Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-05-28
OFF BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
A Daring Leap into the East River
by Robert Il. OdIum.
He Dies In Performing a Foolhardy
Feat.

Feat.
NEW YORK, May l9.-This afternoon,
cab left the New York entrance of the
Brooklyn Bridge and was driven to the
middle OF the great span. Here the
driver pulled up, and two men got out
and began to climb the railing. Before
they had reached the top, bridge po-
liceman came running toward them,
brandishing his club and ordering them
to "get down out of that" While he
was talking with the young men, a COW
cred wagon, containing Professor Rob-
ert +. Odlum and companion, stopped
about a hundred feet behind the cab.
Quickly divesting himself of the blue
flannel suit i'm which he was dressed,
Professor Odlum, clad in a red skirt and
trunks, jumped from the carriage and
sprang lightly to the railing. He very
quickly reached the top, and, posing
himself for q moment, he stood erect
and glanced hurriedly at the surface OF
the East River, far below him. The
people on the bridge sent up cry OF
horror, when they saw the professor
prepare to plunge off the bridge into
the water, one hundred and thirty-five
feet beneath him.
The policeman, whose attention had
now been directed from the two men,
rushed toward the professor. Before he
had gone dozen feet, Professor Odlum,
without a moments hesitation, had
leaped out from the railing into the air.
He held one hand above his head as a
rudder to guide him in his descent.
frhr ~ hnlnvxr ak hn 4
clear of shipping. A tug and schooner
floated lazily on the stream, several
hundred yards below. The tug was
filled with reporters and club men.
Captain Paul Boyton stood near the
prov, anxiously watching the bridge.
The moment Professor Odlum's body
was seen to leave the railing, Harry f..
Dixey, the actor, started a stop watch
which he held in his hand to time the
descent.
For nearly a hundred feet, the pro-
fessor came down all right-feet fore
most. He shot downward with the
speed of meteor, his red suit making
him easily discernible for a long dis
tance. When within thirty feet of the
water, his body began to turn. As if
realizing his danger, Professor Odlum
brought down his hand with a wave
like motion, to aid him in recovering
his balance. The movement was, how
ever, made too late. His body had now
turned so far that it was impossible to
change its course. Half second later,
with mighty splash that threw up the
water on all sides as if torn with shell,
Professor Odlum's body struck the wa
ter on one side and sank out of sight.
The tug hurriedly pushed itself for
ward to the place where the body fell,
and Captain Boyton, after seeing that
life-preservers had been thrown out into
the water, sprang over the side of the
boat and waited for the body to come
to the surface. Soon he saw the white
face of the professor rising from the
water, and moment later he was by
his side. Selling a life-preserver near
by, he placed it beneath the body of the
insensible professor. Blood, mingled
with froth, came from the mouth of
the daring man. A rowboat soon came
to the rescue, and the professor was
taken from the water. A few moments
later he was transferred to the tug, and
restoratives administered. After con-
siderable rubbing, the eyes of the pro-
fessOr opened.
"What kind of a jump did make ?"
he whispered.
"First-class, my boy" replied Boyton.
"You'll be all right, in little while.n
But he was insensible again almost
before the words had left his lips. The
tug steamed hastily to her slip, and just
as the pier was reached, a shudder ran
through the frame of the professor,
and then, after breathing heavily once
or twice, his heart stopped beating and
he was pronounced dead. The body
was taken ashore and conveyed to the
undertakers.
Professor Robert f. Odlum was for
merly the professor of a swimming
bath in Washington, D. c., but latterly
has been clerk in Willard's Hotel. It
has been his ambition to jump from the
Brooklyn Bridge. He made the at
tempt once, before the bridge was COM
pleted, but was prevented from carry
ing out his scheme by the police. He
was 81 seconds in the air, before strik-
ing the water. He was unmarried, 33
years of age, and man of good habits.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., MAY 19.-PrOf.
Odlum, who jumped from the Brook
lyn Bridge to-day, was born in this
city, and his mother and sister reside
here. His sister is Mrs. Charlotte
Smith, who is we'll known in Chicago
from her connection with the work of
opening new fields for wOman's indus
try. He has several times jumped from
great heights into the water. In 1880,
during the Hanlon-C Courtney race, he
jumped from the aqueduct bridge into
the Potomac, and later from the top OF
the smokestack of the Lady of the
Lake, distance of more than one hun
dred feet. Odlum's mother and sister
did all they could to prevent him from
making this last jump, and are nearly
crazed with grief.
New YORK, May 20.-Prof. Odlum's
body is at an undertaker's. An autopsy
will be made, although really not
needed, superficial examination of
the body showing plainly the cause of
death. Five ribs were broken on the
right side, and it is evident that the
heart was fatally afflicted by the force
with which his body struck the water.
James Haggart, who accompanied the
professor on his mission to take the fa-
tai jump, was arraigned in a Brooklyn
police court on the charge of aiding
Odlum to commit an act endangering
the latter's life. Another charge against
him is outraging public decency, in aid
ing the action. The accused was COM
mitted to Jail, without bail, for exami-
nation.