The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-27
A PHYSICIANS, STORY.
ia All.
How He Saved Il Fellow Man From
Committing suiefde.

How He Saved Il Fellow Man From
Committing Suicide.
"Weu, 1 would hardly be willing to
say" responded the physician to an in
quiry made by one of a group of listen
ers, says the Washington Star, that
a man who committed suicide was in
sane, for I know several persons who
were never suspected of insanity be-
fore the act nor have they been since
who, to my certain knowledge, have
attempted suicide. One or two cases
have been public and have got into the
newspapers, but the general majority
of them are professional secrets, and
no one will ever know of them. except
those few who know now. That's one
of the responsibilities that a physician
takes upon himself
81 recall one instance where [ saved
a man from committing suicide, and,
though he never showed the slightest
symptom of it afterWard, l am posi-
tive he was crazy as loon at the
time of the attempt. 1t happened about
six years ago in a Western city, in
hotel where 1 was the resident physi-
clan. I had met the man in the even
ing after dinner, and had played q
game of chess with him in his apart
ments, the finest suite in the house.
He had arrived at the hotel the day
before, alone, and had asked for the
best rooms, paying for them in adj
vance. Then he had asked for the
house physician, and as one result of
our acquaintance we were playing this
game of chess. We had had one or
two mild drinks during the evening"
and after the game was finished he
turned the talk upon suicide, having
some very interesting and peculiar
ideas on the subject, chief of which
was his utter aversion to selfmurder
under any circumstances whatever. He
was so firm in his opposition that he
almost lost his temper when l ventured
the assertion that suicide might be al
most justifable.
"In the midst of this conversation he
suddenly went into the adjoining room
and returned with two revOlvers, which
he laid down on the table between US.
1 didn't understand what they were for,
and asked him.
" Well he answered in the coolest
kind of fashion, the time has come Tor
me to die, and you have got to kill me.
My soul would be damned forever if
did it myself but if you do it, my blood
will not be on my own hands. There
are two revolvers; you take this one
handing me one-'and I'll take the
other. AS you see, they are both load
ed and in perfect condition. If you do
not shoot me within a minute l shall
ShOOt you.
HE took out his watch, and, stand
ing five or six feet from me, he counted
the ticks and aimed his gun directly
at my head. I saw by his eye that he
was crazy, and that [ would have 10
obey him or pay the. penalty of disobe-
dience with my life, and still [ did not
want to shoot a man, however 1 might
be justified in it. With, this thought,
I lifted the revolver, and, taking care
full aim, he watching me narrowly, L
drew the gun square down upon his
forehead and just as T was about to
pull the trigger, I threw it to one side
and shot for his pistol arm. My inten-
ton was good. but I was excited, and
my shot only cut through the flesh
without disabling him, and, before 1
had time to move, he had fired at my
heart. A case of instruments in my
vest pocket saved me, and the next
shot 1 fired was more to the purpose,
and my host was dead without having
committed suicide.
Il told the story to the landlord, who
was my friend and relative, exactly as
it occurred, but to the world at large
the story went forth that the man had
committed suicide while erazed, and
the fact that he had been in an asylum
was sufficient guarantee that was tell
ing the truth"