The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-08
JUMPED FIFTY FEET.
Yet Brecl<lein's Leap from n Win
dow Scarcely Injured Him.

dow scarcely Injured Him.
Whether he was crazed from a recent
sunstroke. or whether he was merely
Respondent because his large family
was destitute, Christopher Breckiein this
morning frat tried to cut his wrist with
piece of glass, and, failing in that.
jumped out of the thrd-story window OF
his house. 1t was In the big tenement
at 562 East Twelfth street. The man
had a fierce struggle with his wife and
son before he could jump. He was only
slightly injured.
Brecklein lis thirty-nine years old. In
til two weeks ago he had been for a
long time in the employ of the Street
Cleaning Department, as sweeper. But
| on one OF the hot days of the Summer
| he was overcome by the heat. and his
brain affected. He worked along as well
as he could after that. but he acted so
strangely, that two weeks ago he was
| laid off.
He remained at home, but did not i'm
prove. He seemed to get worse. for
there were his five young children and
his wife who were absolutely without
support, and at times without necessary
dren with tears in his eyes; then he
would lie on his bed. motionless. for
hours
When Brecklein first came home his
wife went to DIR. Ross. on Thirteenth
street. and told her story. The physi.
clan agreed to treat Breck.ein, and let
the family pay whenever they could.
The man was out OF his head a great
part of the time, but he was not so bad
but that he remembered that his family
had to be supported, and he was their
only means.
There is a rule in the Street Cleaning
Department that II man Is off duty for
hve days he loses his position. Possibly
is sick. Breckein. however. believed
that 1t did, and when he had been home
| for four days he said to his wife in the
evening:
You must get the doctor to give me a
certificate saying that am well enough
to go to work. If he does not I Will
lose my position and he will never get
| his money"
So the woman hurried to the office OF
| DIR. Ross When he heard what she had
| to say. he shook his head. Nevertheless
he said he would see her husband again
and see what could be done. When he
did see the man. he said that 1t was ut
terly impossible for him to give the
necessary certificate. Her husband was
| dementeQ, the physician Salu. anu SnOulC
be in an institution: he might become
| violent at any moment, and do harm
| not only to himself. but to those abou
| him.
That was a week ago Matters wen
along in some way until last night
when Brecklein would not go TO bed
He insisted on sitting up at the window
Mrs Breck!ein said she would sit W
with him. So she put the children t
bed the only bed there was for them
a, blanket thrown on the. floor in one o.
| the two rooms the family occupy-ant
sat by her husbands side.
In the early morning hours the
from which she awoke at o clock with
left the window. She looked around
There. at one side OF the room. where
the feeble rays of the burning lamr
In his right hand he held a piece OF a
ing at his left wrist.
The woman spr4ns upon him an,
,Brecklein struggled with her to regair
It. but she tossed 1t out Of the window
Then he became frantic. In the strug
dren, sleeping in the room, were awak
cned and began to cry. The woman
called TO ;the eldest boy. Robert. thirteen
and told him to go out for a policeman
Still the man struggled; he got .nea
to the window once, and tried to jumI
out. Another. son. Frank. eleven year.
old, went to his mothers aid. At las
the man seemed 20 get more quiet. ant
sat down upon the floor: Mother t an,
Brecklein had tried to jump, but they
forgot that there was another In thu
room. 1t was open, too. and looked GU
on a fire-escape over the street.
Suddenly Breckln jumped up from thu
floor and dashed through the window on e
the fire-escape. With a shrek, his wifi,
was after him. He was half way ovel
the rail of the escape when Mrs Breck
lein clutched his clothing. She held hin
man had little difficulty In shaking then
off, and as he did so loosened his hold or
the fre-escape and dropped to the street
| 1t was n fall OF fifty feet. Mrs. Brock
lein sank to the floor and covered hel
eyes with her hands. 1t was some tim'
| before she could sum UP sufficient cour
age to go down into the street. Ther
she found her husband sitting on tn
curb-stone with crowd around him
lie did not appear to be hurt. There wal
a policeman there, too. All were trying
| to find out where the man came from
| and what he was doing there.
| For while they would not believ
Mrs. Brecklein when she said that hel
husband had jumped from the window
At last the policeman summoned al
ambulance. for he said II the man reall,
Brecklein would not utter word. Wher
the ambulance came from Bellevue Hos
pital. DIR. Hackett examined the maj
and said that both his ankles Yer,
| sprained. He was taken to the hospital
Besides the boys Robert and Frank
the other children are Katie. eight
Maggie. five, and the baby. eight months
l. \