The Washington herald., 1909-07-11
EUTHAEASIA IN ALASKA.
EskinOs stfI Believe tn Making
Death Easy for the Hopeieau.

1N@-A-A EalnI AtE unE huUE1eM9-
Wainwright. Arctic Alaska. March So
That the custom among the EsEi-ros
OF making away with helpless invauds
and the aged 20 whom life has become q
burden Is not yet altogether abandoned Is
proved by az least two Instances during
the present year The last case has Just
been reported from the COlrfle River
country
An old man by The name of Tillemut
was the willing victim OF this custom.
which runs through centuries OF the dim,
legendary history OF these people. Tile
NUT was a very old man. For years he
had suffered from tuberculosis. The v-o7-
derful vitality OF these people enables
them 20 resist this disease FOR many
years. sometimes for half q century.
u was telling on this old man He Iav
on his bunk and cOuEhed mIserably. lie
knew that he would never be well again.
so he called his children around him and
said that he wanted 70 die
BE reached for the old Hudson Bay gun
that ae had carried since boyhOod. he
cccked Il and handed IL 20 his eIdest. son.
telling hin 70 put him out Of pain. But
The boy had been told BY the whites some
2
and lie refused 20 grant his fathers lssr
request The others also refused. Then
The aged Tillemut took the weapon. placed
the muzzle in hls mouth. and touched the
trigger with his toe.
on the Russian DiOmede. an island n
the BeTing Strait. another old man met
death IN g somewhat similar manner IN
this DtOmede case. however. the sons
obeyed the father implicitly.
X was the regular old Eskimo death
There was no shooting. II was IN a large
iSioo, the roof CT which Is supported in
the middle by a stout beam.
To this beam the boys fastened a strip
OF walrus skin. az the end OF which dar-
gled moose They helped their father
20 the edge of the bunk, fastened the
moose about his neck. and Iet hfr, sv-i,o
on MS high bed and straugle 10 death.
These people are not cruel No more
ahectionate people can be found IN the
world than the Eskimo Blows are
seldom struck: harsh words are seldom
uttered Until recently. however. the
ending of hopeless suffering bv suicide OF
by killing the patient was the rule All
over the arctic world
To Kill a suffering relative or friend vvas
considered ar set OF kindness and mercy.
Just as we consider Il an act OF mercy 70
A--t e-l4lils24S LlaL We know cannot recover
This may recall the Spartan parents who
left their weak or deformed children on
the mOuntainside TO die. but such cruelty
IS unknown IN Eskimo society. The
children here are sacred and the most
unfortunate and misshapen receive the
tenderest care.
Nevertheless. when death was MAINLY
approaching and the sufferer asked TO be
relieved his request was alv~avs granted
Even infants were thus put out OF pain
Although there Is none OF the coaspscu-
Gus demonstration Of grief thar cnarac-
terizes the saddest moments OF more
tmpulsive people. the sorrow for the dead
IN an Eskimo household IS fust as Bit
ter as Il IS IN any home in the world
In spite or the white ruling mans ideas
concerning the taking OF life in rhie yvsv
the Eshimos still more than hale be-
ieTe in il The ordinary death is re7orr-
cd as follows; He died himself This
means that ne die6 without the affair be-
ing hurried along either by his own hand
or hat Of a friend or relative.