Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-07-11
GATHNJE TOA" JUMPER
Incidents of a Case Tried in a
Maine Court.
DEFENDANT BLAMELESS
A sufferer From the AffIiction That
Askes rs Victims Strike Out
When Touched Unexpectedly
In This Case His Blow Caused
Death.

When Touched OneNpeSeeSl
In This Case His Blow Caused
Death.
The curious nervous condiuon 1h1'
manifests itself in the so-called jump
srsr came before the Maine courts
when the Cumberland county grand
fury began consideration OF the case
against Isaac Romeo, who was
charged with the homicide Of Patrick
j. Grifin.
Romeo is a Jumper The peculi-
arstv 81 the Jumper" Is that he Is
impelled TO start or jump BY any sud
den sound or motion. The afhiction
Of these men frequently makes them
the sport OF others. A whistle. a
about. a sudden touching Of his per-
son. or any unexpected sudden thing
viii make the Jumper" strike out
blindiy with his hands or feet or
leap a yard or two. or perform other
antics.
Sometimes he will strike his best
friend a hard blow. The remorse OF
the Jumper is often pitiful after an
occurrence Of the kind. A few IN
stances wiz give an idea OF the suffer-
ing to which a Jumper" may be sub
jected
Among a gang OF Canadian French
men working on the railroad embank-
meut alongside South Pond In the
town Of Buckaeld, Maine, some years
ago. was large Ratchet faced.
: swarthy man. One day, as the men
sat along the bank, eating their lunch
con Of bread and pea soup. this man
lifted the pail Of soup of the fire.
hoy seeing him and knowing him
10 Be a Jumper" shouted suddenly
Drop it," The Jumper" at once
dropped his dinner into the waters OF
the pond. Then be uttered scream
and started for the boy and gave him
a thrashing.
A few years ago Bishop Fellows OF
the Methodist Church came TO Maine
to preside at the annual session OF the
Maine Conference. At Biddeford a
passenger got on who was a Jumper"
The whistle Of the engine. the Jerking
of the car. the slamming Of the car
door, the sound Of escaping air from
the brake, all get the Jumper" into
activity, and several times he
screamed before the train had passed
over the seventeen miles between
Biddeford and Portland.
At Portland, as the Jumper" got
Off, some sound alarmed him and he
struck out from the shoulder, knock
ing the man in front Of him of the
steps to the planks beside the track
in Union Station Then he picked up
himself. for he had fallen too, and
with nervous haste scurried toward
the street.
! The Jumper" is usually a good
worker. though he has a nervous
energy that sometimes misdirects his
efforts. and he Is readily taken by
employers Of labor In cases where he
Is not likely to endanger the lives Of
his fellows. IN the woods he is a
first class axoman, but the rest OF the
crew take care 10 be well out Of the
reach Of his axe.
As a log pilcr, or a river driver,
or at any unsk.iled labor he Ia apt to
work hard and fast, for nothing else
Will satisfy his active nerves. He is
seldom a skilled workman, like a cab
met maker or .machinist. There is
one Roman Catholic priest who II IN
dustriously upbuilding a Maine parish,
despite the handicap Of being Jump
err" and he Is beloved by his own
people and respected by the rest Of the
community. A lawyer with o fair
practice Is another instance.
Cases Of insanity are rare among
the jumpers" and they do not die
young. An old Jumper is seldom
seen. and the explanation is that they
usually die as they are verging from
middle life To old age.
The weakness Is usually found
among men, probably not more than
ten or fifteen cases IN a hundred be-
ing Of women. Jumpers" are not
common. OF the three thousand or
four thousand French Canadian in
habitants Of Augusta. it is probable
that eight or ten are jumpers"
II is believed that the legal status
of the Jumper" has never been
brought before the courts. In the case
Of Isaac Romeo there Is no dispute
as to the facts
Romeo and Griffin were fellow
workmen in the boiler shops OF q
machinery and steam fitting concern.
Romeo had boil on his left shoulder
The boiler making room is a diff
cult place in which TO carry on CONVEX
sation. but occasion arose for Griffin
to speak 10 Romeo about the work
He shouted several times. but Romeo
did not hear. and kept al work with
his riveting bar. Then he touched
Romeo on the shoulder. and 1t hap
pened that he hit the boil.
Romeo Jumped" and hit a Wild
swinging blow with the heavy steel
riveting bar. hitting Griffin on the side
and the small OF the back. Griffin had
kidney trouble, which was aggravated
| by the blow. and he soon died.
Romeo is heartbroken over the
death Of bis shoDmate
The court records Of New Hamp-
/ shire. Vermont Massachusetts and
/ New York were searched for prece-
dents. as those are the States which