Evening journal., 1894-06-04
He SAVED HER AND SANK
William Macdonald's Brave Act
Proves Fatal.
TRAGIC INCIDENT IN THE PAssAIC.

Miss Josephine Chandler OF Philadelphia
Slipped From Nacdonaid's Launch Into
tho River. and He Rescued Her by a He
role Effort, but Lost His own Life.
NEW YORK, June 4-Wrliam c. Mac
Ronald, aged a. boss plumber at 296
Sixth avenue in this city, was drowned in
rescuing young woman who fell from
his naphtha launch in the Passaic near
Nutley. He lived with his mother and
his brother, DR.. Macdonald, in the Chelsea
fats, in Twenty street, in winter
and spent a great deal Of his time in sum
mer at the family home i'm Belleville
1t was his habit TO make frequent trips
up the Passiac and he almost invariably
stopped at the Bend View House for din
ner in the evening On Saturday evening
he was accompanied by Johnson Woods
and by pretty young woman whose namo
Woods and everybody else at the hotel,
very unfortunately, endoavored TO conceal.
Slipped Into the River.
A little before o'clock the party start
ed away from the hotel with the young
woman daintily perched beside Macdonald
upon the wooden canopy Of the "a foot
launch. The boat swung out into the mid
die of the stream, and the combined weight
Of tine two persons upon the canopy, being
SO high above the water caused IL to ca
reen as the bow was turned down stream.
The boat careoned so far that the young
woman slipped OFF into the water Mac
donald plunged in to save her. Woods,
who was running the engine, said in his
story to County Physician Elliott yester-
day that he shut off steam instantly and
threw a rope TO the woman. She caught
it, and he dragged her aboard.
Meantime the boat swung broadside to
the tide, and when he looked for Macdon-
aid he could see nothing of him. Woods
finally told the county physician with re-
luctance that the young woman was Miss
Josephine Chandler Of Philadelphia and
that she was his friend.
Tried to Keep IL Quiet.
Miss Chandler was taken TO the Bend
View House and put in the care Of Mrs.
Luke r. Brandt, the proprietors wife.
Then several parties Of men were sent out
to drag the river for Macdonald's body.
Macdonald's younger brother was sun
mOned from Belleville and a telegram
was sent TO his elder brother in this city.
Woods used every effort to prevent any
knowledge Of the affair getting to the
newspapers, and he was assisted in this by
number Of Newarkers who were at the
hotel
They prevented any Of the employees OF
the place from talking 20 reporters, and
even denied that anybody had been drown.
ed or that there had been woman in tho
case, although the river was being drag
ged almost directly in front of the hous,
and hot drinks were being prepared foi
the exhausted young woman Wood,
threatened dire vengeance if anything wa
published about the matter.
Macdonald's Heroic Struggle.
The body was found by Thomas Lem
ons Of Newark and John Mashett Of Jer
sey City shortly before 10 o'clock yester
day morning. 1t had not moved from tn
place where the accident had occurred
Undertaken John d. Keylcr took charg
of it and removed it to his place I'm Bloom
field by permission Of the county physi
clan after Acting County Physician Har
rison had examined it and found no mark
of violence. DIR. Harrison was told tina
Miss Chandler had been removed TO tn
residence of a Mr. Brown i'm Belleville,
friend of the Macdonalds' He did not so
her to get her version of the affair. Dr
Macdonald paid 500 TO the men who re
, covered his brothers body
A man who says he saw the accident dc
/ clares that when Miss Chandler slippel
! from the canopy into the water Wood
! threw q cushion to her, while Macdonald
! without stopping to take of a single gar
D ment, sprang into the river and swan {
! the struggling woman. He caught he
p and swan back toward the boat with hi
head under water nearly all the time II
pushed her within reach of Woods, VIII
p dragged her into the boat, but his ow
. strength was then spent, and he driftc
under the counter of the boat, and tn
7 man thought he was struck by the whee
: Fired on Grabbing Fleet.