The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-26
NOTIFIES OF P4RIS SUICIDES.
Illustrated in Three Case. Adapted TO the Ends
or yellow journalism.

PARIS. Sept. l1.-Thrce peculiar suicides OF
this week indicate The growing tendency among
that class OF ncurotic French people with whom
attempts at self-destruction might be said TO
have become almost n habit to invest the act
with something which the Gallo temperament
conceives to be artistic and which is at least
thcatric. or course many people i'll France, as
elsewhere. kill themselves in sheer desperation
or in the throes OF mental or physical anguish,
but by far the larger number. il one may judge
from the careful premcditation OF sensational
details. do so from the itch Tor notoricty. They
are not tired OF the world, but OF being obscure.
As France has II yellow newspapers IN which
ones imaginary portrait and Last maudlin mes
sages may be cNploitcd-tbe country's dcpopula-
ton would go on much faster If she had. doubt
lcsS-it becomes in these days absolutely neccs-
sary, in order TO get into the newspapers at all,
to employ TO- the taking off some bizarre device
in the act, or something unusual in the circum-
stances. One can hardly fail to notice this
among the many double suicides OF so-callcd
lovers. whose relations are nearly always weary
ingly prosaic. but who invariably leave behind
them joint letters in which they have pictured
their love and their mutual voluntary exit from
the world as facts OF the purest romance; Con
sidered singly. II is well known that no French
man ever dies by his own hand without leaving
behind his last word, which he tries to make
e~pIgrammatic. and which satisfies him Just as
well il he thinks il is. If the suicide tc II woman.
her mind runs in u different groove. She spends
her last cent. and borrows what she can, to buy
fashy imitation lace undertaking in which 10
be found dead; then she leaves nothing on her
person by which she may be denti,ca-forcscc
ing, doubtless. the mystery which vii! run
for several days.
but the essential is to invent 2 new mode in
the act That is always sure of gaining pub
licity. II is with the new modv" that the
three suicides referred TO have 10 do.
went into a shop whore one of her friends was
employed and asked her 70 CONG ont TO the side
walk. When they were there the first girl said:
Come across TO our hons" a moment. I've
got something for You. You stand under the
window and hold out your apron and III throw
The shop' eirl followed innoccnt>y, and when
they got to the house, which was nearby, planted
herself on the sidewalk and waited, holding her
apron out as directed. while the other girl ran
upstairs. Presently the girl appeared AT the
"Readyr' she cried. Then, without waiting
for an answer, she threw herself ont and iirll
apron. Of 8 course eetn !" broke he ffnii a r]ii!n,tic. but
nev rthclcss come serious things happened.
The girl below was Knocked down by the shock,
and the tug on the strings of the apron. although
tn broke, dislocatcd one OF the lumbar VcrIc-
brT OF III" girls spine and badly spraincd some
slight fracture OF tho skull and some internal
injuries. Neither girl will die,
The only reason for NIL OF this appears ~ he
that the girl was tired Of life and wanted 10
ST. how death would feel"
The second case 'ooT place IN q little commune
son soon TO I've drafted INFO The army loved II
sewing girl whom he hid met nj, Lille. lie
didn't want to go into the army because hc
wanted to marry. which his father woUldn I hear
Of. He proposed 10 tho girl that they sr'tle the
custom az French lovers In a Similar rix"Ihnt
they lock themselves in - room and perish by
charcoal fumes; The ,Etrl was not romantic,
however, and declined. Then the youth saw
thai she did not love him. That very night he
went to The house where lhr girl had a room,
mounted 10 the roof. and started hea! first down
hur chimney. The chimney was not large. hIt
rs he WAS only "A stripping he succeeded in get
ting into II ms FAR as hi, waist. There he hung
head down anti! he was sutiuCatci. They found
him in the morning, with the customary last
word, - in verse, in one OF his rockets.
Tho third case occurred here in Paris or
seeing her lover with another Woman. went
home and jumped out of her window, That did
NOT hurt her, bccause she did not I'VE hisi
three other thing, but gave them ny one after
another, ccRusr, ,nppa entity they hurt toe
m~nch-hrst. hanging hers II hy her hair; Sc,
ond, gagging herself with , towel; thiri. hold
ing her face in u basin ~ water So that she
could not breathe. Finally he went TO a cheal
a piece OF. French bcScf.,c,h. The meat WA.
OF me right sort for l@a,, rmHrpo,G, but =
OF the house, ,douhrlo--. as. he was, eager
70 prevent suicide. rauglt her in time, win" Soc
her on the back; thrn -'"htci her roundly
bicycle, but only the hiryclist was injured
Utterly discourNgcd. ii" went hack home ar,
ncighbor broke im'o her room and saYcd her
She was taken hcinr" - comm ssary of Inli,c
and there promise to he sensible for a while
She acknowledge that, after all. She preferred
She had got especially dressed for suicide il
her best clothce'nnd, before starting in. .he ha'
written for lhc N~cw-I.rrr- 81 most rumanti,
and mendu ru4- account of hrr lie aud snrrnw
and untimriy end, N which n" described her
self as a "h"Mtiful, charming, but unknowl
Parisicnnc,' The IN mus ript Was found on
table in her room. Up TO this time no news
! paper has published IL