Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-07-13
On lhe Iercc of Dcath.

ternoon 4 wee bit OF child arrested
traffic on Clark street and blanched
many a face with horror. a crowd
numbering thousands appeared to be
paralyzed for the moment.
High above their heads on q narrow
cornice that runs around the fourth
floor of the county building stood q
three-year-old boy The breeze that
came up from the lake tossed his yell
low curls about his laughing face as he
playfully swung his arms about and
| looked at the ever increasing mass of
people that watched him from below.
His little dress was waited about by the
wind, while the spectators expected
every minute to sec the daring explorer
pitch headlong from the dizzy perch
No one dared to cry out for fear of
frightening the child, who calmly look
ed about, UP and down the street,
leaned over to get better view of the
sidewalk and gazed at the towering
Ashland block on the opposite corner.
Below was scene Of intense excite
ment. a hackman rushed to his hack
and snatched q heavy blanket from the
seat. Several men grasped the edges
and stood close up to the building
directly below where the child was
standing.
Officer Frank C. Snyder, of the CEN
tral station. stood on the corner in
front OF the Sherman House. 4 small
boy ran up and called his attention to
the child, and he made wild rush for
the elevator of the County Building.
Officer Timmons also witnessed the
scene at the same time. About score
of men had now recovered their senses,
and through every entrance to the
building they raced for the elevators;
Officer Timmons made a mistake, and
was carried up to the top floor. Officer
! SNYDER however, made better cal
culation Running down the hall and
into Judge Adams court room he saw
! the innocent cause of all the commotion
out on the ledge in front of the open
window.
The court room was deserted and the
child was alone.
''Da. da, da, he was saying softly to
himself. utterly oblivious of the pres
ence of the officer. Cold drops of pers
piration stood on the officers forehead
rs he softly tiptoed toward the child,
for he realized that his sudden appear
ance before The startled child meant its
.Astant death. Still the child prattled
away, giving itselfu to the enjoyment
of the novel position.
The officer reached out to grasp its
dress, when a wild, hysterical shrek
came from the hall behind him. The
child turned and began to totter, and q
Mortified cry arose from the street. Of
ficer Snyder's hand shot out and he
held the boy in his arms.
Only for moment, however, for a
woman in whose face there was not a
bit of color snatched the child from the
officers arms, and then dropped limp
and fainting to the floor. The big-eyed
boy looked about him curiously, while
the room began to fill up with people.
The mother Of the child, for so she
proved chung tenaciously to him.
When she became calmer she said she
had been in the Probate Courtroom,
and her boy was playing and romping
in the hall She had not been aware
that he was elsewhere until she heard
the people rushing down the hall.
He had pushed open the door ofthe
vacant room and climbed up on chair
to the open window The officer chided
the woman for her carelessness, but she
was so happy at the escape Of her boy
that she paid little attention to his
words, but showered passionate kisses
on the child's face. She was q comely
looking and youthful German and
spoke English with difficulty. She
would not give her name, and soon left,
clasping the child tightly to her
breast.
a sigh of relief went up from the
crowd, which had blocked the side
walks and extended across the street,
when the child was taken inside. 1t
necessitated the stoppage of vehicles
and street cars, for in the suspense of
the awful sight not 4 spectator moved,
while wondrous silence was caused
by the unwonted spectacle. The pas
sengers on the cable trains craned their
, necks out of the cars to get sight of
the child and many women turned
away with frightened faces, as if to
avoid witnessing the anticipated fall.
When all was overit took long time
to restore order on the blocked streets,
and the occupants Of stores and offices
about the corner of Clark and Ran
dolph streets are still talking of the in
~