The morning call., 1890-09-14
SOME STRANGE
SUICIDES.
Remarkable Instances Of Ingeni.
GUS Self-Destruction.
A Homemade Guillotine-0ne Man in Pittg-
burg Tried to Pull Down scaffold
and Crush Himself
~ TATIsTICs of suicides show that

among men are largely in the majority in
Germany, the proportion being sixty-seven
to thirty-three. In ireland felo de Sc is
rare, and among Africans it is almost I'M
known.
In America with its polyglot population,
the proportion is about the same as in the
countries of the Old World, but the ingen-
uity of the determination displayed in
large number of instances have no counter
part anywhere else in the world. 1t re-
manned for Yankee boy in Connecticut to
devise a method for ending his life which
has, in all probability, never had parallel.
Reproved or punished for some trifiing Of
Tense, he went to lis fathers barn and
spent three days in rigging up a guillotine,
with which he successfully beheaded him
self. Between pair of grooved uprighs
he fixed butchers cleaver, sharpened to q
razor-like edge. This he weighted on top with
a box of scrap iron and stone weighing 200
pounds. From the top of the uprghtS to
the bottom the distance was five feet, and
the cleaver was held in position at the top
by rope reefed through a pulley and held
by wooden lever four feet in length. On
the end of this lever he hung 4 large tin
pail, III the bottom of which a small hole
had first been bored. The pail was filled
with water, which slowly dripped through
the hole in the bottom. After these arrange
UGDtS Ildu Uttl COmpl6lcu ll6 TAU IldCtu
his neck between the .uprights directly in
line with the cleaver. When the water in
the pail had nearly all escaped the lever
flew up, the rope was released and the
sharpened blade fell like flash, The head
of the suicide was cut off clear and clean.
A SURE THING.
In March, 1883, man boarded ferry
boat running between Philadelphia and
Camden, n. j., and when the boat was in
midstream he took vial from his pocket
containing prussic acid. He swallowed the
contents, at the same time mounting the
rail. Before the derk-hands could check
him, the self-murdcrer leaped into the river,
and as he went overheard shot himself
through the head with bullet from bull
dog revolver. When his body was recov-
cred and a post-mortem examination was
made, sufficient poison was found in his
stomach to have killed a dozen men.
A few years ago a respondent German,
who had lodgings on Grand street, near the
Bowery, rugged up an old fowling- piece in
front OF table, with the stock resting on
the floor. He had first charged it heavily
with powder and siugs. To the trigger he
attached string, which was run around
the table leg. The other end was tied to his
foot He had two revolvers of 42-caliber
each in the right and left pockets of his
sack coat. There was pitcher Of beer on
the table. This the man drank with the
muZze of the gun pointing at his face.
w
revolvers and placed the muZZles against
either side of his head. As he pulled the trig-
gers he jerker his foot. The three weapons
exploded simultaneously. The gun had been
improperly set and the charge went over
his head. The bullet from the pistol in his
lett hand glanced upward and simply cut a
groove through the scalp. The other bullet
entered the brain, but did not have tile
effect even of producing Inconsistencies,
so the suicide arose, dragged gun and table
across the room to a bureau, and there,
picking up razor, cut his throat from ear
10 ear. This caused DEATH
AIURDERER's ATTEMPT.
One CT F4lsteps t and most deliberate
ATTEMPTS at suicide recorded is that Of Ben
jamin Hunter, the murderer of john Arm
strong, in Camden, y. j., in 1879. Hunter
was confined in the "murderers cage" in
the County Jail under charge of the DEATH
watch. lie complained OF chilllnesS one
night aud was permitted to wrap up his
lower extremities in blanket He had pre-
viously torn off the rim of his tin cup with
his teeth and had it concealed in his trous-
eTs pocket. Talking on commonplace topics
TO his guard, Hunter secretly took the
jagged strip of tin from his pocket, and, cou-
cealing his movements with the blanket, be-
gan cutting into an artery in his left leg.
The blood spuftt d out in jets, and the flow
was concealed by Hunter spreading the
blanket out Ike skirt. He became so weak
that he was unable to continue the con-
versat!on, and the guards suspicious were
aroused. He made an examination and
found that the murderer was bleeding to
death. Physicians were summoned, a liga-
ture was applied and Hunters life was
saved. He was afterwaId hanged, and it
was pretty generally believed that lie was
dead from fright and sedatiyes before tile
cord frightened around his neck.
A man named Nerdinger living at els East
Eleventh street, killed himself in April last
.,tt IA ,faIf 1
woUdshed, and, placing a thin rope around
his Eeck, tied the ENDS TO pest. Then he
walked around and around until lie had
strangled himself.
A tailor in Philadelphia took oGe of the
blades of pair of scissors and, putting the
point directly over his heart, pushed tie
blade SLOW ly into his body by pressing the
other end against the wall of his shop.
WANTED TO BE CRUSHED.
Probably the most remarkable attempt at
self-destructOn was that of man in Pitts
burg in May Of the present year. He gave
his name as j. Henry Ekins, and wanted
to die because lie was out of work. He
was found standing under the scaffoldiug of
the United Evangelical Church. trying to
loosen one OF The props that held UP the
platform. When a policeman tried to drive
him away he begged to be permitted to re-
main, aud when pressed for an explanation
said he wanted to pull down the scaffolding
so that he might be crushed to death. Per-
mission to end his life in this novel man
ner being refused he ran down to the river
and jumped III.
The greatest fright man sitting in bar
ber's chair ever received happened in Cleye-
land May 10th last. Richard Bitterlich was
shaving a customer, and had scraped ono
cheek clean. Then he turned around,
opened a drawer and took out revolver,
which he placed against his head and blew
his brains out.
A SUICIDE CLUB.
history of the Suicide Club of Bridge
port was given in the World last January.
The organization was unique. Its members
pledg d themselves to become their own exc
cuti0ner5 and faithfully carried out their |
promises. Only two members were left out
of twelve in March. One of these was Wen |
dell Baum, the Secretary. He had pledged |
himself to self destruction within certain
period, and Il few days before the time was |
up he came to New York and cut his throat.
The President of tina club was, at last &c.
still alive, but if he keeps his pledge |
he cannot live beyond next March.
The favorite method of women for ending |
their lives is either by poison or drowning. |
There are more pois0ningS in winter than |
in summer, because, curiOusly enough, there |
is a decided aversion to the chill which fol- |
lows leap into the water. The statistics
prove that beer-drinkers are more prone to
die by their own hands than men who are
addicted to strong liquor, or these VINO are
fetal abstainers. The favorite time of life
for shutting it out is between the ages of 10 |
and 60. There has been no record of self
destruction by electricity.-N. Y. World.