St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-11
REMARKABLE SUICIDES.
Strange and Ingenious Plans
Adopted by Persons Bent on
Standardization.


Self-DestructiOn.
There was no particular reason for it,
but the little group that held down one
of the plush-cOvered seats in the st.
James last night, after discussing politics
and religion and art and science, came
around to the gloomy subject OF self
destruction, says the New York Graphic.
One gentleman, who had taken no in
terest whatever either in Mr.. Blaine
letter or in MISREPRESENTATION, became
animated at once when the conversation
turned Oh suicides, and in few mo-
ments he was plunging into the subject
with as much eagerneSS and pleasure as
an undertaken would evince in directing
the funerals of an entire family.
II have made strange and unusual
suicides study for years." he said,
land | believe l can, without referring
to my scrap-bOok, tell OF more extraOr-
binary cases from memory than any man
in the party"
Nobody was prepared to dispute the
statement, and the speaker preceded.
"YOu all probably remember" he con-
tinued, "the ingenuity exhibited by that
young man i'm Connecticut few years
ago, who beheaded himself. 1t is one of
the most remarkable cases in my cOllec-
ton. The lad was mentally unbal-
anced, but possessed of an inventive
brain, which took horrible form after
melanchOlia set in, and made him deter
mine to end his life.
'He rugged up a gulllOtine, using a
sharp-bladed brOad-ax for the knife,
which he placed between two uprights,
and weighed it on top with 800
pounds of scrap iron. To the top of the
+lo Lett hn Oft
which ran up through the roof of the
barn, through pulley and down to the
floor, where it was made fast, holding
the ak in place about seven feet from
the base of the uprights. A watering
can was placed within eight inches of
this rope, and between uprights and
delicately balanced. In the nozzle of
the can he put a lighted candle, and I'M
der the nozzle, and fastened to it, two
pound weight. He bored small hole
in the bottom of the can, and after filf-
ing it with water tied sponge Satu-
rated with chlOrofOrm nnder his nose
and put his neck under the ak. In
about fifteen minutes the water had run
out of the can, which tilted forward ow-
to the weight under the nozzle, and the
flame of the candle touched the rope.
''In five minutes more the rope was
burned through, the strands parted and
down crashed the ak. The insensible
victim was instantly beheaded.
ga case of great deliberation was that
of a German shoemaker in Philadel-
phia, who barred his breast, located his
heart by the pulsation, and, placing the
handle of an awl against the wall,
slowly pressed his body against the
point until the instrument punctured
the vital organ that caused death.
marie Bonheur, FrenchwOman, in
New Orleans, drowned herself in a
small pail of water in 1876. She placed
the bucket Oh the floor, and stretched
herself face downward on bed, put
that position until she died.
son Black Friday broker crossed in
an East river ferryboat. When in mid
channel he took from his pocket two
grains of strychnine, which he swal-
lowed. Then he mounted the rail, and
as he jumped into the river he blew his
brains out with bulldog revolver.
Its very rare thing to hear of a
negro committing suicide, but down in
Charleston mulattO killed himself by
eating nearly half pound of powdered
glass.
up i'm the oil country in Pennsyl-
vania an investor who had lost all he
possessed in trying to start a paying
well became respondent and determined
to end himself effectually. He got a
siX-pOund can of nitro glycerine and
pounded it with hammer. There
wasn't enough of him found to put in a
pint measure.
"a crazy farmer in South Carolina
had terribly vicious horse, and con-
ceived the novel ipea of using the horse
as the agent for his self-destructian. He
lay down in the stall and was kicked to
death in ten minutes.
Emil SchOen, a prOSpectOr in the
Black Hills, became tired of semi-starv-
alton and 10 gold, and, begging all the
money he could, made his way to big
mill near Denver. He deliberately cuf
himselfin half with huge buzz saw.
"a remarkable case was that of a
French aerOnaut named Paille, who left
note with his affianced telling her to
meet him at a certain place, from
whence he intended to make an Assem-
sion. She was at the rendezvous, and
after kissing her goodbye, Paille cut
the ropes of the balloon and was soon
soaring upwards. AT an elevation of
1000 feet he was seen to Chamber over
the edge of the basket and kiss his
hand to the crowd. A moments pause
and he leaped out and was dashed to
pieces.
''You all remember Lingg, the an
archist, who blew the top of his head
off with lighted bomb which he placed
in his mouth, and the English officer
who thrust a red-hot poker into his
stomach and"
Enough" exclaimed one of the
party; Il dou't want TO see your scrap
book. Let us licker."