A GHASTLY FAMILY COUNCIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2080, 6 March 1889, Page 3

A GHASTLY FAMILY COUNCIL

On the list of those who ended their lives with their own hands doting the last week of the old year (sayß the London " Standard " of J inuury 4th) tbe case of a Frenchman residing at Gretiap, m the department of the Charente, ib really remarkable. The individual m question, it seems, had been gollty of some trifling larceny, which had been found out, ant} it was feared he would be indicted. He was warned of this by his wife and Bon. A family connpil was held to disouss the situation, the resole of the deliberation being that the delinquent bad no alterna-r tive but to kill himself. Neither wife (nor son appears to have boen moved by tbe approaching and trag'cal end of the head of the household, the on'y point on which they were not agreed being the manner m which the suicide ehould be carried out. The son suggested that drowning was generally held to be a painless death ; but the father objeoted— it was " too cold for that. 1 ' Thereupon bis wife submitted her proposal that he should hang himself ; but hanging not meeting with tbe approval of the husband, it was finally and unanimously decided that he should blow his brains out. On this comfortable prospect he went to bed and slept ; but the ne*t morning he got up early t went into a neighboring geld, and there, with an old gun, blew out his brans, In. aecordanoe witb tbe decision of his affectionate spouse ani offspring.