The Irish standard., 1891-09-19
QUEER Ways or DYING.
some OF the Thousand Doors by Which
Men Make Their Exits.

QUEER WAYS OF DYING.
Some Of the Thousand Doors by Which.
Men Make Their Exits.
The recent catastrophe on, OK rather
in, Mount Vesuvius probably stands at
the head of the unusual or sensational
ways by which men have lost their
lives, writes James Payn in the Illus
trated London News. There is actual
" nothing more shocking about it than
in similar accidents elsewhere-as, for
instance, those which sometimes occur
to men in our Black country. But the
falling into crater of volcano sew
enty feet deep, and at the bottom
'sburning marle,'' has a strong claim
upon the imagination. There is, IN
deed, one parallel case, that Of Empe-
docles-for Pliny only persisted from
ssthe yapors'' "a common complaint ia
old fashioned times)-but it happened
(if it did happen) a very long time ago,
and Notwithstanding the increased OPP
portunities that are now afforded for
ending life in strange ways the ancients
beat the modern record.
The Emperors Anastasius and Garus
were both killed by lightning-~a finale
which, if it happened to a modern mon
arch (and far more to two of them),
would certainly give occasion for much
journalistic enterprise. But in those
days it really seems as though great
sovereigns, by no means admirable in
other respects, went out of their way
in the manner of their exits to give
their subjects a sensation. Thus Jo-
ham, emperor of Constantinople, in
drawing bow at a bear too strongly,
shot the arrow through his own hand,
and, since the barb had, as usual, been
dipped in poison, died in consequence.
Tarq uinius Prisons wass choked by
fish bone. Charles II. of.Navarre, hav-
ing become paralyzed, was sewn UP in
a sheet dipped i'll distilled spirits, in
hopes to recover his benumbed JOINTS
and the surgeon, wanting knife TO
cut his thread, made use Of the flame
of a candle, which caused the poor
king to perish miserably. Henry /. of
Spain was killed by 81 tile falling from
housetop. Pope Clement VII. died of
the fumes from a poisoned torch, and
Pope Adrian VI. from swallowing fly
in glass of spring water.
Among lesser persons, the fate of
Heraclius, the Ephesian, would have
been most singular had he not been act
Ing under medical advice; but now that
so many people are killed "by the doc
tors ORDERS" it excites less surprise.
The particular fad Of his family physi-
clan was mud baths {of a peculiar
lzind); and having amounted himself all
! over with this beastliness, and sitting
| in the sum-" the dogs, "supposing him
| to be wild BEAST tore him to pieces.
Similarly, the poet Anacreon, giving
ear TO his physicians statement that the
juice of raisins would prolong his life,
shortened it by swallowing q grape
stone.
In English history, perhaps the most
sensational catastrophe in the way Of
| s'exi5a'' is that Of the outbreak of Jail
fever at Oxford in 1877, when "there
arose such sudden damp in court" that
all present were in danger Of being
smothered. The gentlemen on 5he
grand jury ''died chat instant The
lord chief Justice and the high sheriff
ESlCRENGu 1lSG w iIllAl GLAC "ECA" AAA
all 'tperislaeo five hundred persons,
| amongst whom there was neither wom-
an nor child" The means by which the
| abbot of Tavistoc}1 got the manor Of
PIurnstock into his possession is indi~
rectly connected with this subject, for,
though the manner OF death was COM
| rnon enough, the device used for evad-
| ing it Though in vain) was most pecul-
| lar. One Child, a rich landowner in
Devonshire. was lost on Dartnnocr in a
! deen snow. He killed his horse and
| crept under the carcass for warmth,
having first written with his blood
] these Words.
"He that fnds me and brings me- to my tomb
NV land Of Plumstock shan be his DOOM"
The monks of Tavistock found him,
| and Sook his land under that singular