The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-19
FAXED A SUICIDE
JOHN GERIIENs GAVE BRoUGHTON
STREET A SENSATION.
PULLED PISTOL AND FIRED,
THEN HE DROPPED TO THE
GROUND AND PLAYED 'POssUM.

Gerkens Was Walking with "A WO-
man-There Was an Alteration,
and She Started on Ahead-He
Then Drew His Pistol and Fired.
lie Put Up an Excellent Imitation
of Dead Man and Had the WO-
man Weeping and Wailing-After
n Bit the Ambulance Arrived-He
Then Decided to Wake Up-Was
Given n Ride to the station House
and Locked Up for Firing His Pts
toll In the Street.
John Gerkens, a young white man,
played to a big crowd on Broughton
street, between Whitaker and Bar
nard, last night about $50 o'clock. He
put on "a high-class farce, and the
crowd he drew rivalled that which
saw Frank Daniels at the Theater.
Gerkens decided to put up a suicide
bluff. He did 1t in most approved
style. His impersonation of a dead
man was excellent, and he had the
crowd thinking he was all in. He
fired his revolver, took a tumble to
the sidewalk, and did the thing up in
a manner that won the admiration of
the crowd, even if it couldn't quite I'M
derstand what his lay was.
Gerkens was walking along the north
side of Broughton. A woman was with
him, but there had been an alterca-
ton. Evidently intending to leave him,
the woman started ahead. Gerkens
followed behind, and there was a con-
versational promenade in tandem style
for a few yards. Then Gerkens in
PRODUCED the star feature of the per-
Torrance.
Drew a Revolver.
Slipping his hand into his pocket,
Gerkens hauled forth a revolver. Hold
ing it toward the sidewalk, he fired
a shot. simultaneously he turned him
self loose and dropped to the side
walk He shut his eyes and never
batted lid. He lay there on his back,
while the woman, who had turned at
the sound of the shot, set up a wall
that could be heard for blocks.
Then the people began to
run. From all directions they
came, and soon there was a tremen-
dous mob. Everybody wanted to know
what had happened, and questions flew
thick and fast, while, above all the
medley arose the wild shrieks and
screams of the woman. There was
nothing coherent about what she said.
1t was but a succession of walls
All this while Gerkens was lying on
the sidewalk, apparently a dead one.
He was enjoying himself, nevertheless,
and it must have been pleasant to him
to note the success of his fake. off
a few feet a man had the woman in
his arms, trying to quiet her, while
she rocked and swayed back and forth,
giving vent to her ear-splitting
Screeches.
Thought He Was Dead.
Over Gerkens three or four
men were bending doing the amateur
physician act and feeling for pulse
beats and heart action. They couldn't
find any signs of life, in the agitation
of the moment, and the popular idea
was that Gerkens had Joined the heav-
emily choir.
After a bit Policeman Sheehan an
peared on the scene. He ran into
Lindsay & Morgan's store, before which
the farce was enacted, and rang up
the police station to secure the ambu-
lance. That vehicle appeared in due
course of time. but not until its an
pearance did Gerkens begin to notice
things. He came around then like a
little man. He got into the ambulance
and had a ride to the station house.
Where he was locked up upon the
charge of firing his pistol in the street