Sharp County record., 1885-07-23

care for the morrow, so they have
enough to eat and drink. Why, nickel
will buy negro watermelon, and
he'll 90 to sleep on plank.
"Now take the list of suicides. There
are sixty-two in all. The record of the
rest was destroyed IN the courthouse
fire, though this record embraces Coro-
ner Muscroft's and my own admins
tration. Of the list of males there were
forty-seven, of females fifteen Look
at the various modes they took of making
their exits: Nineteen shot themselves,
seventeen hung themselves, ten took
poison, eleven sought the cistern or
river. and three cut their throatS.
Hanging where strangulation ensues
| believe a painless death. All thatyou
fellows put in about the lolling tongue
and glaring eyeballs is all nonsense.
It's the child of you newspaper tiends.
| must confess never saw it. The ma
jority of the people who hang them
selves bring it on gradually, as where
they hang themselves to dOor-knob
or bedpost, where, by motion, they
could easily stop the tension of the
rope or cord. It's only the first strug-
gle that's any pain about it, even if that
has. When the blood is stopped in its
flow from the brain, slight dizziness,
then the victim floats away into dream
land, and all is over. Why, parties
who have hung themselves look as if
death had been peaceful and quiet.
81 want to say another thing about
generalization. l claim that in most
cases the suicide is premeditated. Take
the Piatt case, for instance. Major
Piatt even went so far as to purchase a
British bulldog. The price asked was
nine dollars, but he wouldn't pay it,
said he could get just as good pistol
for five dollars, and after going several
times to the gun-shop, finally got it for
seven dollars. Then for some time be-
fore his death he used to love to talk
with his friends about future state,
asking them if they believed in it, and
deighting to argue about it. Then he
was seen to take a mirror and feel
alongside of his temple to find the place
where the bone is as thin as an egg
shell. All these things showed deliber-
alton, and the fact that his business
was all arranged, letters all written
shows this. Why, on one occasion
when he was all ready he went out to a
saloon to get a drink to nerve himself,
and met some friends and forgot all
about it.
ever hear Theodore Hooks story,
which forcibly illustrates the personal
effect of losses in money? It's good
one. One day while on visit to Lord
Hertford, at Ludbourne, he fell into
familiar chat with his only companion
in the coach, a melancholy man. with
querulous voice, given out in tonic of
aggrieved complaint. Sir said the
stranger. you may have known un-
fortunate men, perhaps, in your day;
you may, for aught l know, be can
unfortunate man yourself; but | do
not believe there is, such another un-
fortunate man as | am in the whole
world. No man ever had more
brilliant prospects than l have had in
my time, and every one of them on
the eve OF fulfillment has been blighted.
Twas but the other day that | thought
l would by ticket in the lottery l did
so, stupid ass that | was, and took a
sixteenth. Sir, l had no sooner bought
it than I repented of my folly, and feel
ing convicted that it would be blank
l got rid of it to a friend who l knew
would thank me for the favor, and at
the same time save me from another
disappointment. By Jove! sir, would
you believe it? l know you won't, but
it's true-it turned up S150,0O0.'
Heaven and earth, exclaimed Hook,
it is Incredible If it had happened to me
| should certainly have cut my throat.
We'll, said the stranger, of course
you would, and so did l. and barring
his neck he exposed to Brooks horror
stricken gaze freshly healed wound
that reached from ear to ear
,T,1o,Y,1of; E71ul;ror