The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-09-16
JUMPS IN RIVER
AND IS DROWNED
Mrs. Gus Swanson Takes. Own Life
In Tragic Manner.
HUSBAND RESCUES THE BODY
Success Is Almost Reached In His
Heroic Efforts TO Save His Wife's
Life-IIlness Leads To
the Tragedy.

MTS. GuS swanson, woman twenty
six years OF age, ended her life in
highly sensational manner in the sui
eide OF Tuesday afternoon, mentioned
in Tuesday evenings Herald. Half
running and half walking to the river,
four miles north of the city, the wom-
an went deliberately to the middle of
5he steel span of the Iowa Central
railway bridge, forty-five feet above
Jhe water. She laid aside the mack
intosh coat she had worn to protect
her clothing from the rain that fell
during the morning. By the side OF
this she laid the umbrella she had al
SO carried. The woman then deliber-
ately walked off the end of the ties
and plunged into the water below.
The force of the fall upon the surface
o. the water may have caused uncon-
seriousness and made the strangula-
ton or drowning more certain.
Learning that the wife had been
seen walking on the railroad track in
the direction of the river the husband
immediately started in pursuit and ran
the entire distance to the bridge The
garments had been found by small
boy, Ralph minor, who picked them
up and carried them to nearby
house, reporting his find. The ihus-
band had readily tracked the wife
along the railway. The road bed was
soft and wet and the marks of the
shoes We're easily seen.
The muddy tracks led directly to
the center OF the bridge and to the end
OF The ties where they were plainly
seen by the rescue party that came
soon after Nh. Swanson reached the
bridge. The husband could see moth
ins OF the missing woman and had no
'tiuie to look around him as a train
WIS approaching rapidly from the
soath and was sounding an alarm. He
ran towards the engine and jumped
over the end OF the ties to the bank
below, distance of twenty feet, just
as the pilot was upon him. He went
to ahe bank of the stream and glanced
over the water as he followed the
shore. He was almost crazed as he
saw the form of his wife floating along
in the water about one hundred and
fifty feet east of the bridge. The
haT and the skirts were above the
surface. He plunged into the river
to rescue her and was surprised to
find the water less than four feet deep.
He pulled the form out of the water
and laid it upon the bank. The body
was still quite warm and thinking that
life remained he did the best he knew
in moving the arms to induce heart
action and breathing. He worked
frantically but without result. He left
the body by the side of the stream
and ran to the first house he could
hrd to secure help. number of per
sons came to aid him and word was
soon telephoned to the city.
Mrs. Swanson was troubled with an
Intermittent dementia that brought a
desire to take her own life. The
spells had been of frequent occur
reLee since her return from her old
home at Palmer, and she was under
constant surveillance About five
weeks ago Mrs. Swanson was called
acme by the illness of her mother.who
mad been taken violently insane and
had been removed TO the state asylum
at Cherokee. The daughter was great.
iy shocked by the condition of her
mother and stated that she feared
that she, too, was going to be insane.
Ft is said that other members of the
FAMILY have suffered from mental dis
orders and that the trouble had been
OF hereditary character. The young
woman came to her home in Oska.
ioosa brooding over the fear of insan-
NY which through the worry soon OBJ
sessed her. She tried to die by means
Gu chloroform a couple OF weeks ago.
and 1t is stated that she had made 9TH
er attempts to get poison At other
times she was perfectly normal and
deeply regretted the state of mind in.
to which she passed at intervals. Last
week she told her husband that she
mad had a vivid dream of jumping
from bridge into the water. She had
been rational and better this week
ana NO more had been thought of the.
seltement. Mr.. Swanson remained at
nome last week with his wife, guard.
ing her and watching her acts. He
went to work Tuesday morning and
the wife took the little daughter, EN-.
ma, six years OF age. TO school and re.
turned to her home, seeming in excel.
lent spirits, bright and reasonable
She called on her neighbor Mrs. Will
Watts and visited until almost eleven
O'Clock. She arose to leave and stated
that she would go to town after meat
The husband came to dinner and the
mouse was vacant. He went 20 Mrs.
Watts and learned that the wife had
gone up town. A little farther he
found a woman who had seen her run
ing along the street. Like fash