AN AMAZING STORY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 569, 26 July 1909, Page 9

AN AMAZING STORY.

'A few days ago tie world was startled by the announcement that, at the .municipal lycee ,bf Clormont-Forraud, at three o'clock •in the afternoon,: in the middle of a class of boys of his own age who were preparing a Latin, lesson, , ArmaudNeny, fourteen years of age, the son of 'a village schoolteacher, shot himself mth a revolver. Since then an ; inquiry has been made into the causes of this strange tragedy.- The result is summarised by the > Paris correspondent of "The Standard."- Besides the.fact that he was the son; of' ill-matehed, quarrelling parents,,.it was found that Neny was a'profound admirer of certain German philosophers, and a , voracious reader of Schopenhauer in his spare moments. Tliis was not. considered extraordinary, bmt it was found'.that Neny was. a member of a small association ,of philosophers, aged 14,. who had drawn up some, regulations • which -might have been modelled on thoso of Poo's "Suicide Clr.b." It has not been established whether there was any drawing of lots, but it is proved that Neny's schoolmates urged him to.the suicide which was actually committed. They carried out a rehearsal,' and the next morning the placo whero Neny was to shoot himself was .marked on the' floor with whito ohalk... Then, in the afternoon, ton minutes before,-ono of the two schoolmates borrowed a , watch, and , counted the time to, 'Neiiy, "You havo only ten minutes—five minutes — three minutes—to live," he said, as the time passed, and at the time named, twenty minutes past three, Nony stood up, drew a revolver, and fired. Amidst all tho excitement that followed tho two comrades were sufficiently collected to seize tho revolver and hide it. It has not yet boon found.—"The Tablet." . , " ; .- .