The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-19
SUICIDE: GERM.
Several Cities Said to be infect
ed With 1t.
Fifty ONE SUICIDES

FIFTY ONE SUICIDES
In the Little Town of Huntington
West Virginia, Whose People De-
clare That They Cannot Success
fully Struggle Against the Dread
ful Infection, and Kill Them
selves.
Huntington, W. Va,, is place
which appears to be hopelessly IN
tested with the dreadful suicide
germ, just as other localities are SO
thoroughly saturated with tubercu-
losis germs that even the healthiest
persons are likely to be attacked.
Persons have declared that they felt
the suicide sense upon them and were
unable to struggle against it.
Huntington is a modern town nam
ed after the late C, P. Huntington
and was Incorporated in 1871. 1t is a
busy, financial prosperous place, but
some deadly influence has fallen upon
the minds and hearts of its inhabl-
tants, causing them to take their llv-
es with such frequency that Hun
tineton has come to be known
throughout the State as "the Suicide
City,"
The suicide habit has prevailed and
increased since the city's birth, but
this year it has grown to terrifying
climax. Fifty-one suicides have oc-
Cured during the present year IN
this city of less than 10000 people.
A large proportion of the suicides
took their lives by the agonizing
agency of carbolic acid. The only
thing to recommend this poison is
that it is easy to obtain, but as there
are several comparatively painless
forms of death available to every.
body. it seems as if the intending
suicide preferred to suffer in dying.
Many persons chose fantastic meth
DDS Of suicide, William Barnes,
wealthy merchant, with calm delib
Grafton placed the sharp point OF {
pair of scissors directly over HI:
heart and with a four-pound iro1
weight drove them through that Wit
al organ.
John Hagerman dashed himself tt
death from a fve-story building be
cause an engagement to call on hi:
sweetheart had been postponed by
her for twenty-four hours.
William Calking almost severed nj
head from his body with sazor be
cause of some trihing financial loss.
The suicide of a colored woman
because her lover, a chef in one o:
the hotels, weighed something like
400 pounds and had failed to wear
dress suit on a certain occasion
makes even death grotesque.
One of the saddest and stranges
cases in the list was that Of William
Weber, a wealthy contractor, wht
built the United States Government
Building at Huntington. Mr.. Web
er and his wife made their home il
Huntington while the building wa
| in process of erection About tn
time it was nearly completed Mrs
Weber, a delicate, refined and prett,
woman and a favorite in society wa
heard to declare that the suicide
mania was upon her. Shortly after
ward she went to visit friends il
Texas, and the next day after her ar
rival there committed suicide b.
drowning herself in the Neches Riv
er. Husband in Huntington upoI
hearing of her death. killed himself
Among the latest instances wa
that Of beautiful Dora Spears AM
her stalwart lover, Samuel Montros
! Rittenhour. The youth had gone t.
neighboring city on brief busi
ness trip and through some inadver
tence failed one day to write to hi
sweetheart. When he returned tw'
. days later, it was to look upon he
body, destroyed by her own hand
and waiting him a note read IF TO
one day your love has failed, life
bright light has perished, and so
good night, sweetheart. The love:
only waited till she was buried ant
then died at the grave by taking car
oolic acid.
Lizzie Vance, a girl in her teens
apparently without cause of trouble
drank carbolic acid. She died.
William Adkins, yoath, scoldet
| by his parents for not attending
school, shot himself dead.
Julia Ward, married two months
believed her husband unfaithful ant
took carbolic acid. She died.
Rena Clark, twenty--without an!
known reason, ended her life by tax
ing an overdose Of morphine.
Ella Jordan, seventeen, had
quarrel with her sweetheart. Six
drank carbolic acid and died.
Bessie Bennett, beautiful girl Of
eighteen years, the only support o.
her aged mother, became weary Over
the cares of life and committed sui
eide by drinking carbolic acid in {
dry goods store, in which she was
employed as clerk.
Tilly Williams, pretty girl, still
in her teens, told her mother thai
| life held no charms for her and, go
ing upstairs, was found an hour Ia.
ter a corpse.
Margaret Chadwick, was another
young girl who drank carbolic acid
and died.
Mary Swanson, worried because
of the sudden departure Of her sweet
heart for another city, slash ed her
throat with a razor and killed her
self. She was eighteen years of age.