An Epidemc of Suicides.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3038, 26 October 1888, Page 2

An Epidemc of Suicides.

■■'■;. ■■• ■- '■ MelbouhneVOct' 16."' Several suicides ani l attempted Suicides \yith peculiar fmtures have just taken' place.; At Birigbton, an old man of eighty-five haJttgehhim'selfin the house .of his son-in-law. He : was. Buffering^'froiia^: rebgious mania.,/, At/North : . Melbourne ™l ; way siationaman jumped offani overhead foot-bridge, butiiisteacl of' fffilU iug:in front of tho'train ; i he , 'di i 6ppM between. tTOlines, and. lay.: with :m. armß:exkndedover : whole .length of thefeinpasged over bis right am, ;crusHing^it ; ierabiy, and almost;Bevering it from body.. |He is-novr invthe': Hbi|ital vThe; i most extraordinary.oasewa'stliat of a' young >v6man. who. oide in'a'-'.rriosl determined; manner, byjumpingoff the bridge .over the Yaira'atJoto^ i Three ;7oung; woman, coming '•..tem.; the Abbottsford side,;'and,; : after reaohing' M. middle of the bridge,- divest-herself of her hat and ulster. They did not actually see her'jump; but they saw her body passing througli the air. They ran with the intention of'en-' deavoring to rescue her,,wlien she reached the water, but .instead'of falling into the river,she,struck the bank heavily, and evidehtally broke her back, for .when they breached her she was quite dead,- -She was lying strotohed but, her. body being on the bank, while the baok of her'head was in the.water,, It was several days before the body was identified, when it was found to bo that of .Mrs Mary Morris, who had been living in Carlton. ; The same woman, on the 18th Septembor, attempted to commit suioidb by jumping off the Victoria-street bridge, but .was prevented by some ladies who were passing. She '.was .brought before tho Collingwood bench, and discharged on the 81st ultimo, and on the same day her husband was found drowned in tho Kororott oreek, near the 'Williarastown racecourse. Mr and Mrs Morris were then living in Fitzroy, but after her husband's death she went to live at Carlton. ■ The Magistrates expressed surprise when she came, before, them that her husband did not appear, but it was afterwards found.that he had committed; suicide on tbaf very, day.' He had | been drinking, and it was understood that, it was his; having struck his wife which led to her attempting suicide on the first occasion.—Ohristohurch Press.