The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-20
SELF-DESTRUCTION.
Is 1t a Crime or the Result Of Hope
less Insanity
Views of Eminent scientists-Causes Which
Promote Suicide-PecuIIar Methods of
Observation-Disclosures Men Who
Killed Themselves.
Especial Letter

entific fad. Physicians, al1enists and
amateurs have advanced theories by the
score to prove that suicide is an evil
dence of insanity. They argue that, in
asmuch as self-preservation is the first
law of life, no human in the full enjoy
ment of his reasoning powers would de-
prive himself of his existence. On the
other hand we have the examples OF
eminent men who have taken their
lives under conditions which seem to
leave no room for doubt as to their san
ity. Environment has much to do with
the development of suicidal tendencies.
The city of Paris, for instance, has
always led all other municipalities in
frequency of self-slaughter, and will
probably continue to do SO as long as it
Communities whose population is kept
reasonably busy show the smallest per
centage of suicide. Countries where
the people are ground down by eco
nomic tyranny have higher ratio.
Those whose inhabitants are addicted
to careless living, as in the principality
of Monaco for instance, make the worst
showing. Considered by nationalities,
Germany leads all other countries.
Some have ascribed this to the rapid in
crease of atheism, but the reason Lies
deeper. The German is by nature OF a
sad disposition and allows his morbid
feelings to develop into melanchoiia,
which is nothing more nor less than
species of insanity. His direct opposite
is the negro, who rarely worries, and is
always willing to let the morrow take
care of itself. Suicide among the col
ored population of the United States is
extremely rare, and in Africa is said to
be absolutely unknown.
( From recent statistics it appears that
in this country more suicides are COM
mitted in summer than in winter, and
that the national holidays are selected
by many to make their exit from this
vale of tears. Poverty and disease do
not appear to be the cause OF many self.
murders. Financial troubles, love dis
appointments, delirium tremens and
moral cowardice figure conspicuously in
the police records, however. The most
popular method of suicide is hanging.
Next comes drowning, closely followed
by poisoning and shooting,
Persons quite young or very old rare
" DESTROY themselves. Most of the vic
Tins Of the mania are between tw enty
five and forty-five years of age. Women
do not seem to grow tired of life as
easily as men, but when they resolve to
shuttle off the mortal coil they almost
invariably use poison to accomplish
their end. In some countries of Europe,
notably in Austria and Prussia, at
tempts at suicide occur very frequently
among schoolboys; one of the evil con-
sequences of the severe scholastic dis
cipline still prevailing in the two states.
Monaco, the seat Of the famous gam
bling hell of Monte Carlo, has been the
scene of more sensational suicides than
any other spot in the universe. Ad-
venturers from all parts of the world
assemble there day after day to repair
their broken fortunes or to gamble with
some one else's money. If unsuccessful
they not infrequently end their exist
ence on the spot. Although no longer
current news, the sensational suicide OF
Partisan lady, Nine. Gracioso Romaldi,
is still talked about among the elect OF
Monaco. This woman, after having
lost all her money at the gaming table,
retired for the night in her apartments
at the Hotel de Londres. She was
found the next morning in her bath
tub. The water had been turned on.
In order to make sure of killing herself
she had severed the main arteries of
both her wrists, and had left life bathed
in her own blood. Shooting is, how
ever, the favorite method of suicide at
Monaco, and this has become so COM
mon that case of self-destruction no
longer attracts the least attention.
While, from one point of view, all
suicides are unworthy of notice. from
another they are Of greatinterest. The
fearful method employed by Lingg,
the Chicago anarchist, to cheat the gal
lows will go down in history as one of
the most peculiar cases on record. A
few days before the execution of the
Haymarket agitatons was to take place,
this young fellow exploded dynamite
cartridge in his mouth, blowing off the
upper part of his face and cheating the
hangman at the same time.
Scarcely leSS 6nflll1l2 Was bic Gnu VI
Charles Tamelin, a San Francisco
stevedore, who deliberately jumped in
to the furnace of the. ifeboat Gov. Ir-
win. He resisted all attempts to drag
him from the fire, and expired with
the words: ''Let me die!' on his
SCARED lips.
A French woman who had been aban-
doned by her lover purchased fifty
leeches in various drug shops. Upon
her return to her rooms on the Boule-
ward de la Villette, she undressed and
put the bloodsuckers all over her body.
Some hours later friend, entering the
woman's apartment, found her lying
unconscious on her bed. The leeches
bad rolled off her body one by one.
The unfortunate creature was taken
to hospital, but the physicians could
not save her life. ,3
A young Hungarian woman residing
at McKeesport, Pa, and known as Miss
Sip Ellie, destroyed herself by breaking
the heads off dozen or more parlor
matches and drinking them in soln-
ton of V'ater Not long ago the en-
tss,,c ~ 1, ,,,ijlr fTfa in, as a WAS ap.