The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-10-26
Statistics or Suicide.

The suicide record of the United States
for the summer as published in the
Insurance Chronicle is full of interest.
The whole number reported for June,
July and August is 475, of which 354
were males and 121 females. The great
est number was in June, 1853. There
were 15S in July and 159 in August.
OF the whole number 1876 were of Amer
lean birth, $50 German, 4S English, 80
Irish, - Scotch, II French, Swede, 3
italian, Russian and 1 each Bohemian,
Chinese, Hungarian, Norwegian, Spanish
and Swiss The age statistics show the
largest number at 80 years. OF these
there were "a. Those at the age of 40
come next with 3D. where there is one
each at the ages of 6, 10 and IA, and 80,
81 and 81.
In the "cause" table insanity, as usual,
stands at the head with sc to its credit.
Next in order come sickness with 90,
family trouble with 81, dissipation with
81, love trouble with 20, business trouble
with %, destitution IA, grief 10. Thir
teen suicides were attributed to fear of
threatened punishment, while one of the
unfortunatcs took his life to avoid assassi-
nation-a singular method of escape.
Two of the cases are explained as "chag-
rim at parental discipline"
The classification by social condition
reveals singular state of facts. Hus-
bands head the list, 100 having escaped
from the pressure of the matrimonial
band by self-slaughter. Wives ought to
follow next, but are preceded by the
bachelors, of whom there were 1913. The
( fhprn
were 81 who found slhyle life insup-
portable The widows were more easily
reconciled, only 10 of them adjoining the
list. Thirty-two maids and one divorced
persona man-filled out the list.
In the means adopted shooting was the
favorite, 147 having sought surcease of
sorrow by that route Poison was prefer
red by 10, hanging by 104, drowning by
5S, throat-cutting by 30. Twelve jumped
from moving railroad trains, and the re-
naming thirteen met their fate by burn
ing, severing arteries, inhaling fire,
jumping from heights, stabbing and
starving.
Singular as it seems the farmer, usual
ly regarded as the only really independ-
ent man in the community, furnished the
greatest number of suicides. Bad
weather, short crops and the dependency
cngendered thereby sent 90 tillcrs of the
soil to suicides grave. At some dis
tance behind came 30 merchants cscap-
ing from business cares and perplexities.
The laborers drew the next highest num-
Der H. and the saloon-keepers followed
with IS. Eleven physicians tried on them
selves the treatment they are so often
accused of trying on their patients, and
8 commercial travellers started voluntarily
for the bourne whence return tickets
are unattainable. Five of the procession
were lawyers and an equal number bar
bers. There were 8 politicians, 3school
teachers, pOstmasters and minister,
of the gospel. The units included
representatives from most of the trades
and professions, including the journals
tic. One drug clerk did penancc fol
the mistakes of the fraternity. One
judge passed sentence on himself and
executed it, and 1 gambler g handed il
his checks"
Not the least interesting fact is that by
far the larger number of suicides take.
place by day. The table shows that SO;
were in the daytime and only 100 by
night. -Dttyoit Free Press.