Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-04

There have been lately a number OF
suicides at Madison. Wis, and the PEG.
pie OF that town are at a loss to accoun,
for this epidemic OF self-destruction.
Many citizens. in the absence Of a better
explanation. have concluded that a sui
eide club exists there. and that the uii-
| fortunates who took their own lives were
members of the weird organization. In
| support Of this theory. several instances
where two or more persons have decided
| to end their lives together are pointed
| out.
Durin9 the French revolution there
were frequent cases OF these associated
suicides" and It was not an unusual
thing for parties Of reckless debauohees,
together. Later on. however, persons
weary Of life did not have TO bother about
destroying themselves. The guillotine,
with its Unsuitable thirst for blood, was
amply sufficient TO hurry both the will
ing and the unwilling on to perdition.
But these instances of suicidal populari-
ty are rare, indeed and may be consider
ed as the outcome OF peculiar conditions,
which have seldom existed. On paper,
suicide clubs work very well, and Robert
Louis Stevenson has given us vivid
picture of their operations. but in real
life their objects are seldom carried out.
Indeed, we know of no such clubs which
have actually existed. The moment dila-
tory features are attached to the prepa-
rations for self-destruction, the subject
loses his courage, and decides to recon-
slider. A humorous illustration Of this
occurred some months ago, in Chicago,
when a wTetched individual attempted TO
drown himself in the lake at Lincoln
Park. policeman, who saw the would
be self-murderer fiounderng In the water,
threatened to shoot him, If he did not
abandon his scheme. The person thus
admonished came meekly out of the lake,
and, for all we know, lived happily ever
afterwards.
The Madison theorists have fashioned
a splendidly gruesome story about their
suicide club, but we cannot accept it On
the contrary, we believe that, had such an
organization actually existed, the cases OF
sef-destruction would have been greatly
diminished. A time for reflection would
have been afforded the members, and
many would have decided to cheat their
country in other ways. The whole trou-
BILE may be due to the fact that one sui |
eide frequently suggests another. end |
thus starts the self-destruction ball |
a-rolling, even as one crime frequently |
incites others. For instance, If our an
cient, legal friend, John Dee, blows off |
his head, his act suggests a similar fea, |
to his superannuated acquaintance, Rich |
ard Roe, and the latters suicide, in turn, |
stimulates Gregory Goodlittle TO an
equally rash act.
The English common law showed no |
patience with suicides and regarded the |
offence as q felony. True, there was no |
successful way of furnishing the man who
died by his own hand, but his estate was
forfeited, and the corpse was subjected |
to an ignominious burial, in the high
way with stake driven through the
body. This ancient rigor has, of course,
been relaxed, but 10 aid and abet one to
xiii himself Is still regarded as murder.
The true doctrine to teach is that sui
eide is not only wrong morally and legal
ly. but is cowardly. And so 1t is. The
man hopes to escape trouble himself, but
is willing to do an act that will pile trou-
BILE and shame upon his innocent family
circle. In short. ne runs from the field
of life's battle, and leaves dependent ones
10 shift for themselves.