanaE
, and thus saved his life. Yet his clothe
!, were already on fire, and the straw
4 was living upon was smeidering ;astill 4
! / may have wished to escape death, ha
- it been feasible Now, a burning car
: die, toflpe flame, of which the back kbon
- and spinal marrow are exposed, mu
: certainly make amend of life; that co
- of death must be attended with atrociot
: sufferines; and the person inffictin
: : such agony upon. himself, having Il
! power to contend with bat his own pro-
# .er will and pleasure, can at any moTael e
= : | interrupt tie process by the slighte
i movement ypf his body. 4 I4will sr!bm
- myself to this torture. Tn Russian
i tShould not succeed in enduring u
"A pain, the question: will, be settled, /
If least forsathe present, in the sense tn
] Esuieides are towards. But, If my corp
Il Il be found, exhibiting proof that Ira,
~ 70 obtained death by, two agencies \
~ - burning candles, as ministering factor
~ ~ and BIZ my dominant will which b
= I not blenchedt before eNcruciating to
= mentss hat will be- proof positive tn
.. men may diegof their own free chole
to Let me begin !'3g& ag baezss ssl
ID Here the writing became lrregula
D. and progressively more and more 1lies
e. BILE. ssI arise esfoiAeny fiery couch am
Id hideous srfferings, but still netgso ter
1d Bile asI had anticipated and fedred.
IS. arise but not to save myself No! l
ed lis as obnoxious to me as eyerss But