Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-06

Heroic Incident In the Life OF Conrad
N. Jordan.


The evil that men do" says Shakes
peare, lives after them; the good is Oft
Inferred with their bones" We might
paraphraso the quotation and say that the
official record OF a public functionary is
often all we can find in his obituary no
tices, whereas the qualities which gave him
his chief claim to our esteem as a man are
promptly forgotten.
Conrad N. Jordan formerly United states
treasurer, was person Of forceful char
acter, and not devoid Of sentiment, but
cherishing a wholesome horror Of over
doing II. Forty years ago he was a hard
working clerk In a New York City bank
and lived in New Jersey to economize.
One bitterly cold December evening as he
was crossing the Cortlandt street ferry on
his way home he had an adventure.
young woman who with her betrothed,
had been hurrylng to catch the boat,
boarded II as 1t was moving out but, dis
covering that her escort had been left be-
hind, turned and tried to jump back,
missed her footing and fell into the river
disappearing in the swirl OF water and
broken ice. Young Jordan, without an in
stant's hesitation. sprang in after her,
brought her to the surface and held her
there, at the risk Of his own life, till the
deck hands could fish them both out with
rope and boat hooks.
with his characteristic contempt for what
he called "fummery," he declined to let any
one know his name, but through the men
who had contributed enough dry clothing
to send him home his address was traced.
and presumably he received a letter from
James d. Stryker Of Lambertville. N. j.,
the young woman's father. inclosing 500,
Jordan returned the money at once with
a brief message to the effect that the
rescue was merely a response to humane
impulse, and did not call for compensation.
Miss Stryker. however, was not to be put
off in this way, but sent him case Of
domestic currant wine, with a note saying
that he must accept It. as she had made
it with her own hands. The father also
called in person then. and every year
thereafter till his death, to express his
thanks to Jordan afresh.
"And 30 they were married, and lived
happily ever after?" Not a bit Of it. This
was not a fairy story or a romance In a
1O-cent magazine, but an event in real
life. Miss stryker married the man for
whom she got her ice water plunge, while
her savior went his own way and reared
a separate family, who probably would
never have known what their father had
done had not somebody besides himself let
them into the secret In Mr.. Stryker's
will, opened in 1888, was found q bequest
Of $3.50 to Conrad N. Jordan for the pur-
chase Of souvenir OF his December duck
ing for an unknown woman's sake.
There were q few persons in Washing
ton when Mr.. Jordan was here under the
first Cleveland administration who sneered
at him because he showed scant regard
for the civil war record OF a subordinate
whom he had to discharge for drunken
ness and insubordination. BY what right,
they demanded. should this stay-at-h home
civilian have authority to take away the
livelihood Of a man who had had the cour-
age to risk his life for his country? The
moral is that not all the brave men prove
It by going to war.