Suicide falsely attributed to Spiritism.

The Moniteur of August 6 printed the following article, which the Siècle reproduced the next day:

“Yesterday, Thursday, at two o’clock in the afternoon, a young man of only nineteen years, the son of a physician, took his own life at his home on the Rue des Martyrs, with a pistol shot to the mouth.

“The bullet shattered his head. Death, however, was not instantaneous: he retained his reason for a few moments and, to the questions put to him, he replied that, apart from the grief he was about to cause his father, he felt no regret for what he had done. He was then seized by delirium and, despite the care with which he was surrounded, died that same night, after an agony of five hours. “It is said that for some time this unfortunate young man had been nurturing thoughts of suicide, and it is presumed, rightly or wrongly, that the study of Spiritism, to which he had devoted himself ardently, had not been foreign to his fatal resolution.”

This piece of news will surely make its rounds in the newspapers, as did formerly that of the four supposed madmen of Lyon, repeated each time with the addition of a zero, so great is the eagerness with which our adversaries seek occasions to criticize Spiritism. The truth is not long in becoming known, but what does it matter! It is hoped that of a little slander spread about, something will always remain. Yes, something does remain of it: a stain upon the slanderers. As for the Doctrine, it is not observed to have suffered on this account, since it continues its upward march. Our compliments to the director of the Avenir, Mr. d’Ambel, for his diligence in ascertaining the true cause of the event. Here is what he says about it in the issue of August 11, 1864:

“We confess that the reading of this lampoon plunged us into the deepest stupefaction. It is impossible not to protest against the frivolity with which the official organ welcomed such an accusation. Spiritism is completely foreign to the act of this unfortunate young man. We, who are neighbors of the scene of the disaster, know perfectly well that such was not the cause of this appalling suicide. It is with the greatest reserve that we must indicate the true cause of this catastrophe. But, in the end, the truth is the truth, and our doctrine cannot remain under the blow of such an imputation. “For a long time this young man, whom they present as an ardent student of our doctrine, had failed several times the proficiency examinations required at the end of secondary education. n Study was as distasteful to him as his father’s profession; he was soon to undergo a new examination. But it was as a consequence of a heated discussion with his father that, fearing to be failed once more, he took and executed the fatal resolution. “We add that if he had really known Spiritism, our doctrine would have held him back from the fatal fall, by showing him all the horror that suicide inspires in us and all the terrible consequences that such a crime drags along with it. (See The Spirits’ Book, p. 406 and following).”

[1] [In the article: Pastoral letter of the Bishop of Algiers against Spiritism, Kardec wrote: A first newspaper spoke of four cases, said to have been observed in an asylum (See: Spiritist madness); another newspaper, citing the first, raised the number to forty; a third, citing the second, raised it to four hundred and adds that they are going to enlarge the asylum.]

[2] Translator’s note: Emphasis ours. In the original: baccalauréat.