National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-07-26
STEVE BRoDIE, TIE JUMPER.
Other Remarkable Performances by
This self-sacriflcing, Good-Natured
EaIIaw

Other Remarkable Performances by |
This seIf-sacriHcing, Good-Natured |
Fellow.
Nearly all Of the early accounts Of the
perilous drop Of "Steve" Brodie from the
suspension bridge over the East river last
Friday afternoon misrepresent that daring
fellow to have been assisted by "Irish
courageb-r-that he was under the influence
Of liqnor, and thereby rendered courageous
or Obvious to fear of danger. That Is not
true. All Of the minute accounts OF the
performance which appeared In tue New
York papers represent Brodie as entirely
sober before and when he jumped, but that
he became intoxicated to a slight degree
afterward. In the Tribtmo's account 1t is
said:
The two or three seconds that he was under
water seemed to the waiting crowd an eternity.
Yet he came TO the surface In safety, with an
extremely red face. IL is true, but apparently
uninjured, and blowing the water from his
| mouth with long breath, he struck out to
| swim on his back as unconcernedly as If he
| had only dived from one OF the piers. His
| friends In the boat Immediately pulled toward
| him. He caught sight OF them and greeted
| them with the CHEEKY cry of bully boy"
whit h under the circumstances must be looked
ulon as n piece Of cxcusable selfapprgciation.
- once In the boat and in safety, Brodie
| rather went TO pieces" His friends, how
ever, had bottle Of brandy, and they made
|
nally and externally. Under these reviving
| influences Brodie soon came around, and when
the pier was reached he climbed out Of the
| boat and walked about al IL jumping 100 feet
had never killed any one before.
lie gave himself up gracefully to the officer
He was at once hurried off TO the Oak street
station, and DR.. White was summoned from
the Chambers street hospital. BY this timo
Brodie was beginning to show unmistakable
signs Of inebriation. He was perfectly, sober
at the time he jumped, but since he had been
hauled into the boat a formidable amount of
stimulants had been poured into him, aud the
excited condition In which he was probably
rendered the effect of the alcohol more sudden
and more striking than 1t would otherwise
have been: As the doctor was examining him
Brodie writhed and shouted as If in great
agony, but the physician finally pronounced
him uninjured save for, a few bruises on the
chest, which were probably made while he
was clambering into the boat
The Times account agrees with the
others in all Of the main points OF the story.
1t shows that as soon as he landed at the
pier, and as he was placed under arrest by
the policeman
Brodie's friend Brennan gave him drink
of brandy, and then he was marched up.
dripping wet as he was, to the OAK street sta
room and stripped of his clothing, and rubbed
dry. He seemed to be sinking into collapse,
@ ssa suPPfen wh mis- es Pity
which seemed TO revive him, and he began
|
I bridge and from the ton yards ofthe highest
l. masts and of his long walking matches. Their
q Brodie wanted more whisky, and sent good
!, turned with pint bottle Of the liquor, but the
y doorman took away the bottle, remarking tina
too much whisky was not good for Brodie II
did not want the boy TO go TO court drunk
a He would walt until the doctor from Cham
bers street hospital, who had been sent for,
came and If he did not object, he would let
:. | BrOdic have more.
( Then Brodie began acting queerly, as
: though the shock and whisky had both af
iected him. He staggered slightly, and his
O sentences became somewhat incoherent, and
Q were plentliully interspersed with profanity.
o and his friend Brennan were marched
l.. Off Ito the Tombs police court, wher,
charge Of intoXication was preferred hSgahtn n
. endangered his life by jumping on the bridge
= Justice, Kilbreth decided to hold Brodle with
of the liquor he had taken had become NOR n
marked iv the crowded court room. So Brodi
b was marched down to a cell.
Il The only other man who ever jumped
u from the Brooklyn bridge was Robert +
Q Odlum, Of Washington city, whose at
|. tempt-May 10, 1ss5-resulted fatally
+ Brodie's jump was 100 feet; that OF Bo
: Odlum was 146 feet.
0 Brodle intimated that he had made tn
h Jump on wager with some sporting. men
}: but it is believed that there was no imme
u date money for him In this undertaking
that he "made the leap out OF pure devil
r try;" that 1t is thing he had been.thinkin
70 about for two years. Nearly year ago, Il
August last, Brodie jumped from the sam
d bridge from which he jumped last Friday
y but In the earlier instance he had large
strong umbrella. This he opened and 90
8 on the railing. Then, clutching the handl
tightly with both hands, he Jumped, an
u came down gently, feet foremost, aud no
., at all injured.
% BY his friends Brodie is regarded as
g sort of balf-witted fellow-a man who vii
II undertake anything II provoked or offere
p money. There lie, however, no discount o
10 his bravery or self sacrificing spirit, an
whether he is half witted or whole witted
d he is certainly quick-witted. More than
a year ago he was hero on account OF re
d fharkabe performance, by which he save
IS the life Of little boy at the risk of his OWL
% The little boy was flying kite on q roc
s. and fell over. Fortunately he was caugh
7. by the telegraph wires. Brodie was o
sr another roof, five stories high across th
q street, and by climbing outside and hangin
10 from the edge OF the roof he managed, |
l. the most perilous manner, to swing him
a. self underneath, so as, by a quick jerk, I
D. throw himself into ladderlre-escapt
Is From this he jumped to the top OF telt
10 graph pole, and thence made his way alon
the wires to the little fellow, whom h
So brought down in safety.