The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-03
Matthias Vandrasek Plunges
Head First From the
High Bridge
WAS IN DRUNKEN STUPOR
Was Pulled From the River by Log
gers and His Desperate Attempt
at Suicide Enthusiastically
Troubles the Cause.

L'GSduoC 1Ao AOuI col -OlO
daughter refused to speak to him when
he left home, Matthias Vandrasek,
cabinetmaker, residing at 71S Canton
street, jumped head foremost from the
high bridge yesterday morning, sus-
tanning slight injuries, from which he
will recover in few days. Vandrasek
is the second man to fall from the
high bridge and escape with his life.
Vandrasek was more or less intoX-
icated when he decided to kill himself.
He walked to the highest part Of the
bridge, where it is 208 feet to the wa
ter by actual measurement. He calm
ly climbed up on the rail and dived
down. There were a number of pc
destrians on the bridge at the time,
and their shouts attracted the atten-
ton Of two boom men who were work.
ing in a f1at-bottomed scow a short
distance from the spot where Vandra-
SEX struck. The boom men, Buckley
AMI Dugan, jumped into a skiff and
hurried to the spot shortly after Van
drasek arose.
The impact of the body shot the wa
ter fully twenty feet in the air and
no person who witnessed the act ever
expected to see Vandrasek rise. He
swimming with feeble strokes. The
skiff arrived in the nick of time as
Vandrasek was completely exhausted
when drawn into the boat. The water
split his clothes as if th1y had been
cut with a knife, and his trousers look
ed as if they had gone through a
| threShing machine.
AS soon as the boat arrived at the
CHI on1 e.
patrol wagon, and the men who res
cued him, worked his arms back and
forth until Vandcrsek had fully
| recovered his breath. Although in a
| dazed condition, due to the shock and
the whisky, Vandrasek was at all
! times conscious. The Central patrol
wagon hurried to the hospital, where
Vandrasek's injuries were examined.
With the exception Of a sd blotch
| about the size of an ordinary envel-
ope on his back, Vandrasek was scath-
less. There was not a bone broken or
drop Of blood drawn, and after he
| was at the hospital a few minutes he
was able to tell his story with as little
| difficulty as if he had been a specta-
tor and not the principal in the affair.
Vandrasek lives with his three chill
! dren, his wife having died about three
years ago. The oldest daughter, Mar
| tina, takes care Of the house and looks
after the younger children. Vandra-
SEX, until three weeks ago, was in the
employ Of A. w. Rankin, a contractor,
and claims that he always gave his en-
tire. salary to his daughter. He was
| laid off three weeks ago, but soon aft
er got a job on building at Eighth
and Wabasha, where he received good
wages. Mrs. Josephine Swaboda, a
sister Of Vandrasek, assisted Martha
| in the homework occasionally, and the
family was in prosperous condition
! Daughter Became Discomfort.
A few weeks ago, Vandrasek claims
| Martha met young man who told her
stories of how girls who worked away
| from home enjoyed themselves, and
since that time, he claims, she has
not been satisfied with her life Van
drasek's story OF the affair is as fol-
lows:
Il got paid Tuesday night and when
I got home I gave Martha SIS to buy
herself and the children some clothes
| She took the money and would not
| speak to me. I felt bad about that
and did not sleep much Tuesday night
When l started for work I said good
bye to the children, but they all ap-
peared to be angry with me. I was
feeling bad when I started down Sew
| enth street, and when I met Paul
Brum, a friend, we went into the
| Smelling house and had several drinks
The more drank the worse felt and
| 1 thought 1 would be better dead, SC
l went to the bridge and jumped Off"
Mrs. Swaboda came to the hospital
| to see her brother, and at her sugges-
| ton he was given something to eat
He devoured toast in manner which
indicated that he was in a healthy
condition.
John Anderson, the painter, who fell
from the high bridge and broke both
legs, is still in the city hospital He
was greatly interested in Vandraseks
experience, and when he found that
Vandrasek was not injured, he was in
| clined to treat the affair in a facetious
manner. Said he to T he Globe:
"a man that will jump off that
bridge is 'nutty' and 1 don't know but
what he should be accommodated
From what l know of the case it is no
! delightful experience and Vandrasek is
| certainly lucky. 1 am used to being
up in high places, but I would never
have the nerve to jump off. am GO
| ing In to have a talk with Vandrasek
as soon as they will let me and we will
compare notes. A fellow has a funny
feeling when he's going down, know
had, and l want to see what Van
drasek thinks about it,"
The city hospital authorities say
| that VandraSek will be out in two
days.
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