How to Kill Yourself in Indiana in 1870

Speaking of hanging oneself, I find that it was by far the most popular form of suicide among Hoosiers in 1870. In An Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana 1876 (Chicago: Baskin, Forster & Co., 1876), available in the Indiana Room at the Central Library, you will find a listing of deaths in Indiana in 1870, arranged by causes and ages.

Out of a total of 9,208 recorded deaths that year, 32 were suicides. Under "Accidents and Injuries," we find a listing of the methods used and the number of people who used each:
Gunshot: 7
Cutting throat: 4
Drowning: 5
Hanging: 14
Not specified: 2

And if you think I'm callous in the way I speak about suicide, you should go read the Hobart Gazette of the early 20th century. In one case that sticks in my mind, although I didn't note the exact date, the editor said, of someone's unsuccessful attempt to kill himself by cutting his own throat, "he didn't do the right kind of job."