The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-10-28
4 HORRIBLE SUICIDE.
Wan Jumps from the Top of the
Washington Monument I'm Baltimore,
n Distance OF 40 Feet.


Man Jumps from the Top of the
Washington Monument I'm baltimore,
Distance OF 100 Feet. ~
The Baltimore american saws: The
central section of the city was Yesterday
afternoon startled by the announce
ment that. a man had thrown himself
from the top of the Washington monu-
ment, falling on the marble base, a dis
lance of oyer 100 feet. Many TO whom
the news was communicated refused to
believe it, being of the opinion that no
one would have the hardihood, to ascend
the structure and then jump from its
giddy height No such occurrence had
taken place since the monument had
been erected, and it remained for the
man who yesterday made the fatal leap
to make himself famous in the history
of the city as the determined suicide
who dared TO throw himself down from
the highest elevation in the city. A
large crowd of persons collected around
the monument as soon as the news be-
came known, but only few could OBJ
tain admittance. Those who gained ac-
cess beheld, on the southern side of the
base of the monument, the remains of a
man lying in pool of blood, the skull
crushed, the body otherwise mutilated
and the brains splashed about twenty
| feet from the body, presenting altogeth-
er horIifying spectacle. The deceased
must have been a stranger in this city,
as up to late hour last night it could
not be ascertained who he was or where
! he came from, and there was nothing
about his person TO establish his identi-
! ty. 1t appears that the man entered
! the monument at about 10 o'clock in
fthe morning, paying the usual admis.
sion fee. He was alone, and appeared
! cheerful. His attire indicated that he
was poor, his coat and trousers being
quite shabby. A few minutes after he
assembled the stairs two other men came
in and likewise proceeded up to the top
: While up there they must have met the
man in question, and being talkative,
he began conversation with the two
persons who cameup later. After stay
: ing about twenty minutes on the top Of
the monument the three men descended
together. When below, the individual
who came to his death few hours
4.
ing all the time, speaking of places ht
had visited, the height and grandeur o.
monuments IN other cities. The rathel
unusual talkativenesS of the man at
tracted the attention of the keeper o.
the monument. Strange to say, in The
space of three hours, at about l AZ
O'Clock in the afternoon, the man re
turned. lie again paid his admission
fee, appeared of as cheerful atemper a
before, and once more assembled the
stairs. In about twenty-five minute
Michael Sweeney, the young man Il
charge, heard some noise as if some
thing had fallen in the neighbOrhoOd
! He locked around the corridor, and see
ing nothing unusual, returned TO hi
room. Not long thereafter a lady anC
gentleman came in, and, after having
gone to the top, came down, asked
Sweeney whether he knew that a dead
man was lying on the base. He replied
in the negative, and upon going on the
base, which is twenty feet above
ground, he found the lifeless body o
the unknown. DIR. Walker, the COro
ner, and the police authorities were mott
! 1
He found the skull crushed in atoms
the brains despatched around the base
the legs and the bones of the body bro
ken. His pockets were searched, wheI
a small key, three playing cards, con
sisting of a queen, a king and a jack
a pencil and apiece of paper containing
the following lines were found:
'.And now, Miss Cobb, / leave you il
theaSe words, hoping to hear from you:
60 Fare thee well, and if forever, still forever
fare the Wcu
Even though unforgiving, never against the
shall my heart REBEL"
The words were almost effaced from
the paper, and it was with some difficult
ty that they could be deciphered. The
deceased was about thirty-five years O.
AGE, five and half feet high, anC
weighed $50 pounds. He had curly
hair, hazel ewes and dark whiskers
He was dressed in a dark coat, BLACK
vest, striped pantaloons, SLOUGH hat anC
CATERS. 10 F
DIR. Walker summoned 4 jury of in
quest. The only witness examined wa.
Michael Sweeney, the keeper in charge
who testified as to admitting the MAJ
] twice in the monument during the day
He heard a noise twenty minutes afte
! the man had been up the monument tn
second time, but did not know that tn,
man had fallen down until the lady ant
gentleman who had been up stairs tolC
lin about.it. He was certain that no
body had been up the monument witt
the man the second time. The iur,
then rendered the verdict that the de
ceased "came to his death by a fal
from the summit of the Washington
Monument, but whether it was suicida
or accidental is unknown to the jury.
1t is very probable that the man com
mitted suicide The note found in hi
pocket, and the fact of his ascendin.
the monument twice Or the same day
would lead to this conclusion. Tn
tparapet on the top of the structure
more than four feet high, and he coul
not have descended as he did except b
getting on the railing and throwing him
self down violently sr
Mr. Faust, abricklayer, and severa
other persons state of having from
distance seen the man as he fell. On
, man says that he observed when the de
ceased raised his hands and violentl
f jumped towards the ground. The bod
was removed to the Central Police Sta
ton and subsequently identified as tina
! of a young man named Albert S. John
son. "a re- .sL- .-ls-..f ~.
, I----..- A 0Heer Fish.