The Opelousas courier., 1899-08-12
SUICIDES WITH ORIGINALITY.
Unique Methods Employed by Them in
Quitting the World,

Unique Methods Employed by Them IN
Qufttin. the World.
The suicide CT Count Karolyi Is only
4 of many hundreds OF cases Of self
destruction in which 1t has been found
impossible to assign sufficient cause
for committing the act. The probable
ity is that in SO cases out Of every
100 there never IS sufficient cause. and
that the life is taken in some fit CT
desperation OR temporary insanity. as
the c%or1neT's jury prefers to call it.
AnOtIle. curious fact about recent sui
cides is that novelty in the methods
Of severicg the linz! with life appears
to have weighed considerably with the
unhappy victims Of disordered minds
Perhaps the most remarkable case on
record is that cf a man who, although
in a position CT great comfort and
ease, one day resolved to end his ife,
and his metaIc were SO complicated
that it tx him Dearly seven weeks
to preIsSfe for the end. With his wv
hanf1 he built himself a wooden scat
forF, consisting CT lbur corner sup
..15rts and an upper staging. This he
painted black, egypt the floor CT the
staging. which was blood red. Hav-
ing accomplished this work, he dug
a hole under the center Of the stag
ing, buried q highly explosive mine
three feet underground, so that it
rested nine feet under the staging, to
which it was connected by wires for
firing by electricity. He then wrote to
the authorities explaining his arrange
ments and that in a certain time por-
tons Of his body would be scattered
broadcast about the field in which his
scaffold was erected. Going back ID
the field. he placed himself on the
mattress on the staging and touched
the button which fired the mine. In
the quantity Of dramatic effect the sui
eide Of a once famous steeplejack
stands without parallel. The man had
attempted to take his life by throw
ing himself into a river. for which Of
Tense he was charged at police court,
and dismissed with a very severe eau
ton. A few weeks afterward he wrote
to a friend living IN the neighbornood.
stating he had resolved to make a fur
Their attempt upon his life, and that
be intended doing so in a name
which would obviate any possibility CT
his design being frustrated. Within a
few hours of the dispatch Of that let
ter the body of the stceplejack was
seen hanging from the summit OF the
highest steeple in his town. steeple
he had himself repaired only a few
months previously. Women do not ap-
pear to often seek original methods Of
suicide, but a young woman, who had
been Tilted by her lover u short time
ago, decided upon taking her life IN
such a way that the country would
ring with her name, as she thought.
AS a matter of fact. her terrible act
was announced in five lines by some
papers and not at all by Others. The
Wrctched wonan left her home at the
dead OF night with a long coil CT rope.
One end CT the rope she fastened to a
buttress CT a bridge which ran over a
river ard tie other end she tied round
ucF GIk1GS. GNS tbtI lct uelSClA uo"A
until her feet touched the water and
the rope was taut, when she let go
her hold and plunged into the river,
her feet being held up by the rope, IA
which position she was discovered
eariv the next morning
The Troy ~. y Times tells or a
visitor at q prblic school who, beng
requested to address the pupils, SPOKE
CT the necessity CT oheying tAe1r
teacher and growing up to be useful.
loyal and patriotic citizens. To en-
phasize his remarks, he pointed to a
large national flag that almost coVere'
one end Of the room and said, now
bows, who can tell me what that nag
j., there foro' One little fellow, VINO
understood the condition of the room
better than the speaker, replied: i
know. sir. It's to hide the dlrt.