Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-09
A FEAT OR A FAKE"
steve Brodie Says He Went Over Niagara
Fall. in a Rubber Snif.

Steve Brodie Says He Went Over Mag ara
Falls in Rubber Suit.
NIAGARA FALLS. n. V, Sept. eff Steve
Brodie, the bridge jumper, and certain news
paper men and others tell the truth Ora
ham is no longer the "hero" of Niagara Falls,
his barrel performance having been dis
counted early Saturday morning by the
New Yorker. The story told, in brief, is
that Brodie, so disguised that his wife
wouldn't know him, arrived here Friday
evening with four other men-W. E. Hard
ing; Earnest Jerold, of The New York Sun;
j. Mccarthy, of The World, and Louis
Ledger, an attendant-all of them dis
guised, and put up at a hotel. They left the
hotel Saturday at a m, and as soon as
Brodie could be gotten ready he was sent on
his perilous trip.
How steve Was Prepared.
The preparation consisted of putting
Brodie into an India rubber suit, after pack
ing cotton aroun him to the depth of sew
eral inches The suit was inflated until it
was hfty-two inches around the waist and
seventy-five inches around the chest, the
head piece also being filled with air and the
whole protected ON the outside with bands of
steel
sent On on His Journey.
Arrayed thus, Brodie was showed into the
water feet first, about 200 feet above the
falls, with paddle in his hands, with which
he rapidly drove himself to the middle Of
the stream. He went over the brink in the
middle of the Horseshoe fall-having taken
his departure from the Canadian shore
and disappeared. Men were watching be-
low the falls, and as he went over they
strained their eyes to see where he came TO
the surface, if be ever arose 1t was two
minutes before the watchers saw black
speck bobbing around in the rough water at
the foot of the precipice, and Ledger, with
rope around his waist, plunged in and swan
TO the obJsct, which proved to be Brodie.
Brought to shore Unconscious.
Taking hold OF the stael bands, Ledger was
hauled ashore with his burden and as soon
as possible the rubber suit was opened and
Steve was found with blood issuing from
mouth, nose, and ears and unconscious Re-
storatives were applied and the Jumper
brought round, when he was taken to his
hotel and put to bed. He was apparently
all right by noon, and, speaking of the feat,
said he had possessed mania for a long time
to go over the falls, and now he had done it.
DE felt when he went over as if he was dy-
ing, and after that he knew nothing until he
WIS TeSusc'tateI Tie ma Kept the affair
secret because he was afraid of arrest He
would as soon go over with nothing on but a
life preserver. as he did not now think there
was any danger
Arrested and Put Under Bonds.
The foolhardy jumper was arrested Satur-
day afternoon and taken before a Canadian
police magistrate, who said that if he did not
go over the falls he would discharge him
Brodie was willing to say he did not, but
wouldn't swear to it The justice said he
would have TO stand trial, then, and Ledger,
who was said to have rescued Brodie, was
put on the stand He sn ore he was not there
and knew nothing about the matter No one
else could be found who had seen the per-
formsnce. and Brodie put under bonds
Of $500 not TO make such an attempt for one
year. Steve furnished bail, and was dis
charged.
There IS great doubt here that the per
Torrance took place at all, and the newspa-
per men who are said to have seen it have
disappeared.