The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-30
EXPERTS DO mot WHOLLY AGREE
That Suicide Is n Disease, Nor That
sclEDcstrnction Requires Courage.
Some Novel Means Employed by
Disappointed Seekers OF Wealth for
Seeking tho Unknown World.


Ee,o Iort Iitro,d W
In u talk | had a few days ago with q
gentleman WHO'S "wellup" on thesubjcct
OF suicide, who has made it n life study
almost, he impaired TO mo some facts
that wero startling. The conversation
had turned on the recent deaths by
suicide OF Balmaceda >and Boulangcr.
Said tho gentleman
There are many who say that none
but towards commit suicide, while 9th.
crs insist that 1t requires nerve and
bravery TO suddenly terminate ones
own existence and enter into n future
state that is paradoxicnl MS to It's being.
Some men who commit suicide are
brave; others are towards and do not
dare facc misfortune. think they arc
about evenly divided. 1t is disease in
many instances"
Awork devoted for the MOST part to
statistics on suicide was at hand, and it
showed many interesting facts concern.
ing the subject under consideration.
From It. tho fact was cleaned that the
United Statcs'is considered an AL coun.
try in which 10 shuttle of tho mortal
coil. Here the ratio is to every 1900
inhabitants, while in gay Paris it is l to
each 200, and in smoky London and
chilly St Petersburg to cacE g, 900 OF
population. In all Russia, however,
TIM ratio ic 90 10 u OIr IN C,vo.l.o /
to 92,3T5; in Saxony, to SAG.
In the winter OF our discomfort"
there arc decidedly more suicides than
in the summer time, and majority OF
them occur in the morning, Women
appear to love life more than men, for
four men commit suicide where one
woman takes her own life, and the ratio
is much smaller in married life than in
widowerhood. The early part OF the
week claims moro suicides than the lat
ter part, and the early part OF the
month more than the waning.
DEATHS AT NIAGARA.
In any one particular part OF the I'm
tied States Niagara Falls has the call,
and there is no doubt that many 9disap.
pcarancesn find last resting place ut
this suicide suggesting resort. Suicides
are SO comparatively common nowadays
that the subject would not BIZ worthy
OF extended comment were it not for
the fact that the means used to assure
the desired result have, in number OF
cases, been so remarkable. Tho pistol,
poison and the rope are generally used
IN solving the great problem, and these
are SO frequently used by the man or
woman tired OF lie that unless there is
some romance connected with the
suicide, or unless he or she may have
been n distinguished person, very little
space is vouchsaied the story in the
daily newspapers. Here are few OF
the remarkable ones which have caused
excitement during the past score OF
years or SO ana which were remarkable
for the exceptional reasons above re-
ferred to.
Twenty years ago there was probably
no man better known among gentle
man drivers" than Mort" Tunison,
whose famed hosiery was on the old
Coney Island road. ''Nlort" was known
from Concy Island to Canada as Jolly
host and good fellow. His hotel was
the stopping place and Mort" grew
wealthy: Suddenly the park commits
sioners decided to construct new 2l0
foot boulevard about quarter OF mile
west OF the Coney Island road Mort"
kicked. The commissioners urged him
10 move his hotel to q new site on the
proposed boulevard, but he wouldn't
have it. He said that his place would
draw the crowds, boulevard or no
boulevard. The new parkway soon be-
came fact and new hotels sprang up
all along its line. The old Coney
Island road became deserted. Ono BY
one shorts" old customers left him, rs
the new road was beauty and was
just built for trotters.
short" had plenty OF opportunity to
get in the swim, but he was contrary
and wouldn't take advantage OF it. One
fine morning "Alort" didn't appear at
breakfast as had been his wont. In
vestigation proved that he would never
appear at breakfast in this world again.
During the night or in the early morn
ing hours he had committed suicide.
His old friends had lett him, his famed
hosiery had becams desolate and his
life had become burden to him.
Next door to Tunison's was another
famous road house. ellen" Virgins
was the proprietor. The house was
more OF q resort for families than. was
Morris" and it was known as 4 item
sperance house." although all kinds OF
liquors were dispensed there. Virgins
didn't do one half the business that
snort" did, but still he gathered nice
~littlc income from his hotel. When
the boulevard was completed Virgins
trade also fell off. That need not have
affected him, however, for he was "well
tixcd"- and was one Of the heirs to the
Howard estate in east Now York, now
the Twcnty-sixth ward OF Brooklyn.
In any event, shortly after mort
Tun;son's untimcly end ellen, Virgins
also decided that he had had enough
OF life and he terminated his existence
Thus was the boulevard, now known
rs Ocean Parkway, and which extends
from tho southwestern entrance to
Prospect Park to Concy Island, the
cause OF the death OF two noted road
house bonifaces. l55.i3
THESE DEATHS ATTRACTED NOTICE.
The suicide Of Cornelius ]. Wander
bilt was also an exception 10 the rule
because; Of the fact that his name was
world known. He was son OF Commo-
jdorc Vanderbilt. He had become a
spendthrift and gambler, and in
March, 1852, he shot himself through
the head in his room in the Glenham
Hotel in this city. Financial troubles
were said to have been the cause Of the
deed. Several times Commodore Van
l.an., -nalloll 20, /.