The Portland daily press., 1896-11-17
A BICYCLE SUICIDE.
Slipback Taylor Resolved That He
Would Ride or Die.

He Gould Not Learn and So Hanged Him
self to a Tree-His Hard Struggle to
Learn The First EIopement In the
Thompson Street Bicycle Club.
1t was clearly evident to the 60 or more
members of the Thompson Street Bicycle
| club who waited for the regular weekly
meeting to open that President Toots had
something on his mind of considerable i'm
portanoe He looked anxious and worried,
and the routine proceedings were hurried
over in manner to show that his inter-
est was beyond. There were various sur
misses Of coming disaster, but no one sus-
pected the truth until it fell from his lips.
my frens, said the president as he
| arose in his place, de painful dooty de-
wolves upon me as president of dis club to
| break de news to yo' dat Brudder Slipback
Taylor am no mo- on de face Of dis airth.
He was, as yo' all know, one of de charter
members Of dis club, an man who took
de greatest interest in all our proceedings.
! At noon today I met him on de street, an
he was suokin lemon an carryin home a
porous plaster fur his back. His eyes had
| a furaway look, an I noticed dat he had
a limp, but he 'peared to be In good health
an speeFits Two hours ago he was found
hangin to tree in his back ya'd at de
eand of 40 thesline. His wife fust thought
he was playin game on her to find out
how much she luved him. But, alas, the
drefful truth was soon apparent Brudder
Taylor was as dead as a doahnail an as
cold as piece of sheet iron in Jinuary.
"Was domestic onhappiness de reason
fur dis tragedy" continued the president
as he wiped away a tear "No. Things
| oil fryht at a ypa nt bar nd
up. He was not sick. He had no secret
sorrow. 1t was plain, straight case of
cause an effect. De bike was de cause, an
de effect was dat he was found dead.
Brudder Taylor was man go years
ole. Fur de last ten Vars he has had
rheumatic, biles, chilblains, lame back,
| heart disease, asthma an seberal other
ailments. An II dar had been hundred
fat an juicy watermillyons Jest ober de
fence he could not hev clumb ober to git
one. was mo- dan surprised when he
| lined dis club. 1t didn't seem to me dat
he could eber be able to ride de wheel, but
he would listen to no argument. He jest
made up his mind dat de wheel was good
fur what allied him, an dat five mile spin
befo' breakfast would soon make young
| man of him, an it was no use to hurt his
feelin's ober de matter. Muffin has eber
happened to gin me mo- pain dan to watch
de efforts of dat pore ole man to conker de
wheel. He was up befo' daylight an out
arter dark. Sometimes he would come
home limpin on BOAT legs; sometimes dey
/ would bring him on a dray He fell on
his head, on his ear, on his back, on his
side. He got bruise at ghery rod, an he
left piece of hide on cherry block. He run
into fences, street kyars, ice wa gons hacks
and pedestrians, an vehicles of varus sorts
an kinds run ober him. Policemen threat
ened, women wept an men guyed him,
but he kept right on. lie was gwine to
ride that bike or die.
"Dis AFTERNOON Brudder Taylor vent
out as usual to hev his usual struggle wild
de wheel He had cooked de saddle up,
soaked de chain an blowed up de tires, an
de feelin had come to him dat success was
within his reach. Nobody happened to
see what followed. 1t am s'posed, how
eber, dat in de exhilerashun of his speerits
he attempted fyin mount. Befo' dat he
had always got up tree to drop into de
saddle. De attempt was failure. When
he riz on his toe, his bike started off. So
fur as I kin trace it by scraps of olothin
an loose buttons, it cantered ober a boss
block, lodged three times around shade
tree an den galloped across de street an
upset laundry wagon an brung up agin
a brick wall. Brudder Taylor was found
on de ground wild his legs tied in hard
knot an his head driven down so far lords
| his heels dat they couldn't find his neck to
| put piece of ice on 1t. When dey got him
ontangled, he was advised to go home an
stick to a rockin cheer de balance of his
days, an he limped away widout word.
He went straight home, passed into de
back ya'd, and de next seen of him he was
cold in death. He had evidently cum to
de conclushun dat de bike was not fur him.
| He had planned an anticipated, an de re-
action had bin too much fur him. Feelin
dat life widout de bike would be dreary
| waste, an hevin made up his mind at last
dat he was beaten man, be put de moose
| ober his head an let his speerit sail away
to dat land whar' par Of wings kin gin
| de bike ten rods de start an beat it home
cherry day in de week. Each member of
| de club will wear de usual badge of mourn
| in fur de next 80 days, an de sum of $50
will be sent to the grievin wilder to help
pay funeral expenses.
"An I hev another startlin piece of
news fur de membe of dis club" contin-
ued the president after a pause. "Last
night Brudder Shutdown Smith an de wife
~ ~ NNNSA OooeO 1'iSh OlHpoOu WOuU
out for spin in de gloamin. DER lamps
was lighted, DER chains dooly creased, an
dey carried along de usual 40 wrenches,
oil cans an odder implements of repair. De
gloamin gloamed, an as dey rode away de
firehies flew about an de whippoorwill
sang his song Of love. Brudder Thompson
put de chillen to bed an den sot up an
waited wild his feet in tub of water
| De clock struck 'leben an 10 an | an
3, but his wife returned not De hours
crept slowly on, an when daylight cum
an she was still missin he knocked at
my doah. We consulted de police an visit
ed de morgue, an it was three hours befo'
we learned de truth. Brudder Smith and
Sister Thompson had sloped, an befo' day
light were 80 miles away an still ped
alin. Dis am de fust case Of slopement
on de bicycle, white or black, to be record
| cd in de history of de world, an while our
| sympathies may go out fur de stricken
| husband we can't help but feel leetle
proud ober de circumstance. Brudder