The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-04-17
CAUSES OF SUICIDE
Freely Discussed Blythe Coroner
ofaNew Yo.k.
HOW,mEN FACE DEATH.

Any Other Nationality.
Pititul Cases.
There were Al suicides in the bor-
ough of Manha,tsn lsst year. Opti
mists may be surprised that the num-
Ser is large, pessinists that it is so
small.
Of all the gruesome statistics that fl
ter through the cononer's Office and
6nd oblivion in the pigeon holes of the
health department. those pertaining to
the city's suicides are perhsps the most
interesting ts student Of life an hu-
man osture. Even the men in the
coroners ofice philosophizs over them
and its rare thing for man to spin
philosophical concluaions out OF q
tragedy that is all part Of the days
work.
These suicides always get ore think
ing," said one Of the ama,ure philoso-
pliers to Sun reporter. There are so
man ways in every case. It's al easy
matter to return verdict of suicide By
illuminating gas, or carbolio acid, CT
whatever the method happens to be,
but there's such 8 lot back Of all that.
about one person in dozen leaves
letter. The law focbids the publioa-
tion cf those letters row, hut the files
of them make queer reading matter.
Esch one has It's own indiviouslity-
bears the stamp Of the persoR who
xrote it. Given that letter you can
construct the map. Sone Of them are
carefully written on good paper; some
are scSswled on scraps Of paper, mar
gins Of newspapers, books or backs Of
envelopes; some are in q firm, clear
hand; some are blotted sno almost
illegible.
Its queer lew differently men face
death. Nov, there are the Germans.
There are more suicides smong tie
Germans in this city than anorg aDy
other nationality. Seems cdd. does1t
it? One wouldn't expect stoli5, beer
drinking race to go in for suicide. A
German would be the last man I would
expect to see lose his balance and run
snuck. A dsgo, now, CT Russian OF
an Irishman-that wouldn't surprise
me; but, bless you, they don't commit
suicide. When they get down On the
world the Russian throws q bomb at
somebody, the 1rishpan breaks
somebody's head; but the German
drinks his beer, goes to his room and
quietly puts bullet hole in himself.
They sag its 3 racial instinct. It
certainly is easier on the public than
the other methods Of working of steam,
but We could spare other citizens bet
ter than We can spare the Germans.
The trouble With the German is that he
thinks too much. We've decided that
down here. He usually has . decent
education and poverty or disgrace go
hard with him. He can't rs sconcile
himself to failure. Then the average
German seems to be good deal Of 81
ssnostic. Half the time he doesn't
believe in hereafter Of any sort, and
Of course its temptation to him to put
IN end to things altogether. Now
Catholic Irishman believes he will be
damned If he takes his own life, and
he'd Just ss soon endure the dsmnstion
he's used to right here as sample
another variety that may be worse.
VERY few Hebrews commit suicide.
Sometimes man Of his race will do it,
but the suicide Of 8 Jewesss is very
rear thing. The Russian aud Polish
Hebrews Of the east side look melsn-
choly enough for anything, but they
usually endure life. 1t is tie Christian
girl Of the east side who drinks carbolic
acid-not the Jewess. The American
born girl is the most frequent victim
too. She heads the roll Of woman
suicides, iast as the German heads the
list Of male suicides. Why's that? Is
she more intelligent too? Does she
suffer more from unhappy conditions
than the other girls, or Is she more
reckless, and more likely to get into
trouble? Oh, I tell you, these suicide
files make an Interrogation point Of me.
"After the Germsns on the list come
the Americans, but the suicides whose
nationality can't be determined are
lupped in with the United States list,
so it isn't quite fair guide. Next come
the Austrisns and Bohenians. Then q
long way be hind the Irish. The other
nstionslities drop IN by ones and twos.
You seldom hear Of negro suicide.
A darkey is too irrepressible. NJ
ter low hard luck goes tcda?, he thinks
it will be coming his way tomorrow,
and fixed depression is absolutely i'm
possible to him. When he does get
worked up to suicide, he usually hangs
himself. A German prefers shooting
himself. They've aIl been soldiers more
or less and feel a certain dignity con
nected with gunshot wound.
The American Affects shooting, too,
but has a liking for Illuminating gas.
The women almost always take poison
or crown themselves. You see the
ordinary man can swim and its rather
hard for him to drown himself. He
nerves hirself up for the plunge, and
the water cools him of. He can swim
and does. But with woman it is diff
ferent.
Talking about men and women,
we've often noticed how few women
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