Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-09-23
A GREWSOME SUICIDE
James Moons Fiendish CompO.
sure In Planning Death.
He MADE GOOD HIS BOAST.

Would Live For Years.
In all the annals Of suicides the
world over II Is not recorded that any
man prepared for death and stared
the grim reaper In the face with more
hendish composure than did James
Moon IN planning and working month
after month on the most remarkable
method Of ending bis life. which he
adopted and put into execution In the
old Lahr hotel at Lafayette, Ind. many
years ago
After strapping his body securely to
the floor he then chloroformed himself
80 that be would remain perfectly mo-
tioniess until a candle. burning through
a cord. would release the blade OF a
guill0tine Of his own invention to sew.
or his head from his body.
Il Will make for myself q name that
win live for years and years after my
DEATH" boosted Moon when first he
began TO work on his plan, months be-
fore he actually carried It out It was
not an idle boast. His name Is stIll
remembered beyond the confines Of
Tippecanoe county, for the diabolical
cunning employed In his grewsom
deed insures the perpetuation OF the
story for years to come.
The crude but effective guIllotIne by
which Moon chopped OF his head il
now one Of the most interesting relics
In the museum Of Purdue university.
The sanity OF Moon had been ques-
toned before the startling act of self
destruction. for he was continuously
talking OF reyolutl0nizlng the world by
various remarkable inventions upon
which be was working. One OF his
hobbies was a sewing machine that
he promised would far excel anything
yet invented in that line. aud he would
spend days working on It in a little
shed IN the rear of his home. Moon
was known throughout the county, and
there were some who believed that he
was really a genius and some day
would succeed In the one great lnyen.
ton on which his heart and mind were
set Though none Of his machines
was ever successful. there Is no deny
Ing that his guillotine was a master
piece Of amateur mechanical art. After
his death 1t was learned that he had
spent months In perfectlng the instru-
ment which was once the terror or
France.
Every detail In the construction or
the death dealing device was perfect.
Could one have watched the man at
work IN bis little shop In the lonesome
hours Of the night he would have seen
remarkable spectacle. Moon must
have stretched his body ON the door
again and again, marking the distance
with perfect accuracy and then spring.
Ing the huge blade to see II It would
descend just at the spot where his
neck had been, Every calculation had
20 be perfect, every Joint In the instru.
ment had to work perfectly. TO insure
such perfect success as was attained
In the final test 10 which II was put.
Tlsa big blade was sharpened TO the
keenness Of a razor's edge. Those
who saw Moons body afterward say
that the neck was cut through SO
smoothly that not even bone was
spllntared
bidding bis family happy farewell,
Moon left his home Ia the section OF
Tippecanoe county known as the ''wea
Plains" aud went TO the old Hotel
Lahr, IN Lafayette. one Saturday after.
noon In June. 1876. Ills only baggage
was trunk. 10 which the pieces Of
his gulllotine. the straps. bottle OF
ehioroform and other materials neces.
sary In the preparation for his suicide
were stored
The afternoon and evening Moon
spent chatting with friends about the
hotel. aud be was the gayest OF all OF
them, lie gave no lndicntIon that the
hour was near when he would carry
lnto execution the plans he had made
to make his name famous.
The hour must have been late before
Moon began bis work OF setting up
the gulll0tlne. for the men In the al.
Joining room told that the light In his
room was burning when they retired,
but no sounds came from the silent
ehamber. u IS presumed. however. that
he employed the early part OF the even.
ing IN putting the different parts Of
the g0illotlne together. The arm prop
Of was six feet three inches long and
was In three separate pieces and was
constructed cut Of hard 0ak. Each
part was put together with screws. so
that there would be no noise neces.
sary II erecting It.
The work Of putting this arm togeth.
er must have taken considerable time.
a. each pleee was thoroughly braced 20
prevent play IN any direction. The
arm eoanected with bread hinge that
fastened On 0ne side to the door 90 the
room and GA the other 10 che base
hoarilng 10 make Il secure. rho broad.
AZ, which no doubt was the last to be
attached 70 the gulllotlne. weighed six.
70 four pounds and was made secure
with ave heavy screws. Moon made
the hs0adax az one % the principal
foandries ef the clty aud to throw on
suspicion said that he was making 4
special Kind Of chopper far the chef
of the Iahr hotel