The herald., 1897-03-14

scheme but few Of the other boys had
| been educated to, and many Is tne
scoop" have found In that way. "
course the young ladies were perrectiy
horror stricken when told them mRa
had died In my arms, for not one OF them
ever offered to even live In ike post
ton. When I told them about the mans
eyes sticking out like the eyes OF
lobster" they insisted on my stopping
the narrative. declaring they woulo see
the suicide In their sleep for weeks ana
weeks to follow.
Just-then police call was flashed over
the wires from the "Spain House.. Out
dashed. and was just In time to eaten
the patrol wagon as It swung round the
corner. There had been no intimation
as to the nature OF the trouble, but when
the wagon reached it's destination the
cause was soon ascertained. An OLD
man. who had reached the allotted age.
was running up and down on the roor
of the hotel. four-story building, on
North Clark street, near the river. ana
was wildly gestulating and talking
to the several hundred spectators as
sembled below. He kept begging them
to go away. so he could jump on and kill
himself. but the more he begged the
larger grew the crowd. The police
learned that the old man had gone crazy,
climbed through the skyllght and de-
Vial cQ lHdl he WOulQ HcfCI CoiiC 0OWh
alive. Every moment or two he would
run to the edge OF the room and say:
Look out. look out. I'm going to jump"
and then he would run back to the sky
light. My scheme was to call out the
fire department and drive him to the
skylight with the hose where an officer
could catch him, but the police ridiculed
the idea. One of them finally started up
the skylight. and at the same time an
other started up the front fire escape.
The crazy man realized at once that he
would soon be a captive, and quicker
than 1t takes to tell 1t, he rushed to the
edge of the building. took firm hold on
the gutter, swung his body from the
building. and there he hung. The elec-
trio light close by showed the muscles Of
his hands and arms as the poor old fell
low was suspended between life and
death. Finally the left hand gave way
and that threw his face half outward. I
could see the death-like agony on his
wrinkled brow. the CLASSY look In the
demonlike eyes. but never word came
from those thin, pale lips. They were
set as firmly as II in death. One finger
straightens out from the awful weight.
then another. then another! The Sec
onds seem like years. He is now only
holding On by one finger. but 1t seems
like hook of steel. Will 1t bend or
break? draw closer and closer. watch
ing HIS stdleu lips 10 cdtcn tnelf last
word. Just then he throws back his
head with God save me" look, his
finger gives way, and down. down he
goes. His feet struck the hotel sign
board, and the man seemed to turn
hundred somersaults as his body went
dashing to eternity. The head was the
first to strike the cement pavement. and
it sounded like pistol shot. I was be-
spattered from feet to head with human
brains. and as stood there, viewing the
quivering remains, my blood seemed to
CONCEAL. The mans head was entirely
gone; the great force with which II
struck the pavement had blown the
head to atoms as completely as though
the head itself had been filed with giant
powder instead of brains.
For weeks and weeks afterward I
would awake myself calling to the po-
lice: Turn the hose on him. turn the
hose on him. PANCHO.