St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-01
Who Attempted to Throw
, Him From a Sixteen
IS Story Building.
Quick Wit Rather Than
Strength Thwarted the
Agile Mailman.
Once the Struggling Men
We're Within Four Feet
Of the Edge.

| to hurl him over the edge, was the ex
perence of George Doyle, of Chicago
today, and to his quick wit. rather
than to his strength, he owes his
life. One week ago yesterday
Albert Gedney and his son Robert. a
young man, registered from Phila-
delphia. Thursday the elder Gedney
went to Omaha on business, leaving his
son in Chicago. Residing at the hotel
s one George Doyle, "a former Phila-
delph1an, who had known young
Gedney in his youth. Naturally
they were much together, and
yesterday Gedney. forgetting or
not realizing that the hotel was one
of the vantage view points of the city,
proposed that they go to Masonic temple
to take look out over the city. Finally
they went to the roof of the new hotel.
They stood for some time looking over
the city, when suddenly Gedney gave a
strange laugh, and, grabbing Doyle by
the hand, he began pulling him
Across the Small Square
and back again, as if the cool breeze
had eXhllarated him to playfulness.
Then he said:
Hold my hand: l want to look
down."
Doyle did so. and he gazed over the
side at the people, who looked like pig
mics below. Then, with baleful light
in his eyes and strange earneStness in
hic uNioa in aef with hio n
playfulness, he said:
you've got to jump off of the build
ing or Pll throw you OFF,"
For the first time il came back to
Doyle's memory that Gedney had sew
eral years ago been treated for mild
form of insanity in an asylum at home.
His first impulse, as the Sickening real
izatiOn of the situation came over him,
was to call for help, but Ged-
ney is larger and stronger
than he and such policy
might have meant almost instant de-
struction. He tried to temporize and
treat the matter as a joke. "Will you
iump?p said Gedney, and, without wait
ing for reply, seized Doyle and began
to drag him toward the edge. Doyle
fought with the desperation of despair,
and the men, closely locked together,
staggered to and fro over the roof, Ged
hey steadily forcing his man toward the
edge.
Twice Doyle Tripped Him
and they fell together, and twice Ged-
new broke away, only to renew the at
tempt to hurl Doyle to the pavement far
belgw. e
Robert Haslem, a wine agent who has
an office in the upper story OF the
MonadnOck building just across
the street, saw the men strug-
Cling and watched them for
a few minutes. thinking that
He soon saw, however, that the Gesper-
ate struggle was one Of life and death
between the men who were lighting so
fiercely, and. rushing across to the
hotel. he informed Mr.. Eden, the pro-
prietor, and, accompanied by porter,
the men started for the roof. When
they reached the stairs leading to the
roof, Doyle, bareheaded, came dashing
down. He was very weak and excited,
and, almost fainting, fell against the
porter. His clothes torn from his back
and his trembllngs bore witness to the
fearful ordeal he had undergone. Ged-
ney was walking calmly around the
roof when Mr.. Eden put his head
out of the scuttle and pleasantly
invited that gentleman to come
out AMI see the city, but Mr.. Eden de-
clined. and finally succeeded in getting
Gedney to come down for the purpose
of taking a drink. Mr.. Eden and Mr..
Haslem finally got him Into room and
asked him why he had attempted to
surprised at first, but laughed and said
that
1t Was Only a Joke.
Nevertheless, he was locked in securely,
and his father was telegraphed for.
graphic account of his fearful fight for
life, and, when informed that Gedney
claimed that it was only joke, he said,
passing his hand nervously over his
face, to which the natural color had not
yet returned, although it was several
hours after the occurrence:
"Joke, was it? Well, l would give
my hopes of heaven rather than go
through such a pleasantly for the sec
ond time. 1t was no joke to me, what
ever it may have been to him. L fought
as never fought before, as | had no
idea that | or any other man could
fight. l tell you, my life grew
mighty sweet to me when l
thought of being tossed sixteen
stories down to a granite pavement.
Once we were within four feet of the
edge. / thoughthe had me. | gripped
one hand in his hair and closed the
other on his throat, and swore that If
I-went over the edge of-that roof to my
death ne would never live to tell any
thing about it. | would have dragged
him down with me-"
Doyle's escape was by piece of clever
strategy. Feeling that his strength was
almost gone, and being at some distance
from The edge. he suddenly called to
Gedney TO stop;
9 THAT He Would Jump Off
s When he was loosened he stipulated
thathe must have a few moments for
down. Gedney, standing in his
place, reverentially bent his head.
Doyle watched him through his half
closed eyes, and, as suddenly and as
quickly as a cat springs, he darted
toward the Scuttle and went through it
like flash and into the arms of the
men who were coming to save him.
81 knew it was my only chance" he
said, "and | made leap for life. saw
the scuttle in kind of blur. and l
don't actually believe that l touched
the roof between that hole and the spot
where l stood when Gedney loesed
his hold l simply jumped for that
hole, and / owe my life this min
ute to the fact that hit it.
If had missed it Gedney would have
hauled me back, and the whole thing
would have ended sixteen stories
lower than it did. l felt then as
il | had fought him all afternoon,
though | do not suppose that the
whole thing was over ten minutes, prob
ably less than that. My strength was
al! gone, and l could not have fought
any longer. l would have been game
for him if he had got me in his hands
again. But them" concluded Doyle, II
would have died game, and would not