Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-24

am gong 10 peat bteNe Droule' salu
go ahead. old man." said some of the
boys who were in the crowd.
AL RIGHT; HEBE CO."
was the response.
Then the man turned and faced Cover
nor's Island. He lowered his head slightly,
put his hands together IN front OF MIN
again. and sprang out. His body began TO
tumble over and over like barrel over
ending down hill.
People on the ferry-boats saw a small
| speck. II grew larger and larger, as 1t de-
scended. and then II was seen TO be man.
| The body fell into the water with splash
| and then disappeared.
Nobody had realized that the gray-haired
old man would really jump TO the river.
1 $50 feet below. When he leaped there
were screams from the women in the trains
| going both ways and craning or necks TO
see what became Of him.
Through the ties and girders OF the
! bridge the man could he seen plungIng
| downward. lie seemed 10 be long time
! reaching the river.
The man struck on his face. His arms
were extended. His head was thrown
| slightly back. Spray was thrown up. He
| sank for a moment. Then his BODY reap
peared. The body was in the same posi-,
| ton as when he struck, but the life had
|
| body was limp, and the legs and head hung
underneath the surface. Bubbles rose.
| lhe water was stained with blood. Then
| the body foated for q few seconds.
! The tide was at the food. People on
| the bridge saw the body float upon the
river underneath the northern roadway.
| There was no sign of life. Then 1t disap-
peared from sight.
A large crowd was now gathered on the
| onpfrn Of tho briIun Two nOlipempu had
! reached the spot from which the man bad
| Jumped. One had come from the east and
! one from the. west. They arrested the
| driver Of the wagon on which the diver
| had reached the centre of the bridge.
Two small boys were with him. lie
! said he did not know who the
! man was. and had given him lift at the
| New York entrance 10 the bridge. coat
and vest, with a cheap cap, were also
| found, which tho bridge-iumper had
! thrown of before sprlnging on the IRON
railing. They were brought to the bridge
| police headquarters in Brooklyn and
! searched. A leaf from notebook bore
| the address Of Nora DAVIS. No. 3Oi Court
| street, Brooklyn. 1t was found that no
| such person was known in that house or
| in the neighborhood. Besides this there
were found ia the mans coat pocket q
! pOlicy-ticket dated November II, 1871, and
| an election ticket of Richard Meyer, Re
publican candidate for alderman in the
! Second district Of Brooklyn.
THE wAGoN-DRIvER's STORY.
James Ross, who gave his address as No.
| 235 Court street Brooklyn. was the driver
| Of the wagon. TO a reporter he said;
Il was coming over from New York with
| nv peddler's wagon and bad with me
| James Nicholson, Of No. 2l3 Mott street,
| and George Cray, Of No. 1872 Mulberry street.
| At the southern entrance TO the bridge
| tins man asked me if he could ride over
on nv wagon. ] said Yes He jumped
| in the wagon, and after we had gone
! short distance be said he was gong TO
Jump from the bridge and beat Steve
| Brodie. 1 thought ho was fooling and
! said
| lyon Jump and I'll Jump, too
| "Uheu | saw him take of his cont and
| vest and tie the bottom Of his trousers up
! with pieces of string. He wore no socks
! and was poorly dressed. ] think he said
| ne was stevedore. / became alarmed at
! this time and called TO policeman IN the
roadway, saying there was O lunatlc in the
| wagon who ought TO be arrested. have
since heard that 1t was Officer Calvin. He
| said:
- Drive on or I'll arrest YOU
THE man jumped down in the roadway
when we were IN the middle OF the bridge,
and saw him leap to the railing and talk
7
| the ,wo boys were afraid to stop him as he
leaped for fear he would pull US over.
! We saw the body rise to the surface, with
blood all about it, and then sink
Nicholson and Cray corroborated this
story. They were not held. The coat,
vest. and cap of the dge-iumper are of
| the poorest description. Ross said that
| the bridge jumper told him to look around
! the Brooklyn end of the structure when
! 10 raoobad thpra for soma friends of his
/ who knew he was going TO make the jump.
| lie found nobody there, however.
Officers Calvin and Dooley said that
! tbev tried 10 stop the man from jumping,
| hut could not get TO hun in time. They
were both a long distance off when they
! became aware of his intention. As soon as
/ the man had jumped they telephoned to
/ the New York end OF the bridge and
| boat was sent out to search for the
! hodv. IL was not seen, however, after
! sinking the second time The tide changed
/ a fpw minutes afterwards and the
J bodv was believed TO have been carried
/ down into the bay. Ii was thought by
| everybody who saw the body, strike the
/ water that the man was killed instantly.
! The position in which the BODY struck WAS
! suob that IL was thought every particle OF
AIR must have been knocked out OF 1t, If 1t
was not ripped and torn by the force OF
steve Brodie was largely instrumental
| in clearing mp the mystery OF the mSn'S
! identity. When seen by q World reporter
! last night he said:
AZ think this must be Francis McCarey.
/ of No 63 Walworth street, Brooklyn.
never saw him before Thursday last, whom
| no came INTO my place and said he was GO
/ inc to lump the bridge to-day and take
away my utle. He came again Saturday
! and repeated this, but he was under the
| influence of liquor at the time and dld
| NOT think he meant it. However, l said X
! he was going TO make the Jump II ne woula
! call on me Sunday morning l would give
I him some of the air tubes | use IN jumping.
! He ala not call, and thought no more of
/ 81 last Friday he published notice IN
7 New York paper saying he would make the
/ lump Sunday morning"
/ krancis McCarey was Scotchman by
/ birth and fifty years old. He has been IN
\ married, but did not live with his wife,
VINO resides in East Newark. McCarey was
| ON iron-moulder by trade and up TO SIX
| ,Veeks AGO was in the employ OF the Lewis
| 4 Fowler Car-Works on Walworth street.
| Rrooklvn. he then went on spree, was
discharged, and has spent the interval at
his boarding house, No. 81 Waiworth
street.
DECLARED HIS INTENTION TO JUMP.
inst efore election day he read state
ment that Steve Brodie had made an
/ aleetlon bet of $4,000. He became much
interested in this and discussed the mat,
| Ter at length with both Peter Nelly ana
lis boarding mistress, Mrs McCuskle.
When he found that Brodie, had made
I bis money by bridge-jumping he declared
I his intention Of doing likewise. He then
! called on Steve Brodie.
The same evening he told Kelly that
Brodie had promised to give him 81 1000 IN
4 the event of his making q successful Jump
( e.ore the brooklyn bridge. Wednesday
asternoon he called at the Office OF tho
Poiios Galefte and declared his intentions,
and ip the Daily Ae,ss Of Friday notice
snoeared 10 the effect that he would
Jump ca the bridge S 81 1 %S5 y talked
~ nothing but his proposed jump.
Ue declared that he had made sue
eessful leap from the Tay bridge IN Scot,
land. He offered TO bet on the result OF
b,s dive. He got no takers. These who
heard him thought they were listening to
ths yaporings OF drunken man. lie spent
49, ,,fVhf and fha carly mart OF