The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-04-23
Facts About Suicide.

Facts About Suicide.
Savannah News.
The New York Insurance Chronicle,
in its last issue, contains some interest
ing statistics relative to suicides in the
United States. The facts have evidently
been collected with great care. They are
certainly presented in very interesting
United States during the twelve months
ending with February last !, 400 note
worthy suicides The number the pre-
vious year was 1905. Writers on the
subject of suicide and homocide agree
that temperature has a marked influence
on the number of crimes of violence
The number increases as the temperature
rises. The 400 suicides of last year
were attributed as follows: March, 109;
April, 1853; May, III; June, III; July,
131; August, 212; September, 1853; Octo-
Der, IA; November, III; December, 1913;
January, rs; February, 80.
There is avery wide range in the ages of
suicides, and it varies only slightly from
year to year. Last year the youngest
suicide was 6 years old and the oldest "a.
The age at which the greatest number of
suicides was committed was 90 The
number was 90 It is noticeable that
after the age of 20 a greater number of
suicides occurred at the ages of 25, 80,
35, 40, 45 so, and so on up to so, than at
any age between those ages. For in
stance, the number at the age of "a was
81, at the age of 25 it was %, at the age
of % it was s, at the age Of 80 it was 50,
at the age of "a it was II. and at the age
of 35 it was 36.
The causes of suicide are almost innu-
merable, although they may be reason
ably grouped under a dozen different
/ heads. OF last nights suicides III were
attributed to business troubles; 46 to de-
stitution III to dissipation; 170 to fam
| lily troubles; 30 to grief 276 to insanity;
81 to love troubles; 149 to sickness; 2 to
avoid assassination, and 1 to a pimple on
the nose. Of course, there were singular
stories connected with many of the sui
cides An Indiana girl took her life be-
cause her sweetheart took another girl on
an excursion. The lady who took lauda-
mum and ended her career because there
was an irrepressible pimple on her nose,
was a Pennsylvania school teacher. An
Ohio politician shuffled off his mortal
coil because his opponent got the most
votes. A German in New York thought
he was bewitched, and sought relief in
death. A Missouri criminal who had
killed five persons, so deeply regretted
that he hadn't killed two more that he
concluded to follow his victims. A Ten
nessee student died by his own hand be-
cause a study of ancient authors con-
vinced him that his life was his own
/ An eminent English authority at
/ tempted, not long ago, to prove that there
were more suicides of unmarried than
married people. Last years figures do
/ not sustain this view. The number of
maids was ia. of bachelors 391, of wives
1862, of husbands sol, of widows 80, of
widowers So, of divorced females 6, and
/ of divorced males 3.
The methods employed to commit sui
eide are various, but there area few that
are in great favor. Of last years suicides
2SS died by hanging, 1877 by drowning.
100 by cutting their throats, IA by jump
&. ing from heights, 326 by poisoning, 44G
by shooting, IA by standing in front of
railroad trains, by inhaling fire, 1 by
dynamite, and so on through the list.
The details connected with some of the
suicides are horrible and terrible.
In last years list Americans lead
largely. Of the 400 there were 57G
Americans, IS Africans, 1913 English. 81
French, 500 Germans, 100 Irish, and IS
Scotch.
The popular impression is that the far
mer's life is the happiest of all lives, ant
quite large per cent. of those engaged
in other occupations hope to spend the
evening of their lives on farms. 4
glance at last years figures, however