Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-21
Facts About Suicide.


The New York Insurance Chronicle, IN
its last issue, contains some interesting
statistics relative to suicides in the United
States The facts have evidently been
collected with great care. They are GER
tainlv presented in a very interesting
manner. There were, it seems. in the
United States during the twelve months
ending with February last l,4O9
noteworthy suicides. The number the
previous year was 1906. Writers on the
subject of suicide and homicide agree that
temperature has a marked influence on
the number Of crimes Of violence. The
number increases as the temperature
rises. The 1,409 suicides Of last year
were distributed as follows: March lV9;
April los; May III; June III; July l3l;
August 212: September 1863; October l44;
November III; December 123; January
70; February -.
There is a very wide range in the ages
of suicides. and it varies only slightly
from wear TO year. Last year the Youngest
suicide was years old and the Oldest "a.
The age at which the greatest number of
suicides was committed was 30. The
number was -. 1t is noticeable that
after the age of 20 a greater number
of suicides occurred at the ages Of %, 30,
50, 40, 10, 30 and so on up to 60, than at
any age between those ages. For in
stance. the number at the age of 81 was
81. at the age of p it was 30, at the age OF
% it was s. at the age of 80 it was 30, at
the age Of "a it was l., and at the age of 30
it was SO.
The causes Of suicide are almost in
Vulnerable, although they may be reason
ably grouped under q dozen different
heads. OF last years suicides III were
attributed to business troubles; IS to
destitutiOn; Ill to dissipation; 10 to
family troubles; 30 to grief; 216 to insan-
itv: "a to love troubles; 149 to sickness;
, to avoid assassination, and l to pimple
on the nose. OF course, there were sim
gular stories connected with many
of the suicides. An Indiana
girl took her life because
her sweetheart took another girl on an
| excursion. The lady who took laudanum
and ended her career because there was
an irrepressible pimple on her nose, was
| Pennsylvania school teacher. An Ohio
politician shufled OF his mortal coil be-
cause his opponent got the most votes. a
| German in New York thought he was be-
/ witched, and sought relief in death. A
Missouri criminal, who had killed five
persons. so deeply regretted that he
badn'tkiI two more that he concluded
to follow his victims. A Tennessee stu
dent died by his own hand because q
study of the ancient authors convinced
him that his life was his own.
An eminent English authority attempt
ed, 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 162, Of husbands
| 5Ol, Of widows %, of widOwers 50, of di-
vorced females 6, and Of divorced males ,.
The methods employed to commit suicide
| are various, but there are a few that are
| in great favor. OF last years suicides
| 2SS died by hanging, 127 by drowning, 100
| by cutting their thrOats, II by jumping
from heights, 326 by poisoning, 446 by
shooting, II by standing IN front of rail-
road trains, by inhaling fire, 1 by dyna-
mite, and SO on through the list. The de-
tails connected with some of the suicides
are horrible and terrible.
In last years list Americans lead large
| ". OF the l 400 there were 5T2 Ameri-
| cans. Is Africans, 123 English, 80 French.
500 Germans, 100 Irish, and 80 Scotch.
The popular impression is that the
/ farmers life is the happiest of all lives,
and quite a large per cent. of those en-
gagged in other occupations hope TO spend
! the evening of their lives on farms. y
| glance at last years figures, however,
| show nearly three times as many suicides
among farmers as among people Of other
occupations.
The list includes 221 farmers, 81 mer-
chants, GO labOrers, and Al saloOn-keepers,
p commercial travellers, II lawyers, S
journalists and 81 physicians. There was
no preacher among the suicides, from
which it may be inferred that the trials
Of life do not bother them much.
About three times as many men as
women die by their own hand. Very
nearly that proportion is maintained in
the figures we have been quoting. OF
males there We're l, 0S3 and of females 326.
OF last years 1,409 victims, 1907 died
in the daytime and 395 during the hours
of the night. The States which
have the largest populations of course
contributed the largest number, but
the most thickIy settled portions of the
country do not, as a general rule, furnish
| the largest per cent of suicides in pro-
portion to the number of inhabitants
There are fewer suicides in the South
than in any other section, owing to the
infrequency Of suicide among the negroes
The number in Georgia last year was %
There are physicians in New York ant
other cities who make a speciality Of cur
ing persons Of suicidal and hOmicidal in
tent. The patients are furnished by the
educated and wealthy classes.