Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-20
THE STATISTICS OF SUICIDE.

The Insurance Chronicle prints some sta
just closed which are of some interest. IL
appears that the whole number reported for
the United States is $50 of which December
has 1873 to its credit, January 10 and Febru-
AIRY 81. OF the causes dissipation stands at
the head with 80 suicides attributed to it.
Business trouble comes next with %; then
sickness with 81; "insanity" with ~ F;
"lamily trouble" with "a Glove trouble"
with IA, and "gricf" with 10. "Religious de-
lusionn accounts for 9. Of the methods en-
ploycd shooting had precedence, 1O4 lives
having been terminated at the point
of the pistol. Fifty-eight of the un-
happy ones tried poisoning, Al hang
ing, thirty-four the razor AMI fifteen drown
ing. One jumped from hight, one inhaled
gas and five threw themselves under railroad
trains. As TO sex, there were 222 males and
fifty-seven females, showing more endurance
on the part of the latter than OF the former
of the hard Winter and other ills. Consid-
cred with reference TO nationality, Americans
prepondcraicd furnishing 14S, or-morc than
fifty per cent. The Germans came next
with sevcnty.nne; the Irish with twenty
one the English with eleven the Scotch
with seven. OF the occupations, singuarly
enough the farmers were most fully repre-
sentcd, thirty-four suicides being reported as
ticrs of the soil. Fourteen were merchants,
thirteen clerks, five tailors, four saloon.
keepers. Several occupations, including
politician and tramp, furnished one each,
Two of the suicides were persons 81 years OF
age, while lhc youngest suicide was IL. The
greatest number, eleven, was at the age OF
81. Sevcnty-six of the unfortunatcs were
husbands thirty-five wives, sxty-sevcn
bachelors eleven maids, eight widowcrs and
four widows.
So much for the general figures. An in
teresins local study is furnished by the
New York HouM, which has gathered the
statistics of suicide in that city for the period
1S6S.1SS3. From the Uvdld's summary 1t
appears, that in the period mentioned there
occurred PIG cases of suicide, and in the
ten years from 1871 to 1881 a total of 1876
cases were noted. of these 1876, 14i7 were
men and 39G women showing, as in the
former Statistics more endurance on the part
of the sO-calcd weaker sex than on that OF
the stronger by fur the greatest number OF
suicides occurred between the ages of 30 and
40, though the whole list embraces all ages,
from the child of 10 years 10 the nonogenar-
ian. OF the whole number, 1889, or nearly
- per cent were of foreign birth, while the
proportion of foreigners in the city's popu-
lace was but 40 per cent and the nationality
leading the entire list was the German.
Among the men a trife over half were mar
ricd, while among the women over 90 per
cent wee of this class. May is the favoritc
month for suicides, Notwithstanding the
seemingly unfavorabe character of that
month for shuiiling off this mortal coil. AS
to the means Of suicide, the pistol is oftenest
used after which comes banging, aud then
the cutting class. Cigarmakcrs and tailors
arc numerous among men and the parks
aud public places OF the city are very gcner-
ally the resort OF those seeking sclf-dcstruc-
ton.