, 1888-09-08
A STUDY.oF SUICIDE
WHAT LIFE RescUER o'BRIEN SAYS
ON THE SUBJECT

Saved Thirty Human Lives-PeopIe Who
Want to Drown Observation-Disclosures
of the Genuine Self Killer.
"When l am free and at leisure l go to
Lincoln park. The lake shore there Ia
my field of operation. Most of the
drownings take place in the lake off Lin
coin park. Dozens of young people are
out boating there every day, and once in
awhile a life hater turns up, determined
to bury himself in the waves. For one
who is really tired of life it is indeed a
good place. The water is clear, cool and
inviting. The confusing roar and noise
of this busy city life is far off. Peace.
tranquility and rest reign all around. The
place is just made for life haters who,
you know, are often capable of walking
miles in order to terminate their life in a
shady and green spot. Along that very
shore l rescued about q dozen people, and
at least five of them were would be self
murderers.
During the many years I devoted to
this peculiar occupation of mine-that is,
to saving the drowning-I observed that
not only place and time but also the
weather has a great deal to do with the
occurrence of drownings. Those who
drown themselves in the spring and
autumn usually have a weakness for fair
weather. They are Missionaries suffering
from inborn melancholy, and often poets
with ruined, d~issipated talents. The
great majority, however, are poor crea-
lures for whom sunshine is rather in
MIGRATING than productive of a desire to
die. They think of dying for a long time,
but they do it as soon as the weather
changes for the worse. If the weather is
too bad, if it rains or SHOWS heavily, they
will wait. They do not like too bad
weather.
"The days on which the ~drownings and,
suppose, suicides in general are most
numerous, are in most cases those on
which the sky is enveloped in gray clouds.
Everything then seems gloomy and mel
ancholy. An inexplicable heavy pressure
upon the breast makes the blood flow
slowly and lulls the brain into a dull
stupor. The thoughts get confused.
Deep sadness seizes the unfortunate suf-
ferers, and whatever unpleasant N bit
ter their past life contained forces its way
out of the depth of recollection, and
bursts forth in one agonizing feeling of
despair and disgust with the world.
Those who try to plunge into the here
after on such days offer grim resistance,
when one comes to their rescue, and with
out preliminary precautions to rescue
them is a dangerous undertaking.
MANY of those who resolve to drown
ILcLuSolNeS OlLen COme 10 inc SpOG CneY
select for the accomplishment of their re-
solve, long before taking the final step.
They walk up and dow along the shore,
gaze at the sky, look around shyly, then
they begin to stare at the water, en-
deavoring to measure its depth. When
they are about to make the fatal move
ment they halt suddenly and listen. The
chirp of a bird, the splash of a fish, the
whistle of q steamer, any sound. any
| frifiinn moffar nngof+1a. 4la,. -.zz1
They turn roun all of a sudden and walk
quickly away. A few days afterward they
come back and seem to reproach them
selves for having been so cowardly before.
Instead of walking up and down they now
remain standing on one spot. They stare
at the water. In their eyes there is not a
spark of a thought. They have the ap-
pearance of som~nambulistS. They car
neither see nor hear anything. Suddenly,
it seems, something ~startles them. The
hat flies from the head, the coat from the
shoulders, and-there-they are strug-
Cling with the waves.
"Most of them appear on the surface
before they finally go down.. A genuine
self-killer will fold his arms, shut his
eyes and go down without any noise. He
is half dead already before the unavoid-
able apoplexy strikes his brain. Those,
however, who go into death with some
hesitancy, at this dreadful moment are
overcome by a powerful fondness of life.
They cry and kick and trample with their
arms and legs, and when one comes to
their rescue they cling to him like a polyp.
To die is not SO easy a thing after all, and
he who attempts to take his own life will
not soon repeat his attempt.
Even the hours of the day are of great
Importance to the suicides. Generally
they choose the afternoon hours, when it
begins to grow dusky. Only a small pro-
portion suicide in the morning. Al day
break, when only the street cleaners are
at work, in Chicago as well as in other
large cities, you can sometimes notice
people of all ages and stations of life walk
down to the lake or to the river. They
look pale and weary, their hair is con
fused, their clothes in disorder, they look
as if they had just come out of their bed.
They are gamblers who haye lost all their
possessions in one night, or embezzlers
who have spent the none of their en-
ployers in one great debauch, or thieves
who are escaping from the police. There
they stand at the edge of the water and
sigh. Yesterday they were happy and
free from all care, today O dreadful end
awaits them.
'"The darkness vanishes more and more.
the city awakens, its noise becomes louder
and louder. They sit down and let their
legs hang over the surface of the water.
Tears fill their eyes, they sob quietly.
1t Is so difficult to die, especially when
n is young. The sun has risen high
upon the horizon. People hurry down
town from all directions. 1t strikes 8, o
o'clock-now, perhaps, the embezzlement
has been discovered, the police are being
notified another hour passes quickly
away. There is nc hope left. They look
around again and again, then suddenly
they shut their eyes and glide down into
the water. They think it is all over, but
somebody comes to their rescue. When
they are brought ashore and they regain
consciousness, they send forth shouts of
JOY. Whatever may come, disgrace or
Observation-Disclosures God /, thar renont