Year: 1879




stances. A few days ago Il well dressed
traveller arrived at the Hotel de France
of that city, stating that he was Mr.. JO-
seph o., a Colonial agent, and that
he wished to stay short time in JhitO-
mir upon business. A room on the sec
Ond floor of the hotel was assigned to
him, and he spent two or three days in
walking about the streets, although the
weather was unusually wet and stormy.
On the fourth evening he retired to his
room early and locked himself in. Next
morning he was called at his usual hour,
but returned no answer to the summons.
After a good deal of futile knocking and
shouting, the hotel proprietor became
alarmed at his tenants protracted 81
lence, and caused the door of the room
to be broken open. A terrible specta-
Gle presented itself to the assembled
household. Mr.. O-'s body was living
on, the bedstead, from which the
mattress and bedclothes had been
removed; one of the sheets partly
covered the legs of the corpse, which
was otherwise in state of nudity, its
left hand pressed tightly upon the re-
gion of the heart, and its right hand
convulsively clutching the hair. The
eyes were wide open, fixed in CLASSY





with agony. An oppressive odor, as of
scorched fat, pervaded the room. No
wound was perceptible upon the body.
but the chest was transversely barred
in several places by dull red stripes.
As soon as the police, accompanied by
the local medical officer, had made its
appearance on the scene of this horrible
tragedy, the corpse was turned over up
on its face, when the cause of death be-
came for the first time apparent to the
terrOr-stricken spectators.


A deep and broad burn was exhibited
in the middle of the back, and the spine
was found to be completely carbonized
Upon the floor underneath the bedstead
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 a layer of melted grease.
Over the flame of these candles Mr.
o. had laid upon the skeleton frame
work of his bedstead, and suffered his
spine to be slowly consumed until he
died. A manuscript, placed upon Ia
ble close to the bed, contained not only
a resume of the reasons which prompt
ed this unfortunate man TO undergo
self-inficted martyrdom, but minute
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 a firm, bold hand
writing, the last few pages, however,
being scarcely Iegible, having evidently
been penned in dire agony. The first
paragraph in German, ran as follows
g l thought it would cease, but it ceases
not! SO be it, then. Whereby pro-
pose 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 real point ut issue. A man
makes up his mind to put an end to his
life when he finds that he takes no in
terest in it; when he can not discover
in the whole wide world the least thing
which awakens sympathy in his breast.
The question, therefore, is, not whether
the suicide be mad or sane, but whether
or not he have any thing to hope for
from life. l hope for nothing in life
but my intellect is perfectly clear. (In
Russian.) There is still another ques-
ton to solve. 1n Germany Are sui
cides towards? That lover who allowed
himself to be dragged to death by a
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 power to do so. 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 he
was lying upon was smOidering; still he
may have wished to escape death, had
it been feasible Now, a burning can
die, to the flame of which the backbone
and spinal marrow are exposed, must
certainly make an end of life; that cost
of death must be attended with atTociOus
sufferings; and the person inflicting
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. l viii submit
myself to this torture. On Russian. }
Should 1 not succeed in enduring the
pain, the question will be settled, at
least for the present, in the sense that
suicides are towards. But, if my corpse
be found, exhibiting proof that l have
obtained death by two agencies-by
burning candles, as ministering factors,
and by my dominant will, which has
not blenched before eXcruciating tor
ments-that viii be proof positive that
| men may die of their own free choice.
| Let me begin!'


Here the writing became irregular,
and progressively more and more illegi-
| BILE. 81 arise from my fiery couch amid
/ hideOus sufferings, but still not so terri
| L I
arise, but not to save myself. MOI life
| is as obnoxious to me as ever. But
must send you (in Czechish), my moth
! er, my father, last farewell; my last
| remembrance, my last sentiments are
| dedicated to yOui | think also of those
who are the unwilling cause of this my
| dreadful death Unwitting-fOr they
/ knew not that their love was indispensa-
| BILE to my life / die without their affec-
| ton, like fish without water, like a
| creature of God without air. My breath
| fails me. Farewell You will follow me
| soon Consideration of your feelings
| YOU, who alone love me-has prevented
| me for a long while from thus putting an
| end to myself. / can net do otherwise
1t is so easy to follow the dead. But il


would be better were you to forget me
| Think not of mel / am dying-the ex
| pertinent will succeed-the worst pains
are past. 1 do not suffer so much now
Pain has at length become my friend


On Germany 1 repeat it. I am in the
full possession Of my faculties-my


heart beats as steadily as usual, but my
pulse seems to me a little deranged


Poor Wertherl the star-gemmed skiel
still interested him / also have gazeC


at tit is a desert there above, like


here beneath, like everywhere; aye, "a


in my heart and everywhere else! On


Polish.) return to my strange, silent


ly burning bed. l must put somethin!


under the candles to raise them up a lit
> [ ono fbfnor annor-c tho