The New York herald., 1922-04-05
SUICIDE, LISTENING
AT RADIO, PENS DIARY
Turns On Gas, Clamps Wireless
Receiver on Head and
Starts Writing.
SAW 38 YEARS FAILURE
Served With Marines; Was
Out Of Health and Out Of
Luck; Wife Away.

Eugene X. Martin. an x-ray oper-
ator. out of health and out Of luck as
&. result of wounds received in France.
where he fought with the Marines. de-
cided on Monday evening to end his
life. He sat in the front room of his
fiat at 200 East Thirty fifth street and
wrote this note:
am the result of thirty-eight
years of one failure after another.
I am tired, so tired. There seems
to be q thought of cowardice con-
nected with a deed of this kind.
but that is a mistake. am not a
coward. I have given life fair
trial but failed to find interest
therein, SO why should I be bur-
den to myself and others?
He then went to the kitchen and
turned on the gas at the stove without
lighting It. On his way back to the
front room he opened all the jets.
Finally he opened the jets in the front
room. Seating himself on couch be-
side a small table. he clamped over his
head the receiver of a wireless set
with which he had been accustomed
to divert his thoughts from himself as
he sat alone of an evening. At mid
night he took pad and pencil and be-
gan writing by the dim light of the
vacuum bulb of the radio apparatus,
At that hour the broadcasting of con-
certs Is over, but as his set was a good
one he could hear the chatter of the
ships. He wrote:
"Good-by, Alice
Listening to wireless while under
going this process OF destruction. 1t
is IL o'clock, but ! am still on my
feet. but starting to get dizzy
The next entry of this strange diary
"One o'clock. I am weaker"
So far the writing was firm and clear.
and when he tried to write his han1
wandered over the sheet. so that his las:
words were barely legible to those who
read them--doctors and policemen, t.
whom suicide is an old story. but who
confessed to more than professional In
terest in this valedictory.
"Good-by. Alice" These we're
the last words. "Good-by, Alice.
God bless you. love you."
Below this were other pencil marks,
but they were a mere scrawl-such
marks as a child makes.
At 10 o'clock yesterday the jantor
of the apartment house broke the lo:S
of Martins door to find out where the
Gas came from. He found Harris lying
on the couch. The pencil had fallen to
the floor, the pad lay on the table. the
radio bulb was still glowing. The police
came in, but as attempted suicide Is no
longer a penal offense In this State a
successful attempt Is no more so, AMI
having telephoncd Bellevue Hospital and
taken Martins name and address the
police ended their function. DIR. Shuey.
who rode up from Bellevue with the
ambulance, saw that Martin had been
dead many hours. The doctor. himself
a radio amateur. noted that Martin had
had not only complete receiving set.
but. unlike most amateurs, a sending
SET. too. both connected with an aerial
strung across the roof.
wife visiting Relatives.
The superintendent OF the building
knew little about Martin. except that he
came from Galveston. Tex. had been
in the marines for nine years and when
he rented the little flat. a year and a
half ago, was on crutches. About the
Same time he was married. Recently
his wife had gone to visit relatives in
another part OF the country.
Financially. Martin had not Jared
very we'll He had worked for several
x-ray operators. but the war had made
him incapable OF steady effort. He had
also demonstrated a new x-ray before
several physicians. list OF whom was
found among his papers.
His hobby and recreation were hts
radio set He had found that he could
not pay for the sending apparatus which
he had installed, and had conscientiously
written a note. which he left. asking
the makers to call for IL.
\ sister who lives In or near New
York took charge OF Martins body The
apartment house superintendent said he
s,d MT know her name or address.