The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-07
!. Eelr Dcsi,,ucllon In rnrcc Months.

WhHkLiSI. W. VA, JANUARY =, 1854.
Seir DGsituciion IN Ihrcc Months.
Tho New York Chronicle, IN excellent
Z insurance paper, deyotes page OF tables
TO the suicides in the United States during
the autumn months, September, October
and November, 1858. II Is q lugubrious
subject, but by no means lacking in inter.
est.
4 The whole number for tho three months
4 WIS 3l7, September having much more,
aud November much lesP, than lis share.
Tho, suicidal impulse subsidized with the
( mercury in tho thermometer. OF the GAUGES
I 100, or nearly third, arc ascribed 10 in.
siuity; but 1t Is not always easy to deter.
I mine tho cause Of suicide, and such fro
sfQuent causes as business trouble, dissipa.
4 tion, family trouble, love trouble, sickness,
given special place in the statement, may
! or msy no! include cases which properly
I belong under the insanity head. II is n
Y theory'and belief that every case OF sui.
J eide Is attributable to insanity, for the rea-
4 s,n that no sane person would tcko his
j, lille.
But We may leave the speculation and
& 80 on with the facts. Next to insanity,
1 family trouble comes with 81 cases; then
business trouble, 40; dissipation, 81; love
Z trouble Is charged with 2G two more than
drink; and five children took their lives
I as a calm protest agains! parental diaci.
Spline. Nearly q third were bachelors,
which aeems like judgment; but more
were husbands with living wives, which
: would aeem to point different moral.
Widowerl do no. 80 it quite 80 strong,
q there being but % Of them in 34Ii and there
werc but 6 widows, which would seem 10
indicate that the widows would rather wed
again than shut oil their chances "with a
bare bodk;n." Jus! seven times as many
( wives as widows took their lives. OF maids
assorted ages) there were an even 10;
!!and Of divorced women only two.
z Tho most ingenious suicide was that Of
y the man who impaled himself on his
I wooden leg. One blew himself up with
dynamite. Tho remaining 345 were COM
mon place, shooting, poisoning, hanging,
! throat.cutting and drowning being the prin.
8 cipal methods, given in order OF preference.
3 II we except tho man OF the wooden leg,
whose device was Of very rude character,
5 and tue dynamite iicnd, who was in some
sense m imitator, there is no indication OF
2 fine fancy or nimble wit in the means en-
S;ployed. A man who is determined to take
I his LIE can well Afford to try to contribute
! some.hing to science. But all OF theee peo-
pie aeem to have been in hurry to get out
Of this world and Try another.
4 The tables suggest once moro that the
negro is little given to taking his own lie;
! only three OF them committed suicide in
s the autumn quarter under review. OF
native whiteA mericans there were 1885,
( and the Germans came next with 1l4-out
( OF all proportion to their relative numbers.
Olly l2 Irishmen took their lives, and The
I EaSlishmen numbered 81. Next came
Y tho Swedea, Blk in number, and there we're
not 80 many Of any other nationality.
The division Of occupation 10 given in
great detail. Farmers (30) lead the list tho
! fact supporting the established theory that
the isolated life Of tho asriculturist is OF
( depressing effect. Next come laborers (2S),
Z followed by merchants (2D. There were
only eight politicians and six spec
4 u!ators; each class being en-.
!. gagged in hazardous and maddening
occupation, it might have been thought
3 that more Of them would go by the suicide
d line. There were nine lawyers, eight ply
D sicians, three journalists and ono minister
Sol the gospel, Eleven saloon keepers are
reported. The remainder is distributed
A among tltiy-ive occupations.
Eleven cases were in some way connect
ed with murder. seventy.eight suicides
were committed at night; 2G0 during tho
J day. Two hundred and twenty cssas arc
Z reported from eleven States, New York
4 heading the let with SO, Pennsylvania fol.
lowing with 81, Illinois q, Ohio 81, Mis-.
Z souri, %. West Virginia had one. The
Z number Of suicides bears some relation to
] population, but close analysis shows
some remarkable freaks OF tho mania OF
Z sell-deetIuction.