The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-20
CAUSES OF SUICIDE.
Men Who Have Nothing Life to Live
For.

asked a reporter of a well-known physician
the other day.
That" he replied. sis rather a difficult
question to answer. There are great many
causes, and it would be impossible to tell
the principal ones. Generally they may be
trouble may be the result of drinking
whisky, and that would bring it down to
one reason, and that is whisky. Liquor
drinking, think, has a close connectio
with many suicides. For instance, per-
son may have considerable trouble in his
family, and he attempts to drown his sor-
ROW with the wine-glass. OF course, this
only gets HIM deeper into trouble, and the
only means he sees of getting out is to end
his existence. But, as l said before, there
are many other reasons for taking life.
Often it is the result of a mans being
Tilted by his sweetheart. Then, again,
there have been many cases where escaping
criminals have taken their lives TO avoid
being captured, and where convicted muir
derers made bold attempts to cheat the
gallows. There are some poor uufortunates
who are driven TO suicide because they
have played in hard luck. Probably thrown
out of employment, unable to make an
honest dollar, and too proud to beg.
FROM DISEASE.
"There are others who, are driven TO suicide
by disease A person will be sick some
times for weeks or months. He will try
various doctors, and will apparently get no
better. He becomes Respondent and feels q
desire to die. This is not gratifed soon
enough, and he takes dose of some
ing that will put him beyond all desires.
There are many cases of this class,
and, indeed, if any person is justified in
committing suicide it is when everything
has been done for him and he is still in con-
slant pain for months with not the least
possibility of ever getting better But
even in such a case comes i'll the cheering
assertion, While there's life there's hope.
ANY person who will deliberately take
his own life," continued the physician,
surely must be crazy at the time, and if
he is not it is a charitable way to speak of
it. Many persons, | have no doubt, often
contemplate suicide, or say i wis l were
dead, when they really don't mean either,
but the one who has the former wish in
mind is dangerous man to himself, aud
had better turn his course in life if it is posi-
BILE for him to do so, or else he will probably
go from this world with his name disgraced
and leave a reflection on his family, if he
has one. 1t is a singular fact that woman
seldom takes her own life, although she is
spoken of as belonging to the weaker sex.
1t may be because she thinks more of her
self than a man does, or because she has
more fears of the hereafter.
RELIGIOUS PREPARATION FOR SUICIDE.
"Persons bent on ending their existence
often do some peculiar things. remem-
Der a man, who was not model man by
any means Very suddenly he began
going to church He soon became a church
member, and for few weeks was one of
the most regular attendants at
service. AS suddenly as he be-
came member of the church
he became corpse. He committed suicide.
That man l have no doubt contemplated
suicide before he went to church. He did
not think that he was prepared to die, and
did not care to meet his Maker without
some religious preparation. He adopted
the means related, and no doubt felt be tier
prepared to die.
MEN OF FAMILY
"Others, but very few. look after the
interests of their families before committing
the rash act, while larger portion of them
see that nothing is left behind them when
they leave Men of families usually select
some secluded spot about their own
premises when they go about such a job
and frequently use rope and hang them
selves. Some prefer dose of laudanum,
while others would rather drown their
troubles by jumping from some high bridge
or create a sensation by jumping from q
steamboat,
SUICIDAL EPIDEMICS.
Persons who select such public places
usually commit suicide because there has
been number of such cases within q short
time, and not because of any particular
trouble. Such persons usually are light
about the head, are anxious for notoriety
of some sort, aud are almost unable to
select any other means by which
they. can accomplish, their desires. With
single men it is different. They usually
take their life while at some point distant
from their homes. In many instances it is
done where the victim has left home to seek
his fortune. He fails in his eudeavors to
become wealthy or be sent to Washington
to represent some congressional district.
HE STARTS OUT WITH THE BOYS,
becomes rounder, and when at last he has
no money he finds himself an outcast. and
the only way to get square with the world
he thinks, is to take dose of something
that will make him sleep forever.
MEANS TO AN END.
"Of late years." continued the doctor
rough on rats has been used pretty freely
as means of taking life, and may be said
to be the most popular means of suicide, es'
pecially in TINS section. The use OF the pis-
tol in such cases is also pretty general.
while the razor, which leaves behind it q
CHASTITY sight, is not so often used. Persons
who use pistols are generally those who
make up their minds in hurry
and think the harder the storm
the sooner over They be-
leve in doing the work we'll and quickly
and with as little suffering as possible. II
frequently occurs that In cases where pistol,
are used, the victim fails to effect his de
signs, through nervousness, by sending the
bullet through a portion of his clothing OF
through the open air. The same with some
who take poison. They misjudge the drug
and will not take enough Of it to cause
death, or they will take an overdose, which
makes them deathly sick. and also causes
the poison to DO thrown off the stomach.
BLUFFING.
sometimes the supposed victim had moi
the slightest idea Of taking his life. H,
only wanted to frighten his friends and gel
little sympathy or regain a friend whC
had discarded him. There have been many
such cases, and sometimes death has re-
suited from some such foolish freak when in
fact the victim had no idea of taking
his life. The same may be said in easel
Of drowning. It is said that drowning
man suffers out little, and that drowning
man grasps at a straw SO that in such d
case, although death ensueS in few min
utes, the man certainly must repent, fol
when he is reaching for the straw, so u
speak, he is making a desperate effort *
save MS life. Persons who simply want tC
make bluff at ending life to accomplish
some purpose might well jump into thI
river, provided thoy do so whom there are
some river men or wharf rats" about whC
are pretty certain TO rescue them. Poison
is dangerous 'ticle to handle when bust
ness isn't intended
20 he in xw,f .I,t f