The daily gazette., 1875-05-28
Don aldsen in the 4ir aUith q Ma
MAC.

A PARTY OF JOURNALISTS IN FEAR AND
IAN WHO WANTED To
JUMP FROM \ BALLooN--suBsEQUEN
SUICIDE.
Quite Donaldson, the Read
New York. He took with him party
ofleading and responsible journalists OF
that city. A MIR. G. L. Gates accom-
panied them. While in the air, his
companions say, his conduct was that
of maniac. A few hours after he
landed, he committed suicide. One Of
the party in the balloon says After
we had been sailing for few minutes
and were directly over New York city,
being at that time fully mile from the
earth, was astonished beyond de-
scliption, in fact SO terrified that l
could scarcely speak, by seeing Gates
deliberately climb over the edge OF the
frail basket and hang outside, the most
Of his body being in the air, swinging
by the motion of the balloon. in
stantly exclaimed, "For heavens sake
get back, get back, why what are you
doing, you will fall!' These words at
| tracted the attention Of Donaldson, vino
was standing above US on a wire plat
form, between the basket and the body
of the balloon, and he, leaning over the
I edge and looking down with astonish-
| ed face, earnestly exclaimed: "lf you
value your lives, gentlemen, dent let
that man fall. If he falls it is certain
death to all herep'
cat Donalson's words Gates face
changed somewhat, and he asked, still
maintaining his perilous position,
Glow would it kill you all il were
to fall ?" Donaldson replied, "You
weigh $50 pounds; if your weight was
taken from this balloon it would shoo
up with the rapidity of rocket to
distance Of two or three miles, and be
fore l could do anything the gas would
explode, in any event, we would DC
suffocated like the French eronauts. ,
Mr.. MacKeever then spoke to Gates
saying that all our lives certainly dc
pended upon his, and for eur sakes tc
get back into the basket. After being
apparently convinced Of the fact, he
simply exclaimed 'Oh' and reluctantly
clambered into the basket again, ono
or two of us assisting him as well as we
could.
"If Donaldson had not as spoken as
promptly as he did, or if he had delay
ed his words few seconds, there il
but little doubt that Gates would have
sprung from the basket and fallen tC
learth a mile below. 1t was plainly hi
fintention to commit suicide in this sin
gular and terrible manner, and he-wa
only restrained from SO doing by thu
fact Just made known to him, that will
his death we would all meet similar
fate. / am now positive, from subse
quent events, that he made the ascen
sion for the express purpose of destroy
ing himself.
"The man also indulged in othel
suspicious movements. Lie climbed W
to the concentrating room, attempted
to cut ropes, lit cigar and wanted tc
pull the valve rope. He kept us in al
most constant terror from the time We
Sleft Brooklyn until we landed. l fee
positive that none of our party will
ever forget the intense horror his
strange and varied acts caused US all tc
! feel. And each gentleman of that party
have recently read the details of his su
icide with thoughts and sensations
which cannot be described, or be i'm
agined by those who did not take par
in the balloon trip OF knew him as W.
then knew him."