The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-04-23
suIc1pE STATISTICS.

IL
did not, as to the future, those only
who did not know enough to 90
would stay. And probably, on the
other hand, the suicide mania would
be limited more than it is now; for
it is limited Notwithstanding the
frequency of self-destructions. The
latest number of the Insurance
| Chronicle contains some interesting
statistics in relation to suicide, gath
cred from local papers in various
parts of the United States. 1t is
impossible to learn how many peo-
pie voluntarily take their lives, for
suicides are insane and not a few
insane people are decidedly shrewd--
so shrewd, in fact, as to hide the fact
that they take their own lives. The
Chronicle has a list of ST undoubt-
ed suicides for the year ending
March 31st, 1882, and calculates that
in the United States there is a sui
cidal rate of 80 to the million of in
habitants. Though the subject is
revolving and horrible, the details
are interesting if not entertaining
Of the unquestioned suicides CAB
were males and ia females, which
in view of the fact that the sexes
are about equally divided, is an evil
dence that in the aggregate women
are not only wiser than men, but
more tenacious Of life than their
fathers and brothers. The prefer
ences of individuals as to the modes
of taking off vary as they do in the
matters of dress and food, but the
principal modes of exit were cut
ting of arteries, drowning, hanging,
jumping from heights, jumping
from and standing in front of rail
way trains, poisoning and shooting.
Only six persons chad the heart
to stab themselves. Men usually
chose the speediest mode of depart
ure, while women ran to cold
poison. Of the 649 males who sui
cided, 21S, or more than one-third
employed the swift agency of pow
der and bullet, but only fifteen
a6opted the horrible method of hang
ing, and 125 men used that means
women had the courage to shoot
themselves. Thirty-thTee women
to end their careers. Poison, fifty
eight women and 113 men; drown
ing, tWenty-seven women and sixty
seven men. Now, drowning is gen.
orally understood to be one of the
easiest and pleasantest Gf any death
can be called pleasantly modes of
death known to the race; hence, it |
seems strange that more suicides
do not go by that road instead of by
the more shocking ways. Perhaps
it is because so few people can
swim. In the brutal cutting Of
Threats the women are again en-
titled to credit over men, for only
six of the former severed their
juglars while sixty-seven OF the lat
ter thus made unpleasant spectacles
of themselves. No female multi
ated herself by jumping from OF
lying in front Of train, but twenty
one males did one or the other. Of
these self murderers $40 were Am
erican born, 277 Germans. X Irish,
Is Scotch, 9 English and 81 IN
known. Only one Chinaman and
one Indian suieided, out of which
fact the California statesmen viii
probably frame an argument that
the Chinese ought to go for the rea-
son that they will not assimilate.
Curious causes led to all these sui
cides, dependency heading the list
with 90. 1t would have been more
interesting to state the causes which
led to dependency. Domestic
trouble came second, inducing IS
persons to take their lives; dissipa-
ton II, insanity Il, sickness rs.
"love," whatever that may mean, 81,
financial trouble As, to escape pun
ishment 21, restitution Is, grief II,
disgust 10. religious delusions 4,
homesickness 8. Forty suicided be-
tween the ages of 10 and 20 years, 90
between 20 and 80, 60 between 80
and 40, So between 40 and so, 40 be-
tween so and go, 10 between 70 and
so, 6 between so and 90, and 20 be-
tween 90 and 100.
A remarkable circumstance is that
agriculture, the "tamest," least ex-
citing, quieteSt and most peaceful
occupation, should find the largest
number of suicides, 100 farmers
having taken their own lives. Mer-
camille pursuits furnished forty-one,
and the others were distributed
among the trades and professions.