The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-08-11
JUMPED INTO THE RIVER.
Steve Brodie Tells OF His Feelings
Before and After His
Leap,
He Was Only u Eootb!ack and
learned to Be Famous in
the Land.
Decided to Jump Downward Into Noto-
rlcty-Tho Experience Told in His
Own Peculiar style.

Steve Brodie made tho leap from the
Brooklyn bridge on July %, 1886, and Lar
ny Donovan on Dec. % of the same year,
and both lcaped into fortune at n bound so
to speak. Poor Donovan, who was II print
er and n good one, was killed the follow
Ing year in jumping from Hungerford
bridge, London.
The accounts of their sensations while
making the fearful leap, as told by Brodie
and Donovan, are decidedly interesting.
Brodie's yarn runs something like this:
"Ye see, l was only a miserable boot
black, slavin away polishin up blolies'
shoes and not gettin rich at it by a long
shot. When I got to be % years old, I said
to myself: Steve, old fel, if ye're goin to
get up in the world and make a hit, We
must get a large move on. Do somep'n to
attract attention - somep'n that'll put
money into your pocket
II looked about for q long time for a
chance to get a foothold somewhere. l
thought of goin on the variety stage as a
Jig dancer and learnt u lot of new steps. l
used to have my stampin ground down at
"AS ~ WV bln otiNSSy tbll0 llS StlA
the other bootblacks used often to talk
about poor Odlum's jump.
I'VE argued that Odlum hadn't known
how to hold himself while maxim the jump.
! said l thought if a Teller put some
weights on his shoes to make him strike
the water feet first he could make it all
right. Then somebody said if he did that
he'd sink when he struck water. l hadn't
thought OK that, but lay awake purity near
all that night thinkin over the bridge, and
II made up my mind to try tho jump Wild
out weights or anything but my regular
clothes. If | was killed, all right; that
would be the end Of me, and / wouldn't
have to polish any more. If + made the
jump widout KILN myself or hurting my
self badly, then l knew l could get a big
salary from some museum.
II determined to make the jump right
away. The next day I spent in plannin
how l would do it. That night l went to
bed early so rs to get q good sleep in order
to be strong for the next day and have all
my wits with me. l didn't seem to feel at all
scared. l had nerved myself to expect
death and came to the conclusion that |
might just as we'll be dead as to cut no fig
lure in the world. I got up early the next
day and dressed myself in a flannel shirt,
trousers held up by a leather belt and q
pair of thick soied shoes. Then 1 walked
down to the bridge. l got q sort of a nerv-
Gus chill and shook like as if l had the ague.
= Il had let four of my bootblack friends
into my secret, and they was waitin down
on the river front in a big rowboat. Invent
down and told them l was ready to make
the jump, and they rowed out to the
middle OF the big span, where I told them l
was goin to jump from.
nL Il hung around the New York entrance
to the bridge until n truck came along and
asked the chap drivin if he'd AXE me
across. He told me to jump on. Ny heart
was beatin SO l could hardly breathe. NV
legs seemed to give way. but l managed to
climb on the truck. l sat on the tail end
with my legs hangin over. The driver
didn't turn round to look at me.
j II said to myself that I must brace up
that needed all my courage and strength
to make the jump, and somehow l nolong-
.er felt scared a bit. The water didn't
seem so all fired ardown, and 1 said to nv
self: Steve, this is dead easy. You've gota
cinch. You'll make the jump all right.
and then your name won't be mud any
longer
las soon as the truck reached the middle
of the bridge | slipped off and quick as a
wink climbed up on the outer rail. l felt
strong as a bull, and my legs seemed
%stronger'n l ever felt them before. NV
hand didn't shake a bit.
II stood up on the rail and looked down.
] had to wait q minute for a tug to get
away from underneath. A bridge copper
and q lot OF people on the footpath saw me
and began yelling and ran toward where
was standin.
" stood up straight as i could and looked
up and down to see that no boat was comm
under where l was. Then l put nv hand,
close down by my sides and jumped, Just as
II was jumping from q height of six feet.
The sky, water, the big buildings of
New York and Brooklyn, the network of
cables and iron beams Of the big bridge all
seemed in a whirl. All my life seemed to
whirr through my brain like lightnin. It
seemed as though everything I had ever
done jumped up into my mind in the in
slant it took me to reach the water.
But it didn't seem an instant that
was fallin. 1t seemed an hour-seyeral
hours.
suddenly l felt q shock that nearly
broke my backbone. 1t seemed as if | had
struck Il stone wall. My ankles seemed
broke off short. The soles of my feet tin
gled and burned like fire.
Then | didn'th have time to think of INV
thing, for l seemed shootin down to the
very bottom of the river. The water was
all black, / wen SO far down. 1t seemed
like l had shot down u mile into the water.
" had the breath all knocked out of mo
and had just sense enough left to swim aw-
ful hard to reach the air on top of the wa
ter, and | tried to swim and began to kick
as hard as could. 1swum and swum. IN
til | could not remember ANYTHING. but
just sort OF went off into a sleep, like as fI
was in bed, and funny enough didn't care
any more whether come up out of the wa
ter or not.
Il didn't know nothin more until | found
myself i'll the bottom Of u boat, which was
the boat my friends had rowed out after
ME in.
II was bleedin from my nose, and every
bone in my body seemed broke. l felt too
weak to move II open my eyes. Wouldn't
have tried to move if an elephant was fall
In on me.
II was arrested as soon as | got on shore.
but | didn't care for that nor for ANYTHING
else. felt as if ! was dead. The police
didn't do nothia to me, and l found that
had suddenly become an object of great
curiosity, and the offers from the museum
managers came thick and fast.
but, say, l wouldn't jump off the bridge