St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-08-05
Believes in the Osler Theory
of Cutting Life to Sixty.
Writes a Letter to Times
Democrat on Subject.
Does Not Believe in He'll and
is Not Afraid of Death.

New Orleans, Aug. AFTER writ
ing a letter addressed to the Times
Democrat, in which he declared that
when a man reaches the old age and
is out of work and in debt, the law
should provide sudden and painless
death by poison, Joseph j. Waddill,
aged sixty-three years, an un-em-
ployed bookkeeper, formerly trav-
cling salesman for drug house,
staying at 1923 Cleveland avenue,
Yesterday morning swallowed
quantity of styrchnine sulphate pills,
and is in the Charity Hospital in
serious condition. He may recover.
Waddill's etter to The Times
Democrat follows:
"A DEFENSE OF SUICIDE.
ssNew Orleans, La, July 20, 1911.
Editor of The Times-Democrat:
''It is said that only towards and
crazy men suicide. That is an error.
/ am about to suicide. l am sane.
No one in my sixty-three years OF
life ever accused me of any coward
ice-I served four years In the e.
S. army l have been independent
until old age and illness prevented
me from securing employment. MY
money gradually grew less and less.
Ny kin and friends went back on me.
l dropped socially lower and lower
too proud to beg, could not bor-
row, finally became indebted $40 for
board and room. And it is pay or
get out. Get out and go where? Get
out with the clothes / have on and
leave the rest for nav
What is to be done but suicide.
Seeing the pay or git coming, ! pur-
chased poison some time ago. Several
times have tried to muster up the
and backbone su ..raar sasy..--.....ra .-.-s crit
| coolly into battle. / never knew
| what fear was; never felt it. and yet
/ backed out from the poison; did
feel no fear of it, but failed. lam in
good health and want to live. | do
| not fear the hereafter, because | do
not believe in a hell. Do not be-
1 lieve God would put man on earth
and create hell to put him in.
do not fear death, wish could die
instead of suiciding. Would gladly
| welcome death.
There should be law that would
force a man to be killed with prussic
acid in his sleep when he is in
the fix l am in. never drank, never
| wronged man. Did all the good
II could. Always helped the needy.
| Used more of my money on others
than myself. Mine may be an ex-
ceptional case, but there are others.
Do not cry down suicide, it is last
resort. j. j. w.
Suicide"
In an open letter Waddill gives
peculiar views on the subject OF
death, saying man should die at
sixty.
II death is old poor mans friend.
this letter begins. cit is also the
| old rich mans terror" The writer
, then proceeds to draw q contrast
between the two figures, represent
ing the aged poor as burden upor
others; the aged rich as being pamp
cred in anticipation of the legacy tt
come.
"Why play the hypocrite?' th'
d letter continues. why not set
time limit to age. At fifty-nine lie
a man put his affairs shipshape ant
(; at sixty shuttle off the mortal coil
), Cowards do not commit suicide;
takes a man with backbone to d
that"
3, Waddill was discovered shortl
!; after he had taken the poison, whic
Ir was about 11:15 o'clock, and wa
conveyed to the hospital in an an
bulance. Immediate treatmer
averted a fatal collapse then, bl
little improvement In his conditio
h, was noted last night.
We A letter to frank H. Waddill,
half-brother, civil engineer in IL
e, Tulane-Newcomb building, and al
TX other to DR.. Danna of the Chari
k, Hospital, also were written by Wa
dill. They were taken by the poll
and forwarded to those to whom tn
were addressed.
er. Frank III. Waddill, half-brcther
~. J. Waddili, when informed la
night of the contents Of the lett
fe, from the would-be suicide, sci
in The relatives of J. J. Waddill ha
always rendered MIN whatever {
re; sistance lay in their power"
pc, stated he had not heard from
we half brother in six months and 1
not know he was in distress as I
rd, last time he had called, the old Ill
informed him that he did not C;
SO for visitors.-Times Democrat.
[He did not say how long
women should live.l