Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 56 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

STRANGE SUICIDE Acceptance for Uthanasia did not involve very elaborate formalities provided that the candidate was proved to be genuinely self-destructive and beyond psychosurgical treat- ment for death-wish neuroses. General Lee turned and stared across at his assistant. “What about Jaksn himself? What did you find out?” ““IntlectUl Class A, forty- three years of age. Educated at 73rd State Academy, then Oxfd and on to Central Lundn Research. Specialised in neurology and neuro- physics; did important work on the effects of space travel on the nervous system. Married five years ago to Class B IntlectUl Ena Mitchl, an artist. No children, since both have inferior genetic _ histories—four generations back—and are, therefore, grade C for mating require- ments. I haven’t yet told her about the suicide since——”’ “I know, I know,” said the general testily. ““The law states that if a man commits a Class One felony against the State his blood relatives for- feit all claim to financial recompense of any sort, and 15 are demoied to Class E of whichever group they belong to. So if you tell Jaksn’s wife that her husband took his own life the whole thing will become public, since she’ll have to be penalised in the correct manner and through the correct channels.” “Exactly,” Kristofr ad- mitted. “Go on about Jaksn.”’ “Not much more to tell. He’s highly thought of in the scientific world, has numer- ous friends within the Intlec- tUl class. He’s a member of numerous scientific organisa- tions; has never been con- victed of anti-State activities. The only two black marks on © his record are the usual sort of things you find if you dig into the past of a respectable IntlectUl—drunk and in- capable when he was nine- teen and causing a breach of the peace at twenty-one— some sort of students’ demon- stration, I believe; nothing serious.” He turned to another sheaf of papers and went on: ““Two things, however, seem worth more investigation. The first comiclooks.corn