The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-11
ONE MORE UNFORTUNATE SOUGHT
REFUGE FROM THE TROUBLES
OFF THIS WORLD.
BODY NOT YET RECOVERED.
ODD FELLOWS DO LITTLE MORE
THAN ELECT OFFICERS AT
YESTERDAY,S SESSION.
BANK OFFICIALS ARE INDICTED.
Four Bills Brought I'm in Washing
ton Bank Cases-News of Min
neapOIis.

An unknown man sought death in the
Mississippi by jumping from the mid
die span of the steel arch bridge at
about o'clock yesterday afternoon.
But few persons witnessed the fatal
leap, and they were powerless to at
tempt a rescue. He sank from sight
and was borne away in the swift cur
rent before any thoughts of saving
him, which would have been next to
impossible, could be put into action.
Among the eye witnesses to the
tragedy were Robert Hayes, a young
man residing at 121 Seventh street
southeast, and ]. Vroom, a boarder at
the Wilbur house, 1917 First street
north. They were crossing from the
East side and had walked but a short
distance on the bridge when they saw
a man climb over the railing. His mo-
tive was plain, and they hastened to-
ward him. AS they did SO he climbed
down onto the foot or so OF
walk projecting outside the rail,
beneath him, calmly surveyed
the dark, boiling waters beneath which
were SO soon to close over his form.
Hayes and Vroom slackened their pace
when he sat down, thinking that he
was joking and had no serious inten-
tion of ending his existence. They
had scarcely done so, and were but
short distance from him, when he
placed his hands on the edge of the
bridge on either side of him, lifted his;
body clear Of the walk, trembled for Il
moment in the balance and then
pitched forward into the river. He
struck the water with large splash
and disappeared from view, just as the
Mortified witnesses leaned over the rail.
They caught one more glimpse of him
a few seconds later, when he rose to
the surface and clutched wildly at the
air, apparently making a struggle foc
existence. The body rolled over and
over with the current for a short dis
tance, the watchers got one more look
at the despairing countenance, and
then he sank a second time to be seen
no more.
The witnesses describe him as a man
of ordinary build, whose distinguish
ing feature was a long, heavy black
beard They state also that his fea-
lures resembled those of a Hebrew.
He wore a broad brimmed soft hat.
The parcel man at the union station
states that a man exactly answering
the description given by the witnesses
approached him at about 8 o'clock and
asked information as to the time a
train left for certain point. He for
got the name Of the place, but remem-
hers that the man acted little
strangely. A woman, whose name
could not be learned, was within q
short distance of the man when he
jumped
He took the plunge in mid-river, and
the police are inclined to think that the
body went over the falls, although
: it may have been swept into the West
side mill pond, in which case an at
tempt may be made to locate it,
The identity of the man was estab-
lfshed almost to a certainty last even
ing when it was reported to police
headquarters that Meyer NJ Schwartz,
residing at S05 Fifth street south, was
missing. Schwartz is !, an Armenian n
Hebrew. and for week or two past
has been very Respondent. He is de-
scribed as forty-five years old, dark
Completed with black whiskers. He
was dressed in, a black Prince Albert
coat and blue striped trousers, and
! wore a stiff hat The description tall
lies exactly with that of the suicide, as
given, by the eye witnesses, with the
exception Of the stiff hat, which was
said to have been a soft one by several
of the witnesses. However. all dodbt
was dispelled last night when it was
learned that a. man named w einstein,
residing in the same - house as
Schwartz, claims to have seen
Schwartz leap from the bridge, as it
happened that he was passing at the
time. Schwartz could not speak Eng
:lish, having come over from his native
land but three months ago. where he
has a wife and seven children: No
effort has yet been made to recover
the body =. >-.>