Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-06-21
GALLO SUICIDES.
ECCENTRIC WAYS OF QUITTING
THE WORLD IN FRANCE.
Interesting Deductions From Stats
tics-i"c tor Scli-Alurticr-Prcdi
posing CauScs-SuicidcS From
the Column Vcudomc.

wonder if there is any country in the
world where suicide is accomplished with
the same calm resolution that it is in
France, and also in such eccentric ways
and for such odd reasons. For instance,
l have heard lately of imam who killed him
self because hc had stolen Il pair of socks,
and was oppressed by rcmoTse for the
theft. One would imagine that more
practical way of proving his repentance
would have been for him 10 have saved up
his earnings to pay for the purloincd
articles. In another instance Il man hung
himself because one of his comrades
owed him ten cents and he would not pay
him, and he was in consequence tired of
HE. male patient suffering from Il
very painful disorder in one of the Paris
hospitals, contrivcd to sccrctc sharp
knife under his bcdclo;hes. ard literally
committed hari-kar.
Not long ago husband and wife. ind
ing themselves in the last stages of con-
sumption and perccivinH that their four
children were all threatened with the
same nalady, hired a horse and carriage.
the mother and children occupying Tie
vehicle while the husband drove He
made straight for Il deep and rapid river
near his bone and drove the horse head
long into it, SO that the whole party were
drowned. The unhappy parents left be-
hind them Il declaration, which both had
signed, setting forth the reasons which
had impellcd them to the desperate deed.
a dissipated workman in Paris DOS
Sesscd tame rabbit OF which he was
very fond, and which he had trained to
execute Il number OF amusing tricks. Pco-
pie often tried to buy the little animal,
but he always refused to part with il.
Finally hc was offered $50 for it, and the
largeness Of the sum ovcrcanc his fond
ness for his pet; So he let il 60. He soon
wasted the money in dcbauchcry and
riotous living, and then he hung himself,
declaring i'll writing, before he committed
the deed, that life was not worth the liv-
ing since he no longer had his rabbit.
can better understand the action of Il
wrctchedly poor old woman who shared
her sc;lnty meals and her miserable garret
with favoritc dog. The animal died.
and his mistress spent her last savings for
pan Of charcoal, for, as she piteously
said, she had no one ON earth to love or 10
love her, now that she had lost her dog.
So she shut herself herself up and lighted
her charcoal, and was found dead in her
bed the next day.
The official statistics of the suicides in
France during the past year arc extremely
curious TO examine. The cases amount to
5000 for the whole Republic or these
the department i'll which Paris is situated
comes in for nearly Il fifth, though in pro-
portion TO its population it ought 10 furnish
only one-liltccnth. But the life OF the
great city, and its trials, its miserics, its
receptions, are fertile in providing causes
for despair and sclf-murder Ii would
naturally be supposed that the gloomy
months Of winter, with their cold, gray
weather and short days, would be those
in which unhappy people would the most
readily quit thc earth. Such is not the
case. December is the month in which
suicides are lcas: frequent. and July is
that which furnishes the greatest number.
Suicide is far less common among very
old or Very young persons than with
these of middle age Between forty and
sixty is the period when life seems to be-
come most buTtlcnsomc. Very few young
people kill themselves, aud very few old
ones. AS TO the causes of suicide, in
sani5y, whether incipicnt or declared,
furnishes the largys. contingent. lmpa-
thence OF phy-iral pain, the ~ iorimg
caused by ".gonixiG" and incura'iic i'll
ness, comcs nc%i. Drunkenness also sup
plies II large nU,u,er al cases. hut pov-
cI!y and Disappointed love comes lowest
Oh the list OF prcdisposing causes.
Tie rope and the river are the most
popular OF all means of self slaughter.
The pistol comes next, and then asp:lyxia-
ton By charcoal. Comparatively few
persons have recourse to knives or to
poison. Some few leap from N, elevated
point, like the Are dc Triomphc or the
towers of Notrc Dame Instances are
known of persons vino have thrown
themselves on the railway track in front
of II passing train. People have been
known to drink themselves purposely TO
death. swallowing alcohol in such great
quantities as 10 produce congestion OF the
brain. And last year one unhappy c,ca-
turc,a woman, doliberated starved her
self to death
The most dramatic case of suicide OF
which / have ever heard was one Of
"''NH WAC tllc Wlttlt.S some
years ago. On Il fine afternoon iii winter.
| was walking on the Rue dc Ii Paix at
the end nearest the Palace Vcadomc. /
was attracted by the aspect of the vast
dark Column Vcndomc rising against the
pale gold of the sky, and with the last
raves Of sunset lingering upon the statue
at IFS summit. Suddenly bcheld mass
OF whitc, lluttering drapery falling rapid
ly down the front of the great duslly
shaft 1t struck upon the huge laurel
wreath surrounding the column where its
hase comes in contact with the pedestal
ard was thrown by the violence of the
shock clear over the ratings to the pave
merit. These white drapcrcs were the
skirts OF IL Woman. She had climbed 10
the summit Of the column with camp
STOOL hidden underneath her cloak, and
while the guide was explaining the princi-
pal points of view to some other persons
she proiiteu by the moment that his attcn-
ton was distracted, placed her camp stool
.'nst beside tie ratings, mounted it, and
In, 1,.,.