New-York tribune., 1909-04-11
FIGHT OUTSIDE WINDOW
FIREMEN SCUlIONED TO
RESCUE UOM1N.
Hangs Outside Fifth Floor Ledge,
scjth Physicians and Nurses Try
ing to Pull Her In.

The Fire Department was called out last night
to save d mad woman from suicide Physicians,
firemen and policemen rescued her from the
ledge of d fifth story window Of the Lying-in
Hospital at 18th street and Second avenue. She
was taken a prisoner to Bellevue, charged with
attempted suicide. The was Mrs. Nora
Hickey. wife of Michael Hickey, Iaborer living
al No. 296 West Houston street
Recently Mrs. Hickey gave birth to a child at
the Lying-in Hospital. and last night, according
the physicians she suddenly became insane
She left the hospital three weeks ago. but re-
turned for further treatment on Monday and
was admitted to what is known as the second
division" on the fifth floor. reserved for con-
valescents and in charge Of Dr.. J. Davis. There
she was cared for by Miss Mcdonald, trained
nurse.
Mrs. Hickey seemed to be recovering rapidly
and there was no sign that her mind had been
affected according to the physicians. until last
night, when during the momcntary absence of
the she went to the adjoining ward, ran
to a window on the 18th street side of the build
ing and thrust her feet through the heavy plate
glass panes
Through tie jagged hole thus made she
pushed her body, severely cutting both legs and
her right and right cheek, and crept out
to the far edge of the broad sill sixty feet above
the sidewalk
The crash of the shattered glass and the
screams of the patients in the ward reached
Miss Mcdonald and DR. Cranston Conklin in
the operating room Of the surgical ward Dr.
Conlllin threw up the sash. and he and Miss
Mcdonald caught Mrs Hickey by the arms as
she was about to leap. The woman struggled,
screamed and bit at them, but they held on
The rescuers had to struggle to keep from being
dragged out.
the sill, and she hung in midair DR. Conklin
and Miss Mcdonald clinging desperately to her
wrists
The connection attracted the attention OF DR..
Flegg and Or. Gushee. of the house staff and
Superintendent ". H. Spfller. They tore sheets
Irom the beds and made them into ropes. These
they flung out and looped around the womans
body Then the five united their strength in
efforts TO pull Up Mrs. Hickey. while she
screamed and kicked
For several minutes this strange struggle be-
tween one anxious to die and five to save went
on. and, little by little Mrs Hickey was winning
Her weight and wild efforts TO kill herself wore
down the strength Of doctors and nurse The
excited crowd in the street below increased un-
til. by the time Mrs. Hickey had wriggled down
to a level with the top of the fourth story win
dow, there were three thousand persons gazing
up in horror at the scene. Passing streetcars
stopped and the whole neighborhood gave itself
up to the impending tragedy
Nearly fifteen minutes after the first crash of
glass some person in the crowd thought of lad
ders, which suggested the Fire Department and
in a moment the fire alarm box at 18th street
and Second avenue had been pulled
The alarm brought Two trucks and three en-
gines on the gallop from 18th street and Fourth
avenue Truck 3 in charge of Captain John J
Shannon, first to arrive The crew threw
up a. 15-foot extension ladder against the side
of the hospital. and Shannon ran up. A strong
man, he thought he could handle Mrs Hickey
shannon reached out and tried to take her
in his arms. but she kicked at him clawed him
with her fingers, bit at him. and screamed
shannon called down into the street for help
Fireman Frank Haupt Of Truck ,. responded
and together they pinioned Mrs Hickey in their
arms and got her down the ladder rung by rung
lighting all the way to the level Of the fourth
story sill.
Meantime Fireman Michael WhaIen. Of Truck
3 and Patrolman Cernovsky. of the East 22d
street station, had entered the hospital and
raced to a fourth floor window on the 18th street
side They and Shannon and Haupt finally
pulled and pushed Mrs Hickey ia through the
window
While the fremeu and policeman held her the
doctors hastily cleansed aud bandaEed her cuts
Then opiate was administered and she was
placed in an ambulance and driven to Bellevue
Hospital where she was placed in the female
prisoners ward
XII IN IN CTPEE'T' L'TETJyJ