The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-12
THINKS OF SUICIDE
Mrs. Lon Holding May Hang
Herself Again
WRITES A CURIOUS LETTER
To County Commissioners
From Madison, Ind.

Mrs. Lon Holding, who was put in the
county jail last summer on a charge of
Insanity and attempted suicide by hang
Ding herself in her cell, is now at the
home of relatives at Madison, Ind She
has written a very strange letter to the
county commissioners here, in which she
apparently threatens to suicide if they do
not send her her trunk and household
goods. After Mrs. Holding had recovered
from the very serious injuries received in
her attempt at suicide, she was taken in
10 the probate court and adjudged in
sane, and at length sent to the Osawa-
fomie asylum. Nothing was known here
of her release from the asylum until the
aetter was received by the commissioners
yesterday. Mrs. Holding, who has the
sympathy of many friends here in her
misfortune and the sorrows of her life.
says in her letter that she has twice be-
fore attempted suicide. Her letter is as
follows:
Madison, Ind, Dec s. 1899
Board Of County Commissioners:
Gentlemen-Pardon me for being so per-
sistent in my claim for justice; I can ap-
ply no other term to my plea I there
lore appeal to you as a body of rational
jurisdiction TO either send my remaining
things TO 521 Walnut street. Madison. In
diana, at the expense of Sedgwick coun-
ny or replace them where and as you
found them when 1 was torn from my
home and placed in the Sedgwick county
IA vf-bf
insult to my sensitive temperament, be-
sides the inexcusable insult heaDed upon
my dignity! By your standard of equal
atty between races, when you try TO raise
negroes to tire level of the white race.
you are STOPPING beneath my principles
of morality to say the least; and though
your positions may be exalted far above
my station (Which is stationary upon the
subjecO. still you are leveling yourselves
TO a much lower degree by placing your
heads on level with that of the negro
race, and 1 pOintblankiy defy you to say
it is not degrading to our race! Can
you enlighten me? Which of the two are
the image Of your God? I was taught
the devil was black and the devil shall
he chained for a thousand years and then
he shall be let loose again for a little
while" And / saw a race whose hair
was as white as the driven snow and
shey had eyes as flames Of fire" Bless
ed are those who shall live in the first
resurrection" etc. I have said it, THAT
HOUSE OPPOSITE THE COURT
HOUSE decides the fate Of America.
Which shall it be, the black or the white?
Shall we bury our cross. or nail each
70 -
see, see! And those who have ears to
hear, heart
PICTURE OF HOPEL ESSNESS
"Twice in my life I have been utterly
hopeless. and twice in my life 1 have at
tempted suicide. The causes which
prompted my decisions were unavoidable
debts. loss of confidence in humanity, and
christian justice! Now. you are to help
ito decide my fate and the fate of the
Hworld. If You viii paint this alI-impor-
liant subject with density. so it will re-
eemble a thunderstorm without the light
ming in it, thus arouEing a .hoDelessness
(which has never before been eQualled on
record in all this worlds history, then
j defy the Christians TO say I sin by Sc
lecting a manner to hang my flesh and
blood to a tree, so shocking that it will
seven amaze those who are accustomed to
gaze upon their crucihed Lord. and a
manner that will make even their God
Blush at His own handiwork
81 have a feeling of aspiration in me
(which bids me to rise, not above the po-
sition of a sovereign. but above self
vanity. on a level with the highest NOR
gal standard which human mind has ever
Fbeen able to frame which shall be a
stepping stone to a still more lofty de-
gree. a rank that my God would not be
aashamed 10 accept, and yet the God I
sadore Is far above any height which my
smagination can picture, as it would be
impossible for me to ever touch the edge
of the hem of His garments with my i'm
lagination, and so far above murder that
He is a stranger to its origin. If the Bible
lis an inspiration what do you call the
appeal 1 am making to intelligence?
Which do you think will be of greatest
benefit to Salvation by the
shedding of blood" or to bury that
sbloody cross (which IS in itself an altar
of Distraction, which alone can bring sal
walton to the whole world
I'VE have had the father Of our coun-
try, we have had the savior of our coun-
try. and now let us fill our country with
dhe true spirit-Peace.
yours with anticipation.
MRS. SALLIE HOLDING
"PIease reDlv''