The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-14

! Here indeed, was an idea TO drive away
| ennui and gloom. All acquiesced, and the
/ proposer of the scheme, George Leavenworth.
/ city editor of The Bridgeport Farmer, drew
! paper and pencil from his pocket and drafted
a constitution and oath of initiation. By the
I provisions of the former document any ons
/ weary of life was declared eligible. The club
was to meet monthly, "Or oftener," in Kin
/ zie's saloon, and on each anniversary of its
/ birth the members were to shake poker
/ dice.n The one making the smallest cast was
/ bound by the vow to which he subscribed to
/ kill himself within the ensuing twelvemonth.
/ Those who affixed their names to the grue-
/ some documents were Max Helsterhagen,
/ William Nickel, John Kinze, Wendell Baum,
/ Carl Roberts, Max Pfalzenheim and George
I Leavenworth.
Now, gentlemen" cried the last named,
merrilv, "schoOners around in which to drink
short life and happy exit to the members of
the Bridgeport Suicide club. and while John
draws the beer I'll give you a verse or two
suitable TO the event. Silence all"
And be began that famous song written by
an English officer in India when the cholera
moved down men more swiftly than the
battles bullets:
We meet meath the sounding rafter,
And the walls around are bare;
as they echo our peals OF laughter,
1t seems that the dead arc there
Then stand by your glasses steady,
This world Is 4 world OF lies,
Here's s health TO the dead already,
Hurrah for the next that dies.
The group seemed imbued with a certain
hysterlcal mirth; strange recklessneSs took
possession Of all present
Bring the dice, ~ shouted some one. We'll
shake now; we won't wait a year. Hurrah
for the next that dies.
The ivory cubes were produced. Each man
had three throws in which 70 secure as high
hand as possible Remarkable TO stste-I
have the story FROM an eyewitness-all Sc
cured four of a kind; but HeisterhaSen and
Kinzie, the lowest Two, tied on trays and had
to shake second time The latter threw
three fOurs and pair Ell deuCeS The former
got two skies, two ives and four. HIS cast
WAS lower than any of the others; he had
drawn death in the lottery of the dice, and
by the terms of the compact he was bound 10
Kill himself within the wear
But II was al joke, ghastly sort OF
amusement cencocted TO while away the
hours, and in ConSenance with the thunder,
the lightning and tins storm. As the COM
psnions prepared to seek their homes they
cnuckled over the jelly sVsnAag they had
spent together, and congratulated Leaven-
worth on his novel scheme for dispelliug the
blue devils" that hsd enveloped them prior
10 his appearance.
Don't forgst 10 kill yourself" they cried
after Heisterhagen as he said good night, and
plowed his way down q side thorougbfare
through the DARKNESS
That was the last ever seen OF Max Heis
ternagen alive. De went 70 his saloon on
Gold street, unlocked the door, 1T the gas,
wrote note, took pistol from drawer
back Of the bar ana blew out bis braiaS The
note was addressed 70 my respected friends
ana fellow members of tie suicide club . and
the message was simply this: ~ have kept
my cath l warn zen 70 ks.a4s SaurzD