# Three Minute Mysteries, or How Come? Chapter III **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322 "2000-03-30T19:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/81 "2000-03-30T19:35:00Z")
Did the man shoot himself because of what was on the paper? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/82 "2000-03-30T19:35:00Z")
Flypsyde asks: Is the piece of paper a target, for shooting practice? NO aschrott asks: does the paper say “warning–rattlesnakes”? NO ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/83 "2000-03-30T19:36:00Z")
Does the paper have writing on it? ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/84 "2000-03-30T19:37:00Z")
Does the paper have any holes in it? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/85 "2000-03-30T19:38:00Z")
Falcon asks: Did the man shoot himself because of what was on the paper? NO Trout Mask Replica asks: Does the paper have writing on it? YES ---
**Author:** ![aschrott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@aschrott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aschrott)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/86 "2000-03-30T19:38:00Z")
was it suicide? an accident? ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/87 "2000-03-30T19:40:00Z")
Is knowing what the writing on the paper is important? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/88 "2000-03-30T19:40:00Z")
aschrott asks: was it suicide? YES an accident? NO ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/89 "2000-03-30T19:40:00Z")
I’ll hazard a guess. The man was lost in the desert and dying of thirst. He decides to put himself out of his misery, but before he does, he writes his name on a piece of paper and sticks it to the cactus as a kind of makeshift headstone. ---
**Author:** ![I.M.Kierkegaard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea5d25/32.png) [@I.M.Kierkegaard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.M.Kierkegaard)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/90 "2000-03-30T19:40:00Z")
Was the paper a suicide note? * * * –I am Soren Kierkegaard.– “People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.” ---
**Author:** ![aschrott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@aschrott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aschrott)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/91 "2000-03-30T19:41:00Z")
is it significant that his body is decaying (as opposed to recently deceased)? Is this cactus actually in the desert? ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/92 "2000-03-30T19:43:00Z")
Argh…I think TMR beat us again, Flypper. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/93 "2000-03-30T19:44:00Z")
Trout Mask Replica asks: The man was lost in the desert and dying of thirst. He decides to put himself out of his misery, but before he does, he writes his name on a piece of paper and sticks it to the cactus as a kind of makeshift headstone. ER… NO. A COMPOUND QUESTION ISN’T RIGHT UNLESS ALL IT’S COMPONENTS ARE RIGHT. FOR EXAMPLE, WE ALREADY KNOW IT’S SUICIDE, SO HE DOES, IN A SENSE, PUT HIMSELF OUT OF HIS MISERY. BUT THE SCENARIO ABOVE IS NOT RIGHT. I.M.Kierkegaard asks: Was the paper a suicide note? NO aschrott asks: is it significant that his body is decaying (as opposed to recently deceased)? NO Is this cactus actually in the desert? YES ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/94 "2000-03-30T19:46:00Z")
Is the paper a page from a newspaper? ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/95 "2000-03-30T19:46:00Z")
Then I’ll reask my question…is knowing what’s on the paper important? ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/96 "2000-03-30T19:46:00Z")
Argh. Is the writing on the paper related to the reason the man shot himself? ---
**Author:** ![aschrott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@aschrott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aschrott)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/97 "2000-03-30T19:46:00Z")
is the piece of paper money? ---
**Author:** ![I.M.Kierkegaard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea5d25/32.png) [@I.M.Kierkegaard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.M.Kierkegaard)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/98 "2000-03-30T19:49:00Z")
Judging by your answer regarding TMR’s hypothesis, I gather most of his answer was correct. So… He committed suicide. Did he write his name on the piece of paper? Was it as a makeshift tombstone? * * * –I am Soren Kierkegaard.– “People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/99 "2000-03-30T19:49:00Z")
Is the piece of paper a warning sign of some sort? ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2000, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322/100 "2000-03-30T19:51:00Z")
Okay, I have an idea, so I’ll post it just to be ahead of Flyp. The paper is an newspaper clipping article about someone the man knew/loved. So he killed himself? Yes? No? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-minute-mysteries-or-how-come-chapter-iii/15322.md?page=6)