The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-07-10

i
ara Falls by leaping into the river, two
or three times q week from . rope
stretched from bank to bank one hua-
dred and fifty-tive feet above the surface
of the water. A piece of stout and vers
elastic rubber was fastened to the cen
ter of his heavy rope, and after walk
ing ont ON the rope from the river
bank the young Frenchman would take
a firm hold of the free end of the rub
Der band and spring downward He
retained his hold of the band until ii
had stretched perhaps twenty-five feet.
and then letting go he would shoot,
| feet foremost. like an arrow, into the
river. This feat was performed more
than dozen times and the performer
was in no wise injured.
The attempts of Robert Donaldson. a
young Scotchman, to jump from the
East River Bridge in 1882 attracted
much attention. Donaldson first APP
peared on the unfinished bridge on
MAY IL of that year, attired in tights,
and prepared to leap into the river be-
low. He gave up the idea on that day
in consequence of a strong gale which
was blowing up the river. He made
two unsuccessful attempts to get on
the bridge and finally gave up the idea.
John d. Brumley, painter, of No.
4O2 East Forty-e;ghth street. this city,
while intoxicated on Sunday morning,
June 4, 1882, made a wager for the
drinks with some of his companions
that he would jump off High Bridge.
He walked to the central arch of the
bridge. and after divesting himself of
his coat and shoes, he sprang from the
structure In the descent he turned
two somersauits and struck the water
feet foremost. He was taken out OF
the river unconscious, but subsequent
" recovered. The distance from the
top of the bridge to the water where
Brumley jumped is one hundred and
| fifteen feet.
Three years ago Captain Webb met
his death in battling against the whirl-
pool below Niagara Falls. 1t was
hoped that for several years at least
there would be no repetition OF such de-
plorable folly as he showed in his utter
~ reckless and entirely useless effort.
But thu itching after nOtOriety afflicted
Webb as it did and still does others.
He played his life to secure it, and lost.
And now another is added to the list
of foolhardy casualties. Robert Odlum
attempted one day last week to jump
from the East.River bridge. distance
of one hundred and thirty feet. He
paid for his folly as Webb did, with his
life-the tremendous force with which
his groin struck the water tearing the
skin, parting the spleen, tearing off one
kidney, rupturing the liver and break
ing five ribs. Nor does Odlum's fool
hardness fall Oh him alone. An aged
mother and his sister. dependent upon
him, are left desolate, alone, unpro-
vided for. And yet Odlum was not
without good qualities. He was well
spoken of. and he made the record of
rescuing at different times three men
from drowning. The result of the at
tempt is most deplorable. And yet it
may serve good purpose-it will
doubtless serve at least to check for the
time the repetition of the attempt.
| There are still those who love nothing
quite so much as notoriety. But they
will not be, they never are, willing to
pay the price for it that Odlum paid
death. For the compensation of
notOriety. unlike the glory of right liv-
ing. cons SITS not in simply achieving it.
but in afterwards living TO enjoy it by
receiving the applause of the mob.
Life should bet assuredly is-too
solemn thing that it should be flung
away in hunt after notoriety which.
when acquired secures indeed the Curl
osity of the vulgar, but never the es-
TEEN of the good or the great. The
man who, almost unknown. pursues the
even tenor of quiet life in the fear OF
God displays a noble heroism and a
sublime courage which shrivel into
nothingness and deck with the garlands
OF folly that lower life which finds its
highest ambition in swimming the mael-
strom or jumping Niagara.-Christian
at Work.