The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-22

from which he threw himself to his
death on the cement sidewalk 65 feet
below. He was not seen to enter the
portion of the building from which 1t
is evident that he threw himself. Chas.
w. Figg was passing the building on
his way home to supper and paused for
a moment to watch the presses which
are being installed in the basement of
the building when his attention was at
tracted by a shadow caused by the
young mans body passing between the
electric light and the building.
He turned quickly and as he did so
the sidewalk almost at his feet and re-
bound two feet into the air. He rush
ed to the side of the PROSTATE victim
and felt of his pulse and found that life
working in the press room and they
recognized the. form as that of their
fellow workman, Leon Detlor.
The inanimate form was Immediately
and DR.. Hensley was summoned,
though it was evident that he was past
all aid. Both arms were broken at the
wrist, the right arm was broken above
the elbow and his spine and hips were
crushed to a pulp.
Mr.. Detlor spent Monday in Kansas
City returning in the evening and the
reported death of his sweetheart in a
hospital in that city strengthens the
story that in a fit of dependency he
threw himself from the window and
to his death on the walk below He
was "a years of age and has been en-
ployed on the Capital since July.
He accepted employment on the To-
peka State Journal in December, 1895,
as messenger and then became mail
ing clerk little later. He received an
other promotion afterwards and be-
came assistant pressman. He resigned
from this position in May 1906, to be-
come presSman for the Daily Herald,
where he worked in this capacity until
this paper failed in June, 1906. He then
went to Denver, where he worked as
pressman. returning to Topeka early in
1908 and during the month of August
ran the Topeka State Journal press
during the vacation of the regular en-
ployed pressman, E. ]. Early. since
that time he has been employed on the
Daily Capital.
Mr.. Ffgg's Story.
Charles w. Figg, a clerk in Robinson
& MarshaIl's store, who witnessed the
young mans fall to death said:
Il was returning from my home at
and had stopped to look at the new
Capital press. 1t was just 1880 o'clock
had been there only a moment When
all of a sudden 1 noticed a shadow pass
between the electric light on the cor
ner and myself
"I turned and Immediately the form
of man struck the sidewalk with a
heavy crash and bounced more than
two rect DeIOr6 dSdlH
1.-The concussiOn was so great that
the iron sidewalk Vibrated for several
seconds.
THE man had fallen not 20 feet away.
I rushed to him and placed my hand
inside of his vest. His heart was still
beating He took two or three long
breaths and then it seemed as though
he would quit breathing.
I'm few moments he began. again
and thereafter his breath came regular
until / left. Just as 1 reached him his
left hand was drawn in peculiar fash
ion. He gurgled little. notified one
of the presslnen in the basement and
the boy was carried inside and then 1
left.
II am completely unnerved. The
crash of the body on the sidewalk was
something terrible. He must certainly
have fallen from the roof. as the body
bounced more than two feet.
''I went into the middle of the street
to see if any of the windows on the
top floors We're open. The top floor
was dark but l could not locate an
1pen window on any of the other floors. |
1T seems to me that if he had fallen |
from the top of the building the body |
would have struck greater distance
from the building than it did. As it |
was, the boys head was not more than |
eight feet from the building. The feet |
pointed to the street
AFTER he was carried inside of the !
building did not wait to ascertain how
BADLY he was injured, but went on to
ny work"