Year: 1879

hViAiViN oulSiuts


A Russian journal gives an exhaustive
account OF a suicide in that country, in
which the victim subjected himself to
excruciating torture for the purpose Of
ending his life and settling the ques-
ton whether or not suicides are physical
towards, as has often been claimed. His
body was found on an iron bedstcad, and
deep and broad burn was exhibited in
the middle OF the back, aud the spine
was found TO be completely carboniEed.
Upon the floor underneath the bedstea d
were discovered the wicks, embedded in
a little blotch Of cold stearine, OF three
candles. which had been taken out OF
the candlesticks and fixed upon the
planking upon layer OF melted grease.
Over the fame OF these candles Mr..
O--had lain upon the skeleton frame
work OF his beadstead, and suffered his
spine to be slowly consumed until he
died. A manuscript, placed upon a
table close to the bed, contained not
only resume of the reasons which
prompted this unfortunate man to un-
dergo self-inficted martyrdom, but
mute details of the torturing process by
which he had chosen TO destroy his life.
1t was written in four languages
German, Russian, Polish and Czechish
and commenced in q firm, bold hand
writing, the last few pages, however,
being scarcely legible, having evidently
been penned in dire agony. The first
paragraph, in German, ran as follows :
Il thought it would cease, but, but it
ceases not So be it, then. Hereby l
propose to solve an important question
namely, are suicides in their right
senses, or are they the victims of mental
alteration Thus the question is com
monty put but l fancy that it does not
touch the seal point at issue. A man
makes up his mind to put an end to lis
life when he finds that ne takes no
interest in it; when he cannot discover
in the whole wide world tho least thing
which awakens sympathy in his breast
The question therefore, is, not whether
the suicide be mad or sane, but whether
or not having anything to hope for from
life. hope for nothing in life, but my
intellect perfectly clear. lin Russian }
There is still another question to solve.
In German.) Are suicides towards e?
That lover who allows himself to be
dragged to death by horse before the
eyes of his betrothed, affords no proof
to the contrary. Perhaps he would
have cast himself loose from the cords
that bound him had it been in his pow.
er to do 80. That other fellow, who
burned himself to death in Odessa, was
probably no coward, for he might have
thrown away the petroleum lamp, and
thus saved his life. Yet his clothes
were already on fire, and the straw be
was lying upon was smoldering still he
may have wished to escape death, had
it been feasible. Now, a burning candle
to the fame of which the backbone and
spinal marrow are exposed, must Ger.
tainly make an end of life that sort of
death must be attended with atrocious
suAerings; and the person inficting
such agony upon himself, having no
power to contend with but his own prop.
er will and pleasure, can at any moment
interrupt the process by the slightest
movement of his body. 1 win submit
myself to this torture. (In Russian. }
Should l not succeed in enduring tho
pain, the question will be settled, at
least for the present. in the sense that
suicides are towards. But il my corpse
be found exhibiting proof that have
obtained death by two agencies-by
burning candles, as ministering fact ors,
and by my dominant will, which has not
blanohed before excruciating torments
that will be proof positive that men
may die of their own free choice. Let
me begin 7 Then followed accounts OF
the progress Of the horrible self-torture,
evidently written every few minutes,
as the burning proceeded, unGil the
writer became unconscious. The last
lines of the account were devoted to
curses called down upon some woman
whom the poor wretch believed had
ruined Lis life.