The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-12-07


body who ever contemplated suicidewas
q great fool to ever start for the other
world by way of the Chicago river, but
at this time I didn't seem to hang quito
SO closely to my former prejudice and
was looking down at the black surface
in a rather friendly way when somebody
stopped at the rail few feet away from
me, heaved sigh, and put his foot up
on the lower board.
cat a glance saw tho man was q
friend OF mine whom hadn't seen for
several years and who supposed to DO
in Frisco. Ispoke to him and he turned
with startled exclamation Of annoy
ance, recognized me, and waited for me
to speak. asked him what he was
going to do. He looked at me as MOURN
fully rs tho spirits in tho Inferno did
at Dantc, and said:
"'Tm going to jump over this rail into
the river
II asked him what ho intended doing
anything SO foolish as that for, and he
told me with tears yelling up to his eyes
that the girl he loved was dead.
II sympathized with him with all my
heart because l was precisely similar
fix, but told him he was foolish and
that while it was natural for him to feel
like that for awhile he would soon real
ize that it was the height of folly to at
tempt to remedy matters by dodging out
of the world in this irregular and alto
gcther disgraceful fashion. brought
all the philosophy could muster to bear
Oh the case and pumped it all at him,
but he never wavcred. He shook hands
with me, told mo to walk on and leave
him, and turned to look over into tho
river again. OF course didn't comply
with his request. The horror Of allow
ing a human being to rush to death over
powered me with a shocking sense of
realization, and remember thinking
how differently things affect persons
when applied to others than tho same
conditions applied to ourselves.
|, 81 persisted in my efforts to dissuade
the would he suicide from his rash act,
but llo was obdurate, and, finally, seeing
that wouldn't rclcnt, he made spring
and threw ono leg over the rail. I
grabbed him to drag him back, and then
began struggle. I saw somo people
running from the end of tho bridge, but
before they reached us my acquaintance
loosened my grip on the rail and Topped
me over riverward and together we fell
1t seemed like wo were falling to the
center of tho earth, and I felt the cold
sweat stand out all over mo. Then we
struck the water nnd-I awokc. l held
my breath involuntarlly rs went down,
which us swimmer was bound to do,
and when came up had an excellent
opportunity of testing my ability to
swim with all my clothes on. saw tho
people running down tho stairs to the
dock to help me, and struck out val
iantly for tho shore. When reached it
II rope was thrown me and was dragged
up on the dock, where tho bridge tender
and several others proceeded to abuse
mo for blankcty-blanl idiot, who ought
to have been left to drown.
~ tried to tell them that it was all a
dream, and that didn't know tho first
thing about it till l struck the water, but
they looked ut mo with tho most pro-
found disdain and said:
"'Oh, you weakened! You ant got no
more nerve N n rabbitp
"Thcn tho bridge tender grabbed mo
by tho danl neck Of my dripping coat
and took me up the steps and turned me
over to policeman, who called wagon
and loaded mo into it. was ratified
away to the station, while tho officers in
the wagon sworo at me and the people
on tho streets turned to look after mo
curiously. At tho station was intro
duced as a blank blank fool who jumped
in the river and then changed his mind
and yelled for help 1 hadn't yelled for
help, and l knew it, but thought I'd
let that pass, inasmucl as l had been in
the river. The desk sergeant asked me
my name and put it In his book with a
charge of disordcrly opposite, and was
hustled down stairs to be locked up. On
the way down the officer gave me u
shove, and tripped and fell hcadlong
down five steps and struck my head.
"That was when did awake. Every
thing was dark, and it took us much as
full minute to realize that 1 was in my
own roo1ll, but half out Of bed. The part
of me that was in bed was my feet. The
rest Of me had fallen out and my head
had collidcd with box of books sitting
at my beds head. Luckily the bruise
was on tho back Of my head, where it
didn't show. If it had been ON my face
would have been sight. didn't go
to sleep again for an hour, and you can
bet when l did was located exactly in
the middle of the bed. But wasn't that
funny complication of dream fancies?'
Chicago Mail