Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-29
Suicides.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO KILLED THEMSELVES
LAST FALL, AND WHY THEY DID IT.
From the Detroit Free Press
The statistics Of suicides during the months Of
September, october, and November are interesting
and instructive One Of the most Interesting facts
shown is the falling OF in the number OF suicides
as compared with the preceding three months.
The total for June, July, and August was AS. while
the total for September, October, and November
was but 347, a falling of-Or perhaps IL should be
called gain-ot 1aS. When comparison Is made by
causes, however. the fact is disclosed that there
was marked Increase in the number OF suicides
from "busineSS trouble" and Insanity"
For the period first named the number OF suicides
from The former cause was % and from the latter
IS. while the figures for the second period are 4;
and 109. respectively, for the same causes "Fsll-
lily trouble" caused 81 deaths In the latter period
against 81 In the earlier while "love trouble was
just about as disastrous In the fall In the SUM-
mer months the figures OF the former being a6 and
Tor the latter 25. The great falling OF so far as
cause was concerned was in '.scSnessn ..dissipa-
tom and ''gr1er" Of those who took their lives
because undergoing or threatened with punish
ment, there We're IL In the 1aIl months and ID Ia
the summer
The "age' table shows that there were two SUI
cides at ~, one at 81, thirty-two under 81, AID
eight OF 50 years and upward The largest num-
Der OF any given age was eleven each at IL and so
Ten were tired OF life at 43, nine each at b. 40 aud
Al; eight at % 22 IS and a. seven at o. ,, A. ~
3S a. 46, 49, SO and U.s. at is 49, 81 81 2s 80 80
g. 81 and GO, and five at 35. 81, 81 IS, Sc and 81
Considered with reference TO their domestic con-
husbands, l2l OF whom dissolved the matrimonial
bond without any aid from the courts. Bachelors
came next with record Of III: and the wives fol-
lowed a long way after with but A. The rest or
the table was made up with 40 unmarried women
and girls, ~ w1dowers, widows and divorced
women women In 1ne preceding quarter there was one
not show single case.
AS to the means OF escape shooting Is stfll the
Ninety-six preferred poison, So the rope, 30 the
knife, and q the water. Nine DESTROYED them
selves by jumping nom heights, and sought
Two were eccentric, one of them blowing himself
up with dynamite and the other lmpaling hiuselr
upon his wooden leg.
as usual, with 12S. The German, ordinarily re
garded as exceptionally phlegmactic, came mex,
with ia The English contingent mustered twenty
six, the Scotch four, the African three the Bohe-
milan, Chinese, Italian and Norwegian two each,
and the Russian and Spanish one each.
tnues to furnish the greatest number OF suicides,
and IL would be well worth q good deal OF careflIi
investigation to ascertain why For the three
months under consideration the number OF farmers
who committed suicide was thirty-n1ne, while the
next highest number from the class OF laborers r
was but twenty-eighf. In the preceding ouar1e :
the mercantile class furnished the next highest
figure In the list numbering thrty-two. Nothwith-
standing the marked Increase in the number OF SUI
cides from sbusiness trouble" the number OF mer
chants has fallen of the table for tn latest Quarter
showing only tWenty-tour from that class. This
seems TO Indicate that the merchants have suffered
less from business trouble than In the summer
months
Next to the merchants come the saloon keep
ers, eleven OF whom succumbed TO the suicidal
impulses, being followed, curiously enough, by
ninolawyers, eight politicians, and seven physi-
Clans -Four drummers settled up their accounts.
two gamblers passed In their chips, two judges
rendered final and adverse decisions in their own
cases. three drug clerks prescribed fatal doses for
themselves, and three journalists, with one printer
showed their emphatic disgust with the news
paper business by their preference for death OF
the remaining cases four were school teachers six
were Spectators, one was minister OF the gospel
and there was one each from almost all the trades
and occupations including that OF the undertaken
and excluding that OF the plumber.
OF the states, New York sttn takes the lead,
being followed By Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and
Michigan In the order given Michigan Il sixth on
the list having advanced nom the ninth, its posi-
ton I'm the summer months The record OF the
southern states is better than that OF the northern
the former being credited with u, the latter with
go suicldeA
Last but least q the interesting facts is the
showing 70 the time selected for the suicidal act
Contrary TO what would naturally be supposed
light h preferred TO darkness S69 OF the Cases NJ.
ported occurring hy day and only 70 By night