Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1890 — A UNIQUE ORGANIZATION. [ARTICLE]

A UNIQUE ORGANIZATION.

Wendell Baum, secretary of that unique organization, the Bridgeport Suicide club, has fulfilled the membership agreement by killing himself. The history of this astonishing society is one of intense interest to the student of morbid psycho!* ogy. Four years ago five citizens of Bridgeport, all Germans, met one day when all were rather low spirited and half' jest organized the Suicide club. The agreement was that one member of the: club should end his life that year, one tha next and so on until all were gone. This, agreement has tuns far been faithfully! kept. When the annual meeting was held, in January there were only two member*, to attend it—the secretary and president., It was proposed at this meeting by the. secretary that the president should make away with himself during the year and byj the president that the secretary da likewise. There being no better way te settle the question it was mutually decided 1 that the polls be held open until a new* member was pledged and initiated. A letter carrier talked seriously of becoming a member and the president and! secretary had great hopes of him until ona morning it was learned that he had committed suicide without first joining thq club. He carried, however, a handsome’ silk umbrella which he bequeathed to ttaa secretary of the club, Wendell Baum, and! it was accepted. But the longer Baum carried the umbrella the more unhappy ho became, and when his friends tried-to cheer him up he said: “A cloud hangs over me. lam doomed.” Finally he sold* his property, turned the money over to his wife, and gave the umbrella into the charge of a friend, directing that it be sent to the president of the club. Ho then cat his throat. The president Of the club is now the only member left And another year will show if he keeps his oath.

A service pension bill introduced in the House by Representative Boothman, of Ohio, provides substantially as follows: It grants a service pension of one cent per month for each day of service to every man who served in the Union army during the lato war without regard to age; it provides that those soldiers who now receive a disability pension may, if they chose, relinquish their disability pensions and acoept the service pensions. Widows of those drawing the service pension will be placed on the rolls at 18 per month during widowhood, but have the right to prosecute and obtain a pension under the present law by showing that the husband died from disability contracted in service and line of duty. The bill also grants a pension of $3 la month to minor children under sixteen years of age of soldiers who die while drawing a pension, and if any of the children are so helpless as to require the care of another person, the pension is to oon. tinue during this helplessness. If the widow dies or remarries before the Children attain the age of sixteen, her pension Ui to be paid to them until they attain that