The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-06
KILLED BY THE FALL
ELID DECHENB LOSES HIS LIFE
JUST AS HIS DAYS WORK
IS DOME
DOING A JOB OF PAINTING


one End of the Staging Slipped
From the stirrpR, Throwing the
Painter and. HIS Companion to
the Sidewalk a.. Distance OF
Nearly Thirty Feet-OIaf johnson
ESCAPED Without Injury.
be 49,
Just as Ellie Dechene, and Olaf Johnson
painters working 'ong'a staging at the
second story Of Browning, King & Co.'s
building, Seventh and Robert streets,
were about to quib work shortly after 6
CLOCK last evening; one of the staging
shppeo from the stirrup support, precip-
itatlhg both men to the stone pavement,
thirty Ieet below. Dechene struck
squareiy upon the top of his head and
was instantly killed. Johnson chung to
the staging, falling with less force. and
escaped without serious injury Several
pedestrians narrowly escaped being
struck by the falling staging, and two
young girls riding by on bicycles were
covered with paint from the overturned
cans.
The repainting of Browning, King &
cos store is being done by Bazille &c
partridge, decorators at 468 Jackson
street, by whom Dechene and johnson
were employed Dechene lived at 51s
Bradley street. while Johnson lives at
~ sycamore street. Both men had been
working several days on the store and
were regarded as careful workmen. The
men stopped painting when the o'clock
Whistles blew and were preparing to
pun up the staging to the top floor They
were ABOUT middle way between the Sec
ond and third floors. Johnson stood
bending over one end Of the staging.
while Dechene was upright at the other
end, looking to the ground. where part
OF the tackle was in a tangle Dechene.
according to Johnson, placed one foot
against sign across the front Of the
building and pushed. the staging out a
short distance to -disentangle the lower
hanging ropes. Suddenly. Johnson says,
Decnene,s end of f!the staging dropped
several feet. Th1s,tpuiled the end of the
staging upon which johnson was stand
1ng from the 'stir1dip.'" Johnson grasped
one OF the ropes with "a cry of warning.
His end OF the staging crashed to the
pavement. while the end where Dechene
was standing remainedofast at the second
story. AS johnson half fell, half slid
down the incline thus formed he saw
Dechene tumbled over backward to the
pavement. Decherie had apparently been
unable to grasp any Of the taut ropes
when his end Of the staging first dropped,
and, losing his balance by the Jerk.
plunged Backward No cry escaped him,
nor did he move after striking the walk.
His skull was shattered at the base of
the brain, producing Instant death. For
tunateiy no one appears to have been dt
rectly under the staging when 1t fell.
though the street in the vicinity was
crowded with people going home from
work. The two girls on bicycles were
cred with red paint from the cans, but
were not injured. They hurried away
before their names could be learned.
Deputy Coroner Hesselgrave viewed
Dechene's body, when the remains were
removed to- Dampier,s undertaking
rooms. = ts}.s- = - 1,5s7. SE3'Ixs=s,t .iS5.s
SDechene was forty-seven years old and
leaves q wife and SIX: children, the eld-
est married daughter. He had worked
irreguls rly for Baziile &c Partridge for
ten years. John A. Baizelle was at the
scene Of the accident soon after 1t hap
pened, and examined q the staging and
tackle. He said the tackle was new,
having been used but once before the
Browning, King & Co.: job, and that after
the accident nothing appeared to have
been broken. Johnson says he thinks
that when Dechene pushed the staging
from the wall the swerving pulled one
end of the ladder from the stirrup. The
end where Johnson was standing was not
secured, while Dechene's end was tied
to the stirrup. Dechene was formerly
a member Of the Cooperative Painters
association.