The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-01-24
SELF MURDER.
QUEER DEVICES EMPLOYED
TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

Many More Men Than Women Re.
sort to Self Observation-Disclosures
In Their Favorite AIethods-sui-
eide Club.
Statistics of suicides show that self
destruction is more prevalent among men
than among women in all countries, ex.
cept France and Spain, where the pro-
portion is about equal. Saisides among
men are largely in majority in Germany,
the proportion being 81 to 80. In Ire
land felo de Sc is rare, and among Afri-
:ans it is almost unknown.
In America, with its polyglot popula-
lion, the proportion is ABOUT the same as
IN the countries of the Old World, but
the ingenuity and the determination dis
played in large number of instances
have no counterpart anywhere else in the
world. 1t remained for Yankee boy in
Connecticut to devise a method for end
ing his life, which has, in all probability,
never had parallel. Reproved or pun
ished for some tritling ofense, he went
to his fathers barn and spent three days
in rigging up a guillotine, with which he
successfully bcheaded himself. Between
a pair of grooved uprights he fixed
butchers cleaver, sharpcned to a razorlike
edge. This he weighted on top with
box of scrap iron and stone weighing 200
pounds. From the top of the uprights
to the bottom the distance was five feet,
and the cleaver was held in position at
the top by a rope reefed through pulley
and held by a wooden lever four feet in
length. On the end of this lever he hung
tin Pail, in the bottom of which small
hole had first been bored. The pail was
illcG with water, which slowly dripped
from hole in the bottom. After these
arrangements had been completed the
lad placed his neck between the uprights
directly in line with the cleaver. When
the water in the pail, had nearly all es
capped the lever flew up, the rope was re-
leased and the sharpened blade fell like
flash. The head of the suicide was cut
off clear and clean.
In March, 1888, man boarded ferry
boat running between Philade phia and
Camden, n. j., and when the boat was
in midstream he took a vial from his
pocket, containing prussic acid. He
swallowed the contents, at the same time
mounting the rail. Before the deck
hands could check him the self murderer
leaped into the river, and as he went
overheard shot himself through the
head with bullet from bulldog revol-
ver When the body was recovered and
a pest-mortem examination was made
sufficient poison was found in his stomach
to have killed dozen men.
A few years ago respondent Ger
man, who had lodgings on Grand street,
New York, 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 slugs. To trigger he attached a
! string, which was run around the table
leg. The other end was tied to his foot.
He had two rcvolvers of AZ calliber each
in the right and left pocket of his sack
coat. There was pitcher OF beer on
the table. This the man drank with the
muzzle of the gun pointing at his face.
When he was ready to die he drew on,
the revolvers and placed the muzzles
against either side of his head. AS he
pulled the triggers he jerked his foot.
The three weapons exploded simultane.
ously. The gun had been improperly
set and the charge went over his head
The bullet from the pistol in his left hand
glanced upward and simply cut groove
through the scalp. The other bullet en-
tered the brain. but did not have the eff
feet even of producing Inconsistencies,
so the suicide arose, dragged gun ano
table across the room to the bureau, anC
there, picking up razor, cut his throat
from ear to ear. This caused death.
One of the coolest and most deliberat,
attempts at suicide recorded is that o.
BENJAMIN Hunter, the murderer of join
Armstrong, in Camden, n. j., in 1879
| Hunter was confined in the ''murderer'
cage" in the county Jail under charge Of
the death watch. He complained o
chilliness one night, and was permitted
to wrap up his lower extremities in
blanket. He had previously torn off thu
rim of his tin cup with his teeth, and hae
it concealed in his trousers pocket
Talking on commonplace topics to hi
guard, Hunter secretly took the jagged
piece of tin from his pocket, and con
cealing his movements with the blanket
began cutting into an artery in his LEI
leg.
The blood spurted out in jets and tn
How was concealed by Hunter spreadin!
the blanket out like q shirt. He becam
80 weak that he was unable to continu
the conversation aud the guards sus
picions were aroused. He made an ex
animation and found that the murdere
was bleeding to death. Physicians wer
summoned, ligature was applied ant
Hunters life was saved. He was after
ward hanged, and it was pretty general
believed that he was dead from frigh