The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-07-08

Night---He Tells His friends Before
hand. -"No He'll, no Heaven, no God,
no Devil. Nothing Hereafter but
Beautiful sleep''--A n1idnighr Scene
ct the Government Bridge,
About 9 o'clock Tuesday evening q man
named Henry Seim, well known among
many German citizens as 1.-THE sailor" en-
tered Volkland's restaurant at Second and
Scott streets. aud called for mice steak
and good supper" When he had in>
ished bis meal. and paid for it, he said,
Now feel comfortable; will go now to
SehlapkoPs, buy me twelve feet of rope,
tie q stone on one end OF it, tie the other
end about my body, and go to the bridge
and drown myself" The bystanders
laughed at him. aud he went out He
bought the rope at Mr.. Schlapk0rs store,
Just as he said he would. He called at
MIR. Wulfs place. on West Front street
with the rope In his hsnd-told Mr. Wulf to
go to Mr.. Eckhardt's. at Maysville get his
clothes and SOME money due, and deliver
pioyed at the Davenport pillow works, for
he (Sein,) was going to drown himself.
Sem was not intoxicated-wasa apparently
cheerful aud in his right mind; aud bis
acquaintances. thought he was joking in
talking &C he did
AT quarter to IL they changed guards
at the government bridge, Mr.. Montgomery
relieving the previous watch. A man
came up to the two from Second street,
with a rope in his hands, and said DO
you see this rope? | am going to tie a
stone to one end OF it, tie the other end
about my body, aud Jump into the river
from this bridge I am a. German; have
a brother io-law here and cousin; have q
good job; L can go to work tomorrow, but
its OF no use; l am going to quit" He
stepped forward, the guards turned him
back, and he went to Swansen's salon, u
block distant. at the corner of Second and
Iowa streets; there he called for beer, and
drank it. saying: There, that is the last
glass of beer | shall ever arink--I am
going to drown myself with this rope aud
q stone" Now. see here, my friend, said
a Sw' de who was present: You go and
hold your fingers over that lamp chimney,
and see how the FIRE will make you ache |!
Now. sou kill yourself. aud you will fall into
he'll, whore your whole body will be burn
ed worse than that lamp burns your fin
gers, and You will ache and ache, and
never stop aching. for the IRE will never
90 nut. and you will be in it and never
burn upl" Replied Seim, Il am Ger
msu; l DONE believe in hell or heaven, or
God or devil-i,s all humbug. | jump
into the river, and in a few minutes | will
be asleep; no trouble, no care; just into
the river, and in a few minutes I will
be asleep; no trouble. no care; just in
beautiful sleep like a child, always after
thati" And the man with the rope went
out.
About half past II Guard Montgomery
started TO patrol the bridge; at the north
end of span No. be wanted to notice
lot of tramps who we're crossing; they
passed on and he thought he saw black
object on the west guard rail. little south
and saw a man standing outside of the rail.
with his arms resting on the top of the
rail. and his head on his arms. The guard
then stepped quietly towards the man.
and was within fifteen feet of him when
the man raised his head, and threw him
self backward-the guard heard splash
in the rive below, and all was quiet again.
He looked over the rail, aud watched for
some minutes. but could see nothing of the
man.
There is no doubt that the man who
thus lesped into the water and death was
Henry Seim. man aged SO years. who has
lived in Davenport and vicinity the past
FIVE or sig years. He was a laborer. For
some months previous to the lst of June
he was employed in the Davenport pillow
works. and in June he worked on a farm
near Maysville. He returned to the city
on the 4th OF July. He was born in
Schleswig. was sailor for fifteen years.
and delighted to recount his adventures at
sea. He has sister, Mrs. Claus Chris
Hansen in Northwest Davenport. and
Mr.. Reimers, above mentioned, is his
cousin. He was an industrious aud quiet
man when at his work, and jovial in his
leisure hours. He was not hard drinker
and had manifested no alteration of mind.
unless telling his acquaintance he had
determined to drown himself was evidence
of it. His friends think it cool-minded.
suicide, committed because he saw no
prospect of being anything else than a
poor man,
The body will probably come to the sur
face of the river, somewhere. in q day or
TWO.