The San Francisco call., 1904-08-06
? Whcrc .4HecIs Fear TO Tread.
Special Correspondence.

GARDEN. LONDON. July 23.-Not
more suddenly did fame come to Ba-
den Powell through his heroic defense
0f Mafeking than in these piping days
Of peace ii has descended on Jamie
Gill. the Irish steeplejack. because of
his long defiance Of the police from
the dizzy summit of a lofty chimney
stack The exploit has made jamie a
national character. 1t has been de-
scribed at length in all the London
and provincial papers. And the nim-
. bEe-witted Jamie has not been long in
turning mis- fame to pecuniary account,
for he is now filling a profitable en-
gagement in Belfast music hall,
with the prospect Of making still more
money on the London variety stage.
But his sudden attainment of prosper
itv can hardly be cited as an example
that VIII serve the purpose of popular
temperance orators. Had he not one
dav imbibed more of the 'crayther"
than was good for him he would still
be pursuing his dangerous calling in
ohscuritv II is lamentable truth
that he owes his rise in fortune to the
fact that on this occasion he did get
unmistaka bly, and outrageously drunk.
He was arrested and sentenced to pay
a fine or in default thereof eXpiate his
offense by a months imprisonment.
Jamie elected TO do neither. When
returning sobriety had again given
him fun command of his legs he sue
ceeded in giving the cOnstables the
slip and sought refuge on the top of a
mammoth cilimneystack belonging 10
an abandoned factory on Sugar ISL
and. a short distance from his own
home in the town Of NeWry. Its de-
structiOn had been decreed and some
inside scaffolding which had been
erected TO facilitate the work, made
the perilous ascent a comparatively
easy task for a man of Jamie's nerve
and skill But it was too tough a
sob for the police to undertake-es-
. peciauy with Jamie on the summit
prepared TO drop a brick on the head
OF the first Of them who appeared in
side. They concluded that it would
be safer TO lay siege to him without
o and starve him into surrender. But
Jamie's numerous friends contrived to
smuggle supplies TO him despite all
their vigilance and for two weeks he
held possession of his novel fortress.
Some ally managed TO send him up
q red flag, which he waved defiantly
. at the police below and dared them TO
come up and take him. During the
daytime crowds assembled about the
chimneystack and vociferously cheer
ed him. Newspaper correspondents
were dispatched to the scene, who
held long distance interviews with
Jamie and telegraphed to their va
rious papers graphic accounts Of the
progress of the siege. All this spelled
fame for the plucky Irishman. Just
how he contrived to sleep on his giddy
perch is his own secret. But every
morning found him there as fresh as
daisy. dancing jigs and singing songs
for the delectation of the crowds be-
low and heaping scorn upon the po-
lice. Jamie. became the popular hero
Of Newry. Had there been a Parlia-
mentary vacancy in the district he
might have been elected by large
majority.
But pride goes before a fall. One
night jamie essayed to descend from
the chimney to communicate with
some Of his friends who had signaled
him that the "bobbie" who was sup
posed to be on watch was asleep.
Some distance from the ground he
missed his footing and came down with
crash The policeman, awakened
from his slumber. pounced upon him.
jamie was a prisoner and it was ap-
parentiy all up with him. But his
wits did not desert him. He was hurt.
but his injuries were not nearly so
bad as he made out. Between simu-
lated grOans he declared that his leg
was broken and that he was injured
internally and insisted on being car
ried to his home at once The police
man consented. for he felt sure that
in his crippled condition jamie could
not again escape the limbs of the law.
For a eoupl Of days he lay in bed
playing pOssuna," and whenever a DO
hceman entered his room his suffer-
ings became intense. The police kept
no watch over him there: it seemed
obviously needless. They proposed
that he should be removed to the pris-
on infirmary at Dundalk, where ne
could receive proper medical attend
ance. He gratefully acquiesced in the
suggestion. But bright and early Yext
n1orning he slipped out of bed and
despite his lameness managed to
reach the top OF the chimneystacl1
again and there the police who came
10 take him 10 the infirmary discov-
- i-tiAA O. DAiiDptI DIS a cricket
Then Belfast music hall propri-
etor awoke to the discovery that talent
was being wasted.on top Of that chin
neystack- Negotiations were opened
with jamie on his lofty perch. with
the result that he is now reaping the
reward Of his climb to the pinnacle
Of fame. he is popularity supposed to
be still defying the police from the
theater. but it is shrewdly suspected
that his fine has been privately paid
and that he has made his peace with
the police authorities.
CoUfrOl 0f K0,1c1c Rt1,oy