The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-01-20
Suicides and Murders.

Whether the suicide and the mur-
dering mania which comes upon the
people at times and impels them TO
take the lives either OF themselves or
of other people be one OF the many
'providential dispensations" whereby
the population is prevented from reach
Ing excessive limits, or whether It be
that it is the per7ersity of human ma
ture which leads people to be guilty Of
such acts because they are forbidden,
we do not profess exactly to know but
in either case, the taking Of life Went
on at a pretty lively pace during the
year 1896.
The total number OF murders taat
were committed in the course of the
twelvs months amounted, according
to statistics collected by the Chicago
Tribune, to the tidy figure OF 10, 652.
This number is only trife over the
10, 500 murders in 1895, and perhaps
the high-water mark III that species OF
crime has been, or is about to b7
reached. But at all events murder
has increased at an appalling rats
since 1890, from whose tally OF !, 23O
it has climbed by rapid strldes!o lts
last years sum-an increase in seven
years OF 14S per cent! The following
are the motives to or occasions OF mur-
der, so far as is known:
Q1arreIS.. q. 3J"'
| Jealousy. .......ss.......... 4u&
Liquor. .................. 439
By hIghWaymen., n.,......s.essss>. ZU0
Infanticide. 300
Resisting arrest. 52
,Hlghwaymen kilIed............. 100
INSANITY. 253
SeIl-Celence. ..s.....-......sss.' 40
OGtrages. Observation-Disclosures. rs
RiOlS. ,s-.......-....s.... iV
Turning 10 the subjec. OF suicide,
we find that it to1 mas increased very
rapidly in the course OF the Last<ix
years-more rapidly in fac; thaa mar-
der has; and if the Almighty, as the
prince suggests 10 the play, b IS really
fixed his canon 'gainss selt-slaugn
ter" the canon is being disregarded
in quite merry fashion. Ia 1899 tae
cases of suicide numbered 900; in 81
3, ,53l in '92 1850; in .93 4 1876; il '95
), 759; and in 1896 they numbered
6, ,52J. This was an ioccease, il will
be observed, Of 4, 40 10 ths Sven
years, or 2l9 per cent. L murder and
suicide 60 on increasing at this figure.
it is only question o: a cen.ucy Or
two when the violence Of its own citi-
z9ns will depopulate th= Uaited
States and leave II open i another
Columbus-discoTery.
The chief reason tor suicide il 1896
as in previous years was 'despo 1den-
cy" as it is called-that continued
heart sickness which impels the suffer-
er to get anywhere, anywhere out
OF tue world Insanity was a maze
rial factor in causing suicide, no few
er than 42S insane people taking their
OWN lives. III.heauh drove out 2S6
persons, domestic iufeicity 252 per
soas, liquor 22t persons, business
losses 105 persons, aad Disappointed
love 1S0 persons, 10 voluntarily hand
in their checks.
Bat more interesting point, per
haps. in connection WIZ tn9 $500
suicides of 1896 than the impulses
which drove so many to make haal
effort to end LIES misery is tae route by
which they severa ~ elected to maze
their exit. Poison and the pistol still
strive with eaca other for popular
favor among those VINO are anxious to
pass p-ematurely to the furthershore;
last year, 1865 poisoned themselves
while 2, 466 used the pistol; 643 hang
ed themselves. 33S drowned them'
selves, 2SS CIT their throat, 81 threw
themselves from r2ofs and windows,
Il threw themselves before railway
trains, 80 burned themselves, 19 S.aoo-
ed themselves. 9kilIed themselves with
dynamite, 3 starved themselves, and
froze himself to DEATH
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