The sun., 1903-11-07
WORRIED CHILD TRIES TO DIE.
PUT ASIDE SCHOOL BOOKS AND
JCMPED INTO THE RIVER,
Leaving a Note to Dear ola Father"
Rescued by Two Strong Swimmers
Her Troubles Like Those OF Clara cor.

-Nescueu ID! TWO strOng swimmers
Her Troubles Like Those OF Clara cor.
FIN. the Runaway Jersey Schoolgirl
Edith Caldwell, a schoolg girl not yet Ie
years old, attempted suicide yesterday
afternoon by jumping into the water from
the East River Park wall at the foot of
-.ghty-sixtn street. She was rescued, after
struggle, by two men and taken to the
Presbyterian Hospital. She will recover.
The girl, who is the daughter of John
Caldwell. engineer of the apartment bouse
| at 10 East Eighty-second street and couple
of other houses in the neighborhood, has
been student in Grammar School 9. at
Eighty-Afth street and Madison avenue,
for the last two years She is rather
pretty girl, tall for her age. but has been
backward in her studies, which got her
into trouble in the school She was in the
sixth class in the grammar department.
and most of her classmates were her
juniors by two or three years.
On Thursday the principal, Miss Kath-
crime ID. Blake, who is daughter of Lille
Devereaux Blake, sent a note to Edith 3
father, saying size wanted to see him. The
girls stepnother called at the school about
2'3O O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
Edith had been taken from her class
room, and was sitting in the principals s
room. Miss Blake talked with Mrs. Cald-
well, and says that she was led to believe
that Mrs Caldwell thought it would be best
to have Mr.. Caldwell come to the school
Monday morning.
Before Mrs. Caldwell left the school she
scoded Edith and said the girl had dis
ura hnf har r,th
The girl was not sent back to her class
room for the rest of the afternoon. When
she left the school she evidently went
straight to East River Park with the inten.
ton of jumping into the river.
She walked through the park to the
sea wall and put her books on the ground
Then she removed her hat and coat and
put them on the books, After that she took
the side combs from her hair.
On top Of her hat and coat and books
she put note to her father, saying:
DEAR OLD FATHER: Good-by. | think
you'll be happier without me. Your loving
daughter. EDITH CALDWELL.
Then she walked to the wall and jumped
Eighty-second and Patrick Gleas on of 427
East Eighty-tirst street, were on the other
side of the park and had seen her remove
her hat and coat. They started for her
but didn't catch her in time, so they jumped
i'll after her.
They grabbed her and held her head
above water, but she struggled with them,
crying:
let me die; papa will scold me for this.
The rescuers managed to get the girl
ashore, and an ambulance was called from
dazed. On the way to the hospital she
kept mumbling:
my father, my fatheri He'll scold mo
Mr. Caldwell said last night that ne
thought the girl, who was nervous, had
become hysterical from the treatment she
had received in school,
-My daughter" he said, lis not an over
bright girl, and she has been behind in her
and think the principal of the school was
prejudiced against her. To-day I got a
note from the principal saying that she
wanted to see me.
Il sent my wife to the school this after
noon and promised that l would see that
reprimand her If she, had done anything
wrong My wife will tell you the treat
ment she received at the school,"
Mrs. Caldwell then took up the story.
She said;
"The principal Miss Blake wouldn't tell
me what Edith had done. She said she
wanted to see Mr.. Caldwell. and that she
wouldn't put Edith back in her class until
she did see him. She also said that if Mr..
Caldwell didn't come TO see her she would
put Edith out OF school,
hr4. Caldwell said she had seen Edith
in the hospital and Edith had said the prin-
cpal had scolded her because she had lost
a blank book.
Mr. Caldwell declared that before he would
let his daughter be put out of school he
fol ha ma tar haf no
Miss Blake was seen by sun reporter
last night at her home, Twenty seventh
street and Lexington avenue. She was
surprised and shocked when told of Edith's
attempt at suicide.
Il have worried a great deal over her."
she said. Il talked with her and she told
me that she had a lot of work to do at home
and didn't have time to study. | asked
her stepmother about that and she said it
wasn't so.
Mrs. Caldwell came to the school again
this afternoon and we had long talk.
| was led to believe from her conversation
that it would he best for Mr.. Caldwell to see
me. | told her all about the girl and con-
cealed nothing. When she left she scolded
Edith, and felt sorry for the girl.
Il didn't send her back to her classroom
the rest of the afternoon, but she had been
punished that way before and she didn't
seem to mind it,
1T Is not true that | told Mrs Caldwell
that would put Edith out of the school, or
that Edith could not return to her class
until had seen her father"
------