The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-12-10
PUT TO THE TEST.


ttons About Suicide. H..
A number of gentlemen were smok-
ing clay pipes and slipping foaming
beer few nights ago over in Brooklyn.
It was about twelve O'Clock. The host
had made the discovery day or so be-
fore that the roof was not bad place
or which to pass away few hours on
It night, even If it had no pretense
OF roof-garden. His friends were
-these fasa. sss~Pwrpose Of giving shssz
verdict on his discovery. The verdict
was favorable. AS cork after cork
from the beer bottles, carefully COW
cred with ice in a cracker box,
popped off into the darkness, and the
smoke still curled up lazily, it grew
more favorable.
The neighborhood was one Of those
not uncommon ones in all big cities
where the backyards of the poor and
of the rich and the. wefl-te-do are on
friendly terms. Back of the house on
the roof Of which the evening was be-
ing made to pass SO pleasantly was a
row of tenement houses of the poorer
sort Their roofs were tenanted, too,
but the tenants were without pipes,
and if there was any beer it was not on
ice. Therefore they could truly be
termed unfortunates.
The merry party fingered on until
the roofs opposite gradually became de-
serted. In some way the conversation
drifted to the subject of suicide. One
member of the party declared with
considerable pomposity that he be-
licved that every, human being had the
right to end his own life If he wished
to do SO.
why shouldn't one of those poor
creatures we have been watching to-
night over there opposite put the finish
to his or her existence? What pleasure
can there be for many of them in liv-
ing?" he wound up his harangue.
You would be the first to try to pre-
vent it if you saw anyone on the point
of killing himself" said another.
Would IP' said the other, scornfully.
mot at all. 1t would not be my place
to interfere. would have no right to
prevent it?'
Just at this moment d young girl APP
peared on the tenement house roof op-
posite. She walked YEARLY about for
a few seconds and then she went to a
clothesline, from which fiuttered a few
articles of clothing. These she took
from the line and dropped them down
through the skylight After that she
began to walk round the roof again.
So peculiar were her actions that the
men began to get nightly interested.
She walked to the edge of the roof,
and, clasping her hands over her heart,
looked with gaze that could be imag-
ined, although it could not be seen, to
be full ef-serrew and longing for hap
pier existence.
Guess you are going to see your sui
eide" said one to the men who had
talked about suicide That person
looked rather pale and agitated. Slow
ly the girl on the roof took down her
hair. The breeze fioated it out behind
her and she looked weird. The
watchers became more agitated.
With one last, lingering look the girl
sat down on the edge of the roof. The
man who wouldn't prevent suicide if he
could now set up shout that could
have been heard a block away, The
host muttered: Poor grill There
wouldn't be much left of her. There's
an iron railing and stone area below
there" -
The girl heard the shout, for she was
seen to start, but it did not shake her
determination to carry out her pur-
pose. She dropped from the roof-and
walked into her poor home through the
window from the fire escape, for there
was platforms five feet below where
she had dropped off, and it was easier
to go down that way than to climb
through the narrow skylight and down
the steep and shaky ladder.
And then the merry party on the
roof broke up, and the most thoughtful
member of it as they went down was
he who would allow every human being
the right to end his own existence.-N.
Y. Times.