Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-01
! BRIDGE,jUMpING CRANK.
A New York Printer Successfully Per.
forms the Feat that Killed
Odlum.
He is Arraigned Before Justice Duffy
and Fined $40, Which DiscOn.'
certS Him.
The Sullivan.Herald Fight Stopped by
the Sheriff--.The Surveyed Land
Tax-..Dempsey and Burke.

NE" Apnh, august AdW bOuO
van, a printer, employed on a weekly paper
jumped from the Brooklyn bridge for
wager of $500 at $50 o'clock this morn
ins. A boat was in the river %containin;
some friends who picked him up. He wa.
not injured by the ju up.
Lawrence Donovan. the hero OF the --latest
jump, is a pressman. William Reid, fore
man vi the press room says, Donovan's
plan to jump from the bridge was definitely
formed two weeks ago during a dispute in
tn office one night about chances of escap
ing from it alive. Donovan finally said he
was not afraid to try.
SO a bet OF $500 was arranged with the
foreman. Preparations were made at once
and last night all was ready. Everybody
In the Police Gazette Office knew about and
a~nxiously witnessed the jump. Donovan
ing, however, ard was aroused at 4:3O as
night SHIFT went off. He was i'm.
mediately dressed for the jump
A pair Of heavy padded drawers we're pu
ON. The shoes were blue canvas, the soles
of which were weighted with two pound oil
lead. Thus ALTERED, a light breakfast was
Dartaken of and Donovan and his friends
proceeded to the bridge entrance, neal
which a wagon was in waiting. They
jumped on board and were driven. to the
center Of the bridge, where the distance to
the water is about twenty-eight feet more
than from where Brodie dropped into the
East River. The printers and pressmen
employed on the morning pa pels gathered
in force at the Dover street dock to
SEE THE DARING ACT.
A boat was rowed out into mid stream to
pick up Donovan. As som Is the wagon
matted Don,van alighted, sprang quickly
over the rail, and let himself down to the
heavy cable which supports the bridge. He
now looked upward again, held his head
straight and his f-et together and let 60.
Soon after being picked up he said: II
went straight down, straight as a plumb
line, and did not lose my senses at all. 1t
seemed a long time going down-as many
minutes as it was seconds-but I didn't
turn or swerve from a straight line. l
struck the water with q big splash and
went clear through. l was all provided
with padding. so that no harm could come
to me. When l came up to the surface was
no more exhausted than l am now. / was
able to swim a hundred yards or so to the
boat. They pulled me in and took me to
the pier, when l was arrested"
Donovan was ar%raigned before the bar OF
the Tombs Police Court this afternoon.
The room was filled with friends of the
jumper. Judge Duffy said: This fellow
wanted to excel Brodie, and thinks he is
going to be a hero and pose in some dime
museum" He then questioned the bridge
policeman and a train conductor, but
neither could say that. Donovan had
jumped from the Lridse. The policemon's
attention was attracted by a number OF
vehicles stopping and the drivers look
ing down into the water. "Then what is
there" said the Justice, ito show that the
is not a fraud? He may have got a
few men to get in a o and row out under
the bridge, and had his friends make a
great ado and say a man had jumped from
the bridge" Donovan then said he did
the jump and an affidavit was then
made accordingly, based on Donovan's
that he jumped from the
bridge into East River and thereby caused
obstruction to vehicles on the bridge"
The case was again brought, and Justice
Duffy reiterated his former opinion ''but'
said he, "this thing of jumping off high
going over cataracts at Niagara,
ETC., by looms, must be stopped. We read
OF them doing these things in tights, in
barrels and wanting to jumpfrom balloons.
There is no heroism in this jumping.
I've a notion said the Justice severely
Ito send you to the Island for six
as a vagrant,so that you would be
where you couldn't harm yourself or any
body else. AS it is. I'll fine you $40 for
interrupted travel on the BRIDGE
The fine was paid AID Donovan walked
out of court considerably crest fallen.