The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-03
: SHOCK ELSEWHERE.
womAN,s ASSAULT ON FAME.
Dressed in Black Tights She Tries to Leap
from the Brooklyn Bridge.

| from the Brooklyn Bridge.
New York. Sept. 2.-Having been told
| by her worthless husband John that she
could get 81 900 a week to exhibit herself
| in a dime museum, Mrs. Clara Near
thur Of No. 162 East One Hundredth
and Twenty-seventh street became en-
thusiastic TO leap into the East river
and gain fame and fortune at the same
time. Accordingly, shortly after
o'clock this morning, Mrs. Macarthur,
her husband, two friends and little
girl drove from their home in Harlem
to the Brooklyn bridge for the leap
Mrs. Macarthur made a rapid prepara-
ton for her leap. She wore tight
fitting wrapper, which covered a suit
of black tights. She carried half a
pound Of shot in each shoe, and had a
life preserver strapped around her. She
also wore two small balloons under her
armpits, 10 act as buoys when she nit
the water Her head was covered with
an out-of-date straw hat. She was to
discard the wrapper in the carriage
before climbing up the rail 10 make the
leap.
One man was sent ahead on the pro-
menade to signal Macarthur that every
thing was all right, or that there was
danger. AS Macarthur approached the
tower he found a row Of policemen
awaiting his arrival. A reporter had
tipped" the bridge police, and the
scheme was prevented.
Mrs Macarthur is neither an acrobat,
an aeronaut, an actress nor SWIM
mer. In fact, she cannot swim stroke.
Among her neishbOrs she is plain Mrs.
Macarthur, without anything TO dis
tinguish her from thousands of other
women in the city.
All of the arrangements for the jump
were made by her husband John. He
is a railroad man, but at present is out
OF employment. This was his main
reason for planning the jump. But
he was too anxious TO achieve fame and
fortune even in advance of the single
bound" contemplated. Consequently
number of sporting reporters had been
told of the contemplated leap, and met
the party at Thirty-fourth street and
Third avenue at 4:30 O'Clock. One of
them saw the child and determined to
prevent the jump. He argued with the
woman and her husband, but neither
would deviate from the original inten-
ton.
During the argument Mrs. Macarthur
made a great display Of foolhardy
pluck.
Come" she said, "I am in a hurry
I want to make the jump and nobody
can stop me-"
1t was then that the police were noti-
fed Patrolmen We're distributed all
along the roadway, fifty feet apart
across the part of the bridge that spans
the river.
AS the carriage drove on the bridgc
word was telephoned that the would-be
jumper had started.
Macarthur and his friends had decid-
ed to use the code of hand signals COM
mon among railroad men as a means of
communication.
One man was on the promenade 10
signal Macarthur that everything was
all right or that there was danger. The
other went TO the Dover street dock to
signal Jack Smith, formerly a we'll
known boxer. who was out in a small
boat under the bridge, that the car
riage had started.
Macarthur had taken the drivers seat
on the coach. AS he approached the
tower he saw that his plans were frus-
trated. He whipped up his horses and
drove through the gauntlet Of bluecoats
at a rapid pace.
Sergeant Hayes and Roundsman Wig
gins ran after the carriage and follow
ed it to Brooklyn.
Macarthur had apparently abandoned
the idea, for he did not return. The
man in the small boat waited an hour
for the woman to jump and then rowed
ashore. None Of the party We're ar
rested.
Whether or not the woman would
have faltered at the critical moment is
not known, but the police are inclined
to the belief that her nerve would have
deserted her a the last minute. The
thought of her clirtle child might have
induced her TO weaken.
Mrs. Macarthur is about feet . inches
high and weighs 40 pounds. She has
black hair and dark eyes. She is -
Years old.