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Article: Two kinds of suicide.(Originated from Providence Journal-Bulletin)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- April 9, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SAIPAN _ By a curious coincidence, at the moment when members of the Heaven's Gate cult in California were ingesting their poisoned puddings and applesauce, I happened to be standing atop some famous cliffs here on the island of Saipan, in the western Pacific.
In 1944, when the United States invaded the Mariana Islands, Japanese soldiers convinced their wives and dependents that the Marines would rape and torture them if they fell into their hands. Accordingly, as Marines secured the islands, hundreds of women jumped off the high cliffs and into the sea, sometimes carrying their children with them. There is even some film of this harrowing event: You can see ...