Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-08-09

The coroner's jury passed into the
dimly lighted sepulchral room
wherd the REMAINS 0f the suicide
lay Upon marble slab. Soma b.
them shrank back fnvoluntarily al
the entrance. others gave EVIDENCE
Of having nerved themselves to lool
upon the grewsome sight; ono 6i
two showed curiosity. No kind hand
had closed the lids over the protrud.
ing eyeballs nor bound up the hang
ing jaw. which gave to the gaping
mouth the appearance OF having, for
its last office, uttered some terrible
cry. From each of the corners oi
the mouth and chin slowly oozed a
few remaining drops OF blood. The
hair at tho back of the head was
matted and damp with the crimson
fluid. In life the suicide had bsen /.
young man and handsome.
When the jury entered the room.
one of them-a prosperous looking,
elderly man-quickly advanced to
the side of the corpse, says the Chi
cago Times. He bent his face down
to the face of the deal. AMI kept 1t
thare. The action startled those in
the room until it was seen that he
was critically examining the seIf-in.
flicted wound. lie peered into the
blood-stained- mouth and closely
scrutihized the back Of the head.
After the jury had retired and
were waiting in their room for tho
coroner to receive their verdict one
of them ventured an interrogative
remark to him.
"You seem to take an unusual in
tercst In our unfortunate subject"
''Yes-surgically.
"Then you are sut.geon2"
ait was my profession once; but,
unfortunately, it has been 8 long
time since | practiced it. The dead
man in there did we'll"
"Did you say well?" interrupted
an ascetic-looking juryman. with
great severity.
II did" calmly replied the sur.
geon; 'he did his work well. BY
placing the muzzie of his pistol
against the roof of his mouth and
shooting upward there was no possi-
BILE escape from instant death and
that Is what he sought"
81 take 1t you are not a religious
mau?''
Probably not in your acceptation
of the term" was the answer. az
subscribe to none of the popular
dogmatic creeds, yet believe in
conscience, morality, and an in
telligent creator We are given no
volition US to whether or not we
shall be born. but this is. in great
measure. compensated by the fact
that II we find life burden we have
in our hands the power to end it. If
our death works no injury to the
living it is none other bu4 our own
affair. Only coward would desert
those dependent upon him"
''That line OF sophistry has been
refuted thousand timos," cried his
questioner, with some excitement.
POSSIBLY; but those arc my views,
nevertheless.
AS he said this he took from his
pocket a small memoranda book,
tore from it leaf, upon which he
wrote something in pencil, and then
replaced the book.
The juryman who first induced the
surgeon to ma 1e his strange Geclara-
tion had evidently been entertained
by 1t, and sought again to draw him
out.
"No one was ever yet sane, in my
opinion, at the moment OF taking his
own life," he averred.
II do not agree with you,,, said
the surgeon. placidly; 'to me the
persistent clinging to miserable
life when death is far preferable is
rather the evidence of insanity.
Many instances can be imagined
where death is boon: A deadly
and incurable disease: cruel suffer-
ing in all its forms. with no promise
OF surcease; life Imprisonment: som
ility; insanity; deep humiliation, and
permanent disgrace. The last are
as strong MS any to tempt ono to
sclf-destruction. / know of such
case. A father had an only SON
the apple OF his eye. The two con-
stituted the family. All that money
could do was done for the son. AT.
tanning mans estate, he was given
an important and responsible posi-
tion In large financial institution
in which the father was interested.
All went we'll, and to them both life
was well worth the living. But one
day something terrible Happened;
the son was defaulter-the father
disgraced and financially involved.
1.-The son He'd and for long time
indignation alone burned in the
breast OF the fathet. Gradually the
old. all-absorbing affection for his
son came buck to him and he set out
to find him. After many disappoint-
ments his search was at last re-
warded. He had but few years ut
best to live himself. He did not
want them after he had found his
son. He wanted relief-death."
And then this man, who had dis
coursed with such unimpassioned
fuency, deliberately took from his
pocket revolver. placed it in his
mouth. Tired. and fell over dead.
From his outstretched hand o |
piece of paper fell. Upon
it was written:
BURY us together He was my
son."
The Bib.e In Japan.
According to the British and For
eign bible society. there is little
chance for circulation of the bible
Il, T,oon Tho sooiofv coya ff