The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-15
SUICIDE IN FRANCE.

julio OUdbl5JINiS elllA W
rious Cases of Self-Murder.
Lucy Hooper in the Philadelphia Telegraph.
The official statistics of the suicides IN
France during the past year are extremely
curious to exami e. The cases amount to
nearly 5000 for the whole republic. OF
these, the department in which Paris is
suituated comes in for nearly fifth, though
in proportion to its population it ought to
furnish only one-fifteenth But the lie of
the great city, and its trials, it's miseries, its
receptions, are fe tile in providing causes
for despair and self-murder. 1t would nat
urally be supposed that the gloomy months
Of winter, with their cold, gray weather
and short days, would naturally be those in
which unhappy people would the most read
lily quit the eai th. Such is not the case
December is the month in which suicides
are leasc frequent, and July is That which
furnishes the greatest numD er. Nearly
twice as many persons commit suicide in
July as in December. 1t is possible that the
calmly flowing river, warmed and bright
ened by the summer sun, may tempt the
wretched wanderer to seek for rest and
peace in the cool, tranquil depths; while, on
the other hand, the icy, muddy to rent
of winter is repellant instead of alluring.
Suicide is far less common amongst very
old or very young persons than with those
of middle age. Between 40 aud 90 is the
period of life when life seems to become
most burdensome. Very few young people
kill themselves, and very few old ones. As
! to the causes of suicide, insanity, whether
incipient or declared furnishes the largest
con ingent. Impotence of physical pain,
the suffering caused by agonizlng and in
durable illness comes next Drunkenness
also supplies a large number of cases. But
povert, and disappointed love come lowest
on the list of predisposing causes.
The rope and the river are the most popu-
lar of all means of self slaughter. The pis-
toll comes next, and then asphyxiation by
charcoal. Comparatively few persons
have recourse to knives or to poison. Some
few leap from an elevated point, like the
A de Iriomphe or the towers Of Note
Dame. Instances are known of persons
who have thrown themselves on the rail
way track in front of a passing train. Poi
son, for the reasons l have already st ted,
furnishes comparatively few victims.
People have beel known to drink them
selves purposely to death, swallowing alco-
hol in such great quantities as to produce
congestion of the brain. And last year one
unhappy creature, woman, deliberately
starved herself to death.
The most dramatic case Of suicide of
which | have ever heard was one of which
| was by chance the witness some years
ago. On fine afternoon IN winter l was
nearest to the Place Vendome. | was at
tracted by the aspect of the vast dark
Column Vendome rising against the pale
gold of the sky, and with the last rays of
sunset lingering upon the statue at its sum
nit. Suddenly beheld a mass of white
auttering drapery falling rapidly down the
front of the great dusky shaft. 1t struck
upon the huge laurel wreath surrounding
the column where its base comes in contact
xvjfb Stal I'd
violence of the shock clear over the rail- KS
to the pavement. These white draperies
were the skirts of a woman. She had
climed to the summit of the column with a
camp stool hidden underneath her cloak,
and while the guide was explaining the
principal points Of the view to some other
persons, she proflted by the moment that
his attention was distracted, placed her
camp stool beside the ratings, mounted it,
and threw herself over. In her pocket was
found a card requesting that her dy
might be sent to a certain house in a highly
respectable street. The police caused the
poor crushed remains to be taken to the ad-
dress indicated, thereby unconsciously car
rying out the reveugeful purpose of the
suicide. For her husband had deserted her
and had gone to AXE up his residence at
the place she named with another woman.
The effect upon the guilty pair of being
thus confrO ted with the corpse of the
woman they had wronged must have bean
painful and startling to the last degree
Some time afterward a young man threw
himself from the summit of the column,
breaking off one of the spear heads of the
iron railing in his descent. A ID since the
epoch of this last suicide the column has
been closed against all visitors. The broken
spearhead remains unmeuded to this day.
The Column of July on the Place de la Bias
tile furnished for time its quota of sui
cides, but finally that, too was closed
against all persons wishing to ascend it.
The last individual who sought death by
throwing himself from its summit lodged
on one Of the Gallo cocks in bronze that or
nament the base, and as the law forbids ANY
one to touch a corpse till it mas been visited
by the police authorities, the astly re-
mains hung there, a dreadful spectacle, for
over an hour.
very singular case OF suicide, remarka-
bic for the elaboration with which it was
resolved upon, took place lately in the
French provinces. A man who had COM
mitted a theft Of some magnitude found
himself on the point Of being arrested. He
called his wife and caildren together, told
them what be had done, and consulted with
them as to the best method Of disposing Of
tie affair. They unanimously agreed that
he ought to kill himself. The cuiprit
acquie ,ced, and deliberately COMPLETED ali
his preparations, which included going
some distance in search Of a priest, to
whom he made his last confession. Then
he came back home, got his gun, and
went out into the woods and shot him
self. A very sad instance is that Of the
young Viscount X - who was playing
with his first born child, spirited, active
boy Of some s months, at the open window
Of his suite Of apartments, which was stu
ated on the fourth floor. The baby, in tue
gayety and excitement Of the sport, made
CLASP, aud fell headlong to the paveme It OF
the court. The wretched parent gave ono
glance at the lifeoss little form lying on
the cruel stones below, and then turned
from tha window took N 1oadad rietol from