The Saint Paul globe., 1898-06-13
JUMPED FROM THE BRIDGE
PAUL TUsT1N DOVE s7 FEET
INTO THE RIVER

In Order to Show That His Peculiar
Form of Amusement Was Not Me-
cessarily Fatal, He Turned
Back SOmersault ON His Way
Down-PoIice Were Notified, but
No Arrests Made.
He stood on the bridge at half-past 5
in the afternoon and jumped off. The
bridge was the Wabasha street bridge,
and it occurred yesterday afternoon.
His body was not recovered for it
didn't have to be-he swan ashore.
Mr.. Tustin accomplished the feat on
a bet. 1t was not only that he should
jump off the bridge, but that he should
make back somersault in his
descent, which he duly did. The jump
was the result of bet between c. A.
Davis, of the Forepaugh-Sells circus.
and Horace McVicker, Of the Mckee
Rankin company. Mr.. Tusin got $l0O
for making the jump-a little better
than dollar a foot for the descent, as
1t is only ninety-seven feet from the
bridge to heiWater at the point where
he made the dive. Mr.. Tustin jumps
from bridges and things for a living,
but some day he will do it for finish,
because just after he had jumped yes
terday afternoon a two-inch plank
about ten feet long, was thrown off the
bridge and struck the water fiat. The
plank broke fairly in two. Mr.. Tustin
will need two coffins when he forgets
some day and lands fiat on the water
The bet was made Saturday night
Mr.. Davis thinks that Mr.. Tustin can
jump off of pretty near any old thing,
so long as there is water below. He
sees Mr.. Tustin jump pretty nearly
every day, and believes in his capacity
He was in the Nicollet hotel in Mime
talking with Mr.. McVicker a bout jump
ing and things. He said that he had a
man who could jump from any bridge
In the country, and who could make
Steve Brodie and other high and lofty
people take to the woods when there
were bridges to be jumped. Mr.. Nc
Wicker said he didn't believe Mr.. Davis
knew anybody who could jump from a
bridge that he could pick out; he would
even bet good money that Mr.. Davis
could not produce such a man. He
named $3.50 as the sum he would bet
that Mr.. Davis did not know anybody
who could jump from height of 100
feet and make a back somerSault in the
descent.
Well" said Mr.. Davis cit Is just like
getting money sent to me, but I'll have
to take that bet"
The money was put up and Mr.. Nc
Wicker named the Wabasha street
bridge as the place and the time 5
o'clock yesterday. An arrangement was
made for the bettors to meet at the
Windsor hotel yesterday afternoon, and
go thence to the bridge. In the mean
time the affair had beet talked about,
and there were several newspaper men
on hand to see that the event came off
on time.
Mr.. Davis turned up at the hotel
about 4 o'clock with a slightly built but
athletic-looking young man of about
six feet, dressed in a tweed suit, whom
he introduced as his jumper. He said
that Mr.. Tustin's occupation was Jump
ing off high towers in the circus every
day, and then Mr.. McVicker began to
think he had been to precipitate per
haps, in making the bet. But it had to
be gone through with, even after Mr..
Tustin had told how he had been jump
Ing off bridges for twelve years or yse,.
and that he never felt quite right lun-
less he was jumping. His act with
Forepaugh included jump OF eighty,
feet from the top Of the tent into a
tank Of water only four feet deep. He
had. jumped from the Eads bridge in
st. Louis on two distinct occasions.
and only three weeks ago he had
jumped off the suicides bridge in Lin
coin park, Chicagcpa height of seventy
five feet. When assured that there was
at least twenty feet of water in the
Mississippi at the point where he would
jump into 1t, he said that he was sorry
that II was SO aacv The foot tbof ,fp
partner was killed by striking the
water fiat at the opening performance
Of the Forepaugh-Sells Bros. circus in
Columbus, O., did not seem to depress
him in the least
How about the high bridge?" ask
ed a newspaper man, would you mind
jumping off that?'
Anything would do for Mr.. Tustin,
as long as 1t was a bridge, but Mr..
McVicker didn't want to take any
chances on being in at death, and
he said that the Wabasha street struc-
ture would do him. Mr.. Davis felt
that it was coming easy enough for
him, so he ordered carriages for the
party, and they were driven up over
the high bridge. The tremendous
height of the popular resort for local
suicides quite impressed Mr.. Tustin,
and he was anxious to make a new
record when he was told that the
bodies were seldom recovered until the
spring. He was prevailed upon not to
do it, and the party went around on
the West side and left the carriages
on the Wabasha street bridge with in
structions to drive up after the jump
had been made. This precaution was
taken in case CT police interference
They talked about the last attempt
that had been made at jumping from
the bridge, while Mr.. Tusen went down
into the boat house below the bridge
and prepared for his dive.
It was on Christmas day, 1895, that
the last jump was made. A couple of
days before Christmas there came into
town person named Menier who gave
it out that he had. come from Mon
tana. that he was broke and that it
would be necessary for him to raise
the wind. By way Of starting the gale
he proposed to jump off the Wabasha
street bridge on Christmas afternoon.
He invited the newspaper people and a
few others to see him do it. At the
time he had mentioned he met the in
vited guests to- what they considered
the funeral Of Mr.. Menier at Billy
Twombly's. Mr.. Menier was there.
He took off his clothes, put on an ulster,
took drink, walked out on the bridge
and dropped off. When he came
ashore Jim Ahern pulled him out and
an unfeeling policeman took him off
to Jail. Soon thereafter Mr. Menier
disappeared from these parts and from
the public view generally.
While Mr.. McVicker was being told
about this Mr.. Tustin had got down
on Raspberry island and had made 3.
deal with Dave Martin, who builds
boats down there, to take a boat out
and pick up man if he saw one float
ing about in the water 1t took him
some twenty minutes to make this ar
rangement. and to put off his clothes