The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-26
MOST FAMOUS SUICIDES.
FROM JUDAS IsCARIoT DOWN TO
GEN. BOULANGBR.

OF WEAKNESS OF lie.
Chatterton killed himself in despair a
the failure of all bis projects.
Chenier killed himself by thrusting 1
large brass key down his throat
Lucretius, the great Latin poet, stabbed
himself in a fit of disgust with life.
Goethe tells Of a German laborer, whom
be knew, who cast himself hesdlong into G
boiling soap vat
Coccelus Nerva, wealthy Roman law.
yer. killed himself in disgust a. the state Of
the Roman republic.
The last Duke Of Bedford died a violent
death by his own act. Disgust with life
was said TO be cause.
Stanton. the great war secretary, died by
his own hand in 1869 He was undoubtedly
insane from overwork.
Cassius fell by his own dagger after the
battle Of Philtppi, the same dagger, It is
said. with which he stabbed Caesar.
Fraulein Won Lassberg drowned herself Of
vexstion and disgust at life after reading
Goethe's Sorrows Of Werthern
Samson, the Judge Of Israel destroyed
himself in the temples Of the PhiIistiues by
pulling it down on himself and his enc
mics
Rosseau tells of friend who was
warm advocate of suicide, and at the age
of 50 drowned himself in the lake Of &C.
neva.
Homer, it is said, hanged himself in ex-
treme old age because. after long trial.
he could not solve the "Fishermans Puz-
zle.n
Senator Lane Of Kansas, the famous Jim
Lane Of ante-bellum days, died in 1856, by
bis own hand, in fit of mental aberra-
tion.
One of the most distin guished suicides in
this country was the Hon. John Davis
speaker of the House of Representatives
from 1915 TO 1S47
Demosthenes took poison which for years
he had carried about with him In a peu.
He was Disguised at the fiekleness and
folly of the Athenians
Catullus Luctatius killed himself in
peculiarly painful manner by swallo wing
Goals OF fire and experimenting them with
a piece Of red-hot iron.
Saul, the first King of Israel, killed him
self rather than be slain by the Philistines.
Defeated in battle and his kingdom gone,
he had nothing TO live for.
Mscer, a Roman official OF Cicero's time,
hanged himself when informed that the
great orator intended 20 appear against him
in his triel for peculation.
Ajax killed himself with his spear; Jo-
casts, Antigone, HRmon, Eurydice, Edi-
pus and many other Greek heroes and hero
HerenDius, the Sicilian, showed signs of
madness and was confined by his friends.
Determined to thwart them, he beat his
brains out against post.
The philosopher CleOmbrotas, after read
ing Plato's PhRdon, killed himself in
order that be might at once enjoy the
sweets of the future life so wildly de-
scribed.
Whether the death Of Clement C. VAL
landigham was q suicide or an accident has
never been satisfactorily determined, though
the evidence seems to indicate self-destruc-
ton.
Abimelech, while storming the town Of
ThebeZ, was wounded In the head by a
stone thrown by woman, and made his
armor-bearer kill him lest 1t should be said
a woman slew him.
Vatel, famous French cook, ran him.
self through with a sword because the ash
for state dinner came too late 20 be used,
and be could not stand the disgrace of serv-
ing a dinner without fish.
Petronius Arbiter, the poet and man of
pleasure in Nsro's court, having fallen into
disgrace, went home, wrote a satirical poem
describing Nero's debsucheries, and then
opened his veins.
Like his great guest, Hannibal, MithrI-
dates killed himself with poison to avoid
falling into the hands of the Romans. He
preferred death 70 appearance in the tri-
umphal procession of Roman general.
The philosopher Damocles threw him
self into q chaldron OF boiling oil and mis-
erably persisted His fate was not known
until the oil was poured out and his bones,
boiled clean, we're found.
Portia, the daughter of Cato attempted
TO Kill herself by drinking boiling water,
but, unable to swallow it she hastily
orammed handfuls Of glowing GOALS into
her throat, and died in great agony.
Empedocles, the philosopher, threw him
self into the crater of Vesuvius He has had
a modern imitator. an Englishman, who
killed himself by jumping hesdlong into the
crater Of an iron furnace.
Terence, the Roman dramati5t, lost his
manuscripts, collection of l0S plays be had
translated from the Greek for use on the
Roman stage. He was unable 70 endure the
loss and drowned himsek
The great Zeno lived a quiet and happy
life until the age OF 9S, when one day he
accidentally stumbled and broke his thumb.
He interpreted the accident as q summons
from earth, and 80 hanged himself.
The Roman emperor Ohio killed himself
after reign of IS days. A popular revo-
luton had overthrown his power, he was
aware that from his successor he had moth
ing TO expect, and so preferred death.
Cato was the typical Roman suicide. He
killed himself with a dagger on the APP
prOacn OF Caesars forces to Utica, knowing
that the cause OF liberty was lost and being
unwilling to survivs the downfall of his
country.
The poems Of Labienus were ordered by
imperial edict to be burned on account Of
toe blasphemy they were alleged to con-
tain. The order was carried out, and in
despair Labienus burned himself to death
in his own house
hegesippus, the philosopher, discoursed
so eloquently on the peace of death as COM
pared with the worry Of life thGs many of
bis auditors killed themselves, and, to stop
the epidemic, Ptolemy ordered him to teach
no more in public.
Ahithophel the Hebrew statesman.
David, but when his advice as to the con-
duct OF the war was rejected and he saw
the cause was lost he went home, foretold
the failure Of the rebellion and hanged him
self
Balmaoeda, the fallen president Of Chile,
after the revolution which resulted in the
overthrow OF his government, took refuge
In the house of q friend, but, finding every
avenue OF escape closed, shot himself rather
than surrender and be torn in pieces by the
enraged populace.
Sardanapalus, the luxurious oriental
monarch, finding himself hard pressed by
his enemies, gathered his guards, his wives,
concubines and children, together with ali
his treasures, and set FIRE TO the building.
thus thwarting the hope his foes entertained
Of taking him alive.
Lord Londonderry, better known "a Lord
oh hill nA n - a.