St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-05
ON THE VERGE OF DEATH.
A Chicago Three-Year-Old Is
Snatched From a Fourth-Story

will
Chicago News-Herald.
For nearly ten minutes Friday after
noon a WEE bit of a child arrested traffic
OF 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 a narrow
cOrnlce that runs around the fourth
floor of the county building stood a
three-year-old boy. The breeze that
CAME up from the lake tossed his yellow
curls about his laughing face as he play
fully swung his arms about and looked
at the ever-increasing mass of people
tie dress was waited about by the wind,
while the spectators expected every
minute to see the daring explorer pitch
headlOng from the dizzy perch.
No II dared to cry out for fear of
frightening the child, who calmly looked
about, up and down the street, leaned
over to get a better view of the sides
walk and gazed at the towering Ashland
block OH the opposite corner.
Below was a scene of intense excite
ment. A hackman rushed to his hack
and snatched a heavy blanket from the
seat. Several men grasped the edges
and stood close up to the building, di-
rectly below where the child was stand
ing. Officer Frank G. Snyder, Of the
central station, stood on the corner
in front of the Sherman house.
A small boy ran up and called
his attention to the child, and he
made a wild rush for the elevator Of the
County building. Officer Timmons also
witnessed the scene at the same time.
About a score of men had now recov-
cred 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 a better calculation. Running
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 per-
SpiratiOn stood on the officers forehead
as he softly tiptoed towards the child,
for he realized that his sudden appear
ance before the startled child meant its
instant death. Still the child prattled
away, giving itself up 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 a
Mortified cry arose from the street.
Officer Snyder'S hand shot out and he
held the boy in his arms.
Only for a moment, however, for a
woman in whose face there was not a
bit of color, snatched the children from
he 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.
had been in the probate court room,
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 of the
vacant room and climbed up OH a 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 her child's face; She was a comely-
looking and youthful German and
spoke English with difficulty. She
would not give her name, and soon
after left, clasping the child tightly to
her breast.
A ssigh of relief went up from the
crowd. which had blocked the sidewalk
and extended across the street, when
the child was taken inside. 1t necessi-
tated the stoppage of vehicles and street
cars, for in the suspense of the awful
sight not a spectator moved, while Won
drouS silence was caused by the un-
wonted spectacle. The passengers OH
the cable trains craRed their necks out
of the cars to get a sight of the child,
and many women turned away with
frightened faces, as if to avoid witness
ing the anticipated fall.
When ali was over it took a long time
to restore order on the blocked streets,
and the occupants of stores and offices
about the corner of Clark and Randolph
streets are still talking of the incident.