The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-20
SUICIDES PHILOSOPHY.
The psason That A Young Man or
Tbi,N Gave for Ending HIS Exist
New York Sun.

Park Policeman James Lrkin found man
living on or g of the walls near the cave In
Csn,rAl Park with several gashes.son both
arms. The man said that he had attempted
suicide by cutting the arteries in his arms,
and showed the officer the razor with which
the wounds had been made. He said that he
had lain there several hours, and coolly ask
al the policeman to call an ambulance. he
was taken to Roosevelt hospital, where he
said his name was Peter Cannon, ind that he
was thirty years old. He declined to give
his occupation or address. The next day
he died. Coroner Brady held an inquest
Yesterday and read to tho jurors letter
which was found in Gannon's pocket after
his death. The letter is addresses:
TO whom it may concern: My name is
Peter Cannon, Was born in the city OF
Dublin, Ireland, in 1851, aud Sm citizen OF
the United States. This is u second time
within month thatI have attempted to
end my earthly life The other attempt was
made on the evening of Thursday, August
Is, and was, unaccyuntable to nae. unsucces-
full. procured a hypodermic syringe. and
after considerable trouble, five grains of NOR
phne. dissolved three grains, but in get
ting it into the syringe lost little. About
twilight walked into clump of bushes and
vines on the osnks Of the lake IN Central
mark, injected over two grains In the
flesh Of my thigh. ana fearful that 1t would
not DO sufficient, 1 swallowed the remain.
ing two grains. 1t was with the calmest
and hsppiest feeling that l felt on
unconscIousness stealing over me. walked
up alive to my utter disgust, after several
hours Inconsistencies My Est thought
was to open the veins of my arms, but
found my body paralyzed. 1 lay in that
clump of bushes tWentysfour hUurs-from
twilgh. to twilght-snd then crawled back
70 my boarding house. Victor Hugo or
Dickens might write up the twenty fourhours.
Itwould be the height presumption for me
TO attempt il. Il was u week before | recov-
cred from the drug. / thought, after such
IN incomprahensible escape, that life
would become more valuable to me,
but | find that it has regained
Rone of its beat flavor. There must be
good reasons for young man in the first
flush of manhood, in health, wishing to
leave the bright world, 80 dear TO the multi
tude. / will try to explain my reasons, and
fthey should appear long and tedious, the
world must remember how many start out
on the journey without giving any reason for
the crime against loving nature, and bear
with me.
~ am tired and weary, not SO much with
life rs its Inconsistencies and misery. My
heart ia filed with love and charity for oil
mankind, and | would give my fife to-day
for the benefit Of my fellow man. Am | alone?
No, there are Thousands of thinking living
men who are with me, whose
hearts are silently bleeding for
the misery everywhere around
them who zee the causes of the misery and
depreciation of esrlh's children and yet fud
themselves powerless TO remove the cause;
who in their great love stand forth as targets
for the SCOTS and sneers and derisive Laughs
ter of the unthinking multitude whose hsp-
piness they are striving for. But one pro-
greisve step has been taken--the world no
longer burns ts benefactors and liberators at
the stake. These are straBge thoughts for q
young man of thirty, but they are the OUT
growth OF experience. Have not seen ny
own boon companions Il don't like to count
them as | believe l was instrumental IN
their downfalD in this very city the idols OF
widowed mother, the pride of the house.
hold, sink down to disgraceful death beneath
the poisonous breath of intemperance, even
before manhood had laid lis grave and
thoughtful seal upon Their brows?
Is there no remedy? See to it, ye wise ones,
for to you speak. Look around you.
What do you find? There is rapidly grow
ing on evil among you that will in time de-
etroy this grand nation. 1t is but q few days
ago that some lady friends Of mine went 10
Coney Island and suffered intensely from
thirst, as they could get nothing TO drink bu,
Intoxicating liquors. And recently knew
of three gentlemen and their wives returning
from Long Branch 30 much under the in.
auence of liquor as to lilo on the floor in a
heap all night. Imagine our mothers in this
condition; and / find government, sup
posed to be the wisest and best the world has
ever known, forced 10 use its most power
full machinery for the suppression aud
punishment Of crime and yet, strange in
consistency, fostering and fattening upon
and deriving its greatest income from the
cause of the crime. Statistics prove, be-
iieve, that So per cent of all the crime com
mitted In the United States is directly due 10
the influence of intoxicating liquor; and who
supports the whisky traffic with greater en-
ergy than tho government of the United
States? L dwell on this subject because
have seen il II is the primsry cause of the
greater p rtion Of the misery and crime in
the world.
But there Is another reason for this step
besides the misery of others. Either J Am
very weak or the world Ia barab a. ,.DS rate
il lis too strong for me, sDd lnd
myself al thirty no further advanced, excep.
in the knowledge that is increase of misery,
than was ten years ago. l find that to be
successful, as the world understands success,
must make sslf-interest the guiding prin-
ciple of my life. reverse the golden rule, re-
gard my neighbor as my enemy, take adj
vantage Of those weaker than am, and be
ever on my guard sgaiast the designs OF
those stronger. In short, make life, tia,
should be love, warfare; detest SELFISH
ness and ttickery.
"The thipgs that charmed my youth have
not only lost their charm, but become bit.
Ter memories, and no substitute has taken
thor place. Circumstances or fate places
tho means of happiness beyond my reach
I have drunk Of the waters of philosophy
and they have poisoned me. / would be !
benefit TO mankind, and, although l do no,
die for that reason l would convey war;.
7ng In my dying words n
al select this place 10 die 10, frst, because
/ want 10 die ameng the trees: second. /
don't want 10 be disturbed, but 10 die alone
and last but not least, don't want 10 put
any Of my friends 10 the expense OF funeral
or the trouble and bother Of en- inquest.
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