Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-02
HEADLONG FROM VENDOME
COLUMN.
FrIghtful Suicides I'm Paris by Leap
ing from the Famous Monument.
Paris Letter to Chicago Herald.

FrIghtful Suicides I'm Paris by Leap.
ing from the Famous Monument.
Paris Letter to Chicago Herald.
1 had just passed the Column Ven
dome on my way to the Hotel Cont
mental, when l heard cry of horror
from every corner of the place, and
woman fell insensible at my very feet. |
saw the upturned face, and before |
could turn half way round I heard an
awful, sickening sound, the meaning of
which was easily guessed. Then learn
ed that some poor fellow had thrown
himself from the tOpmost point of the
grand and stately column to the paved
roadway, more than a hundred feet
below. Strange to say he was not dash
ed to pieces. He had struck upon the
iointed iron ratings, and there he hung
pierced through the neck by the sharp
and gilced picket. There were very little
signs of blood, but the features, which
once upon time a mothers lips had
pressed, were terribly disf1gured
'"That is the third one within fort
night" said the manager of the hotel
when he was told of the suicide.
'Why do they let visitors go to the
top of the column aloneT [ asked cit
is shameful for the authorities to be so
Indifferent to such a state of affairs. Lib
erty is all very well, but one has no
right to throw ones self from the Ven
dome column simply because one has
not drawn a prize in the lottery or for
some other equally foolish reason" The
manager said, with a shrug of his shout
ders, that it always had been and always
would be, so there was no use of worry
ing over the matter. My business at
the hotel finished, l started for my apart
ments. When | had reached the corner
of the Hotel Bristol / saw be-
fore me crowd of perhaps
thousand persons, and in
few moments | was in their midst.
1t was a crowd of bareheaded men,
women and boys, who had rushed from
all the neighbOring shops and houses of
idlers, glad to find some excitement to
refresh their laziness; of strangers, with
red books under their arms, the British
ones of the number soberly jOtting down
in their memorandum book the sad fact
that "a suicide occurs every day, in the
Place Vendome, at about four o'clock
in the afternoon" of soldiers in red
trousers, dirty, ill-fitting blouse, shoes
turned over at the heels, hardly tall
enough to pass muster in the "pOny
squad" of a company of Western militia;
of stately, dignifed, aristOcratic gentle
men from the CercJe de ] Union ArtiS.
tiqUe (vulgarly called the Moilltons) over
the way, where a fine reception was
being given to the ladies, and where
some of the best paintings in Paris are
now on exhibition; of officers from the
headquarters of the post cOmmandant,
Major General "Three Stars" who occu-
pies the building at the side of the one
occupied by the Minister of Justice, and
of policemen.
In my time l have seen many misera-
BILE. sad and disagreeable sights, but
never before was so shocked as on yes
terday afternoon, when found myself
in that crowd at the base of the mighty
pillar, from the top of which a colossal
statue of the great Napoleon overlooks
all Paris. 1t was a crowd utterly lost,
so it seemed to me, to the horror of the
situation. cit is droll," said a young
woman to man who works in iewelry
shop at the corner of the Rue de la Paix,
and both of them strained their eyes to
examine in every detail the hideous blot
of blood on the gilded iron paling.
eyes, my little one, it is quite dis
lance to fall" said an ugly, british look.
ing coachman addressing himself to the
cOcotte in his voiture. "It would have
been better for monsieur if he had fallen
upward" and roar of laughter greeted
this humorous remark. The people
pushed each other rudely in their efforts
TO catch glimpse of the POOR dead man,
whom policeman had covered with his
cloak. There was no hurry about taking
away the corpse, and for two or three
hours the crowd kept on joking and tell
ing each other of similar tragedies which
they had either seen or heard about.
The percentage of suicides in France
is greater than that of any other country.
One of the most eminent French authori-
ties, who examined 4, sos cases of suicide,
said: There were among them 697 per
sons of ample and independent fortune,
2, 1000 persons who earned a handsome
livelihood in trades or professions, 256
persons in pecuniary difficulties, 159 who
were comparatively ruined, considering
their circumstances with regard TO their
previous position, and 100 poor persons.
OF the total number, 1876 were women.
French physicians have discovered that
suicide belongs to the class of epidemics,
while others tell us that suicide is
hereditary. AS to the manner of
these innumerable cases Of self murder, l
am not in position 10 speak authorize
lively. am assured, however, by the
police authorities that the number who
precipitate themselves from this same
Column Vendome is 10 per cent. of the
whole. was also informed that of the
457 of such deaths in the Place Ven
dome, AS had their heads fractured and
no visible wound of limb or body; while
in SO cases there was no apparent injury
at all, and death took place merely from
the shock of falling When one remem-
bers that the column is 132 feet high, it
seems impossible that such a statement
should be true one; and when l asked
for an explanation | was assured that the
victims had been caught on the iron
DicketS bV their ClOthingl