A Christmas Suicide

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An account of two French soldiers, who killed themselves at St. Denis on Christmas-day, 1773.


A very tragical event has just happened near us. On Friday last (Dec. 24, 1773) about eleven o’clock, two soldiers came to an inn at St. Denis and bespoke a dinner for the afternoon. Bourdeaux, one of these soldiers, went out to buy some gunpowder and two bullets. While making the purchase he observed, that St. Denis seemed to him to be so pleasantly situated, that he was determined to pass the remainder of his life in it. He then returned to the inn, and they spent the rest of the day together in great cheerfulness. On Saturday also (being Christmas-day) they were in good spirits, and seemed very merry at their dinner. They called for more wine, and about five o’clock in the evening they were both sound dead near the fire, with a table between them, on which were three empty bottles, the will, a letter, and half-a-crown (having previously discharged their bill). They were both shot through the head and the pistols were lying on the floor. The people of the house being alarmed at report of fire-arms, rushed into the room. Monsieur de Rouilliere [Rulhière], Commandant of the Maréchaussée of St. Denis, who dined with us yesterday, gave us the whole account, and showed us the will from which the following was copied:

 

TESTAMENT
 A man who is certain, that he shall quickly die, ought to leave nothing for his survivors to do, which it is in his own power to settle beforehand.  This situation is peculiarly ours.  It is our intention therefore to prevent all trouble to our landlord, and to render the business as easy as possible to those, whom curiosity, under the pretence of form and good order, may prompt to visit us.  Humain is the larger man of the two, and I Bourdeaux, the smaller. He is drum-major of the Mestre de Camp Général dragoons, and I am a simple dragoon of Belsunce.  Death is a passage.  I refer to the Procureur Fiscal and his first clerk, who will assist him in this inquiry, the principle, which joined to the idea that all things must have an end, placed these pistols in our hands.  The future part of our lives affords us an agreeable prospect: but that future must soon have had an end.  Humain is twenty-four years of age;  as for myself I have seen only four lustres (twenty years).  No urgent motive has prompted us to intercept our career of life, except the disgust of existing here a moment under the idea, that we must at one time or other cease to be.  Eternity is the point of re-union, which alone has urged us to anticipate the despotic act of fate.  In short a disgust of  life is the only motive, which has induced us to quit it. We have experienced all the pleasures of life, even that of obliging our fellow-creatures.  We could still enjoy them; but all those pleasures must have an end, which is their poison.  We are tired with this universal sameness. Our curtain is dropped; and we leave our parts to be performed by those, who are silly enough to wish to act them a few hours longer.  A few grains of powder will soon destroy this mass of moving flesh, which our proud equals denominate the “King of Beings.”—Ministers of Justice!  our bodies are at your service, as we despise them too much to be uneasy at their disposal.—As to our effects, I Bourdeaux leave to Monsieur de Rouilliere [Rulhière], Commander of the Maréchaussée  at  St. Denis, my steel-hilted sword.  He will please to remember, that last year on this very day, he had the kindness to pardon at my instance one of the name of St. Germain, who had offended him. The maid of the inn shall have my pocket and neck-kerchiefs, my silk stockings which I have on, and all my other linen. The remainder of our effects will be sufficient to pay the expenses of information, and the useless inquiries of law, which will be made about us. The half-crown left on the table will pay for the last bottle of Champagne, which we are now just going to drink.   
At St. Denis on Christmas-day, 1773.  
Signed BOURDEAUX, 
HUMAIN

 

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