The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-08-11
HOW BRODIE JUMPED.
THE BRIDGE JUMPER TELLS OF HIS
FEELINGS WHEN HE LEAPED.

scribed by One of the Men Who Was
Among the First Few to Hazard Death
For Fame In Such a Remarkable Way.
Steve Brodie made the leap from the
Brooklyn bridge on July %, 1886, and Lar
~ Donovan on Dec. % of the same year,
and both leaped into fortune at bound so
to speak. Poor Donovan, who was print
er and a 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, 1 was only miserable boot
black, slavin away polishin up blokies'
shoes and not gettin rich at it by long
shot. When 1 got to be % years old, said
to myself: Steve, old fel, if ye're goin to
get up in the world and make hit, ye
must get large move on. Do somep'n to
attract attention = somep'n that'll put
money into your pocket
81 looked about for long time for
chance to get q foothold somewhere. /
thought of goin on the variety stage as
Zig dancer and learnt a lot of new steps. l
used to have my stampin ground down at
the entrance to the big bridge, and me and
the other bootblacks used often to talk
about poor Odlum's jump.
1--WE 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
,r.l@ 4 L
he'd SIM, when he struck water. hadn't
thought of that, but lay awake purity near
all that night thinkin over the bridge, and
/ made up my mind to try the jump wild
out weights or anything but my regular
clothes. If 1 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 I knew l could get a big
salary from some museum.
II determined to make the Jump right
away. The next day l spent in plannin
how would do it. That night went to
bed early so as to get good sleep in order
to be strong for the next day and have all
my wits with me- didn't seem to feel at all
scared. l had nerved myself to expect
death and came to the conclusion that
might just as well be dead as to cut no fig
ure In the world. l got up early the next
day and dressed myself in a flannel shirt,
trousers held up by leather belt and
pair of thick soled shoes. Then I walked
down to the bridge. l got a sort of a nerv-
Gus chill and shook like as if had the ague.
II had let four of my bootblack friends
into my secret, and they was waitin down
on the river front in big rowboat. Invent
down and told them was ready to make
the jump, and they rowed out to the
middle of the big span, where told them /
was goin to jump from.
II hung around the New York entrance
to the bridge until truck came along and
asked the chap drivin if he'd take me
across. He told me to jump on. My heart
was beatin so could hardly breathe. My
legs seemed to give way, but managed to
climb on the truck. I sat on the tail end
with my legs hangin over. The driver
didn't turn round to look at me.
II said to myself that must brace up
that / needed all my courage and strength
to make the jump, and somehow no long
er felt scared a bit. The water didn't
seem 50 all fired far down, and said to my
self: Steve, this is dead easy. You've got
cinch. You'll make the jump all right
and then your name won't be mud any
longer
"As soon as the truck reached the middle
of the bridge l slipped off and quick as a
wink climbed up on the outer rail. 1 felt
strong as bull, and my legs seemed
stronger'n 1 ever felt them before. NV
hand didn't shake bit.
II stood up on the rail and looked down.
had to wait a minute for tug to get
away from underneath. A bridge copper
and lot of people on the footpath saw me
and began yelling and ran toward where I
was standin.
L stood up straight as could and looked
up and down to see that no boat was comm
under where was. Then put my hands
close down by my sides and jumped, just as
If was jumping from height of six feet.
1.-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 whirl. All my life seemed to
whirr through my brain like lightnin. 1t |
seemed as though everything / 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 I |
was fallin. 1t seemed an hour-several |
hours
Suddenly I felt a shock that nearly |
OrOke my BACKBONE. IL seemed as II had |
struck stone wall. My ankles seemed |
broke off short. The soles of my feet tin
gled and burned like fire.
"Then didn't have time to think of any, |
thing, for l seemed shootin down to the |
very bottom of the river. The water was
all black, went SO far down. 1t seemed |
like had shot down mile into the water.
; II had the breath all knocked out of me
and had just sepse enough left to swim aw-
full hard to reach the air on top of the Wa /
ter, and tried to swim and began to kick
as hard as could. swum and swum, un-
til / could not remember anything, but |
just sort of went off into sleep, like as if |
was in bed, and funny enough didn't care |
any more whether l come up out of the wa
ter or not.
II didn't know nothin more until found |
myself in the bottom of 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. I felt too
weak to move N open my eyes. Wouldn't |
have tried to move if an elephant was fall
In on me.
Il was arrested as soon as l got on shore, i
but didn't care for that nor for anything
else. felt as if 1 was dead. The police |