The Detroit times., 1909-01-23
LURE OF TICKER IS
CAUSE OF MANY
SUICIDES
eFlEF. SHAME AND/FEAR IMPELL.
ING REASONS FOR GREAT ~
CREASE IN TRAoEDlEs-sTock
GAMBLING HAS MANY VICTIMS.

NEW YORK. Jan. 22.-More men
have committed suicide more have
died OF broken hearts and more have
been driven insane by tle facts
brought TO light in graft and scandal
Investigations IN the last three years.
in the principal cities OF the country.
than In any half dozen years OF its his
tory.
The death of William l.. Mathues,
formerly state treasurer OF Pennsyl-
vania, has been ascribed TO pneumonia.
but II is known To his physicians and
his stricken family that nd a4Bally
died OF shame. after he had Negn coli
victed Of defrauding the state Snd sen
fenced 10 two years imprisonment.
The co-defepdants, the former audi
tor-general and the former supera.
tendent OF public grounds. similarly
sentenced. and at liberty on $4,000 bail
pending an appeal, have aged percep-
tibly since the Judgment OF the court
was pronounced Five Of he group Of
man In Pittsburg charged with the
most flagrant sore OF cheating are in
n state OF nervous collsDse. and two oe
them have been So stricken with re-
surveillance lest they attempt suicide.
In 80 PEE cent of all the cases OF
death self.inhicted or from grief. or
the upsetting OF the mental equipoise,
the cause is tTaceable directly 10 stock
gambling OF wildcat speculation. IN
the fever 10 get rich quick, and only
in 10 per cent 10 genuine misfortune
due TO lack OF judgment or unfortunate
investments.
The most noteworthy illustration IN
the long list perhaps is that OF Charles
! Il. Barney. deposed president of the
Knickorbocker Trust Company. 1h0 in
his desperate effort 10 recoup Eis loss
OF $10000,000 In the panic OF 1907 was
drawn further into the malestrom and
engulfed. He killed himself on Nov. IA,
1907, and during the week following
two bankers. ruined by the crash in
Wall-st.. took their own lives in Chi
eago. In each instance, as well as in
the case OF Mr. Barney the impelling
cause was the fear of what might be
disclosed by investigation.
Death of Nipple.
The suicide OF Frank II Nipple,
president OF the Real Estate Trust Co. /
of Philadelphia, in the latter part Of
1906, was strikingly similar 10 that Of \
Barney, both in the manner OF accom- I
pishment and the causes. Nipple, 4 |
pillar OF the church. held up as an ex-
ample of propity. lived a double life for 1
years. aud when the meshes began 10 /
tighten about him. and exposure be- /
came inevitable. he sought the only |
refuge to which he could hee-the /
grave of a suicide.
II was the fear OF publicity follow
Ing the insurance scandals that result !
ed In the practical eXpatriation OF
James Hazen Hyde, and In SO affect [
ing the sensibilities and highstrung
nature of John A. Mccall that he |
never rallied after al! the amazing
truth came out in the investigation.
The light thrown on the yellow
dog fund was generally regarded a.
responsible for the breaking in health /
of Andy Hamilton, and his subsequent
death. Stock gambling ruined Charles
Coster and drove him 10 self-destruc-
ton, but the losses in the market were
not as much 10 blame as the exposure
which he would have been forced TO
face. Like all others in the same line
OF business, he sought 10 cloak ais
operations IN secrecy. In the bull
movement, previous to the panic, he
cleared up something like 100000
His success caused him TO plunge
deeper into the speculative pool
With all his experience he did not ap-
pear to realize that he was on the
wrong side of the market, but kept on
selling steel short, at %. until every