Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1883-07-21 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

SUICIMS.  Duattra the past few weeks, we have had the sad duty of reporting many oases of suicide in this neighbourhood. About a mouth ago o hatter living in Denton, cut his throat, and died from the injury. The evidence in this case proved pretty conclusively that it was the worry of irregular work and failing health, which had brought the man down to a low state of mind, during the continuance of which he had committed suicide This week, there will be found in our columns, the melancholy histety of two similar cases, one in ilaughton and the other in Hooley Hill. The Houghton case. the self-injured victim of which is not yet dead, although his recovery is oonsidered hopeless, is only another illustration of the trouble brought about by over-indulgence in intoxicating drink. Rowland Hill, the would-be suicide, has for years been, it is said, what is commonly called "a hard drinker." This week while sufiering from an attack of delirium tremens, it appears, he cut his throat, and now lies in the Ashton Workhouse, awaiting that grim messenger, who will so soon call him to his teat account. After making the family unhappy by his dissipation, he finishes up a useless career, by taking his own life, and rushing thus, into the presence of his supreme julge. Smith, the Hooley Hill tailor, who succeeded in his second attempt at suicide, last Monday, had been brought to the low condition in which he was, when be attempted the deed, in another way. A few months ago, the deceased man, suffered from a paralytic stroke, whith left him almost entirely helpless and he was taken to the Ashton Workhouse At the beginning of this month, he left this institution and going home, found trouble had come upon the family and his home had been broken up. These things, to— gether with his illness and the loss of custom arising out of his absence flout business had BO depressed his spirits, that having lost all interest in life, he determined to end it. It is a sad thing, that such things should happen, but they are probably unavoidable, under a social system like ours Want of work or an inability to work. means starvation to those who have none to depend on but themselves. True the workhouse will receive them, but who wants to go there, Those who prefer death to a gloomy existence, within the Union wads, cannot be very much blamed. Life to some people must hardly be worth living, and although they act foolishly in entering without bidding, the unseen world, we have no right to sit in judgement over them. Many a man's life is so wretched, so uniformly wretched as to make it living death to him. Can it be wondered he seeks to end it? It is a fearful pity such things are an outgrowth of our social system, where the weak go to the wall, and where weakness and tuisfortune, means starvation and wretchedness. But the foot remains ' the same that it is so, and that if figures are to be trusted, our !tat of suicides is increasing, owing to bad trade dm Another lesion may be learnt Flom the suicides tide ',telt. The cited of Rowland Hill shows the result of over indulgence in intoziosting drinks.