The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-05-21


taken seriously. evidently save Lee
kakis the idea of his spectacular
death and he brooded on it.
Lekakis decided to close his falling
eyes forever, and with this decision
set about making his plans for death
in a matter of fact and cold blooded
manner. His first act was to deposit
SIS with the undertaking establishment
of Porter e White for his funeral
rangements. With the receipt in his
pocket he entered the Claus Spreckels
building, obtaining permission to climb
to the cupola on assertion that he was
an electrical worker and wished to
examine the wiring in the place.
TURNS In MIDAIR
A few minutes later he was observed
poised on the edge of a narrow ledge
For an instant he cast his blurred
vision over the roofs of the city and
then deliberately swung out on his
mad leap. The body turned in mid
air, and as he shot downward by the
windows of the offices. his pockets
emptied themselves of small coins and
personal belongings.
He struck the stone water table
which runs around the building on
Tie HLleSHln lOOI, OuISlQe TIE OillCeS
of Reed Brothers, architects, and was
hurled outward with redoubled force.
Amid shouts of horror and warning
he went careening to his death, the
body revolving as it descended, arms
and limbs sprawling. The crowd walk
ing on the sidewalk was not aware,
at first, of the cause of the commo-
ton and the shouting. 1t stopped in
bewilderment and surged up and down.
Suddenly with one accord it parted
and broke, fleeing from the horror
coming down, which in that instant
plunged to the earth, striking within
the little space which had been made
clear for it.
WOMEN HYSTERICAL
The panic in the streets was re-
peated in the offices. Stenographers
and office girls, seeing the body smash
ing by their respective windows, be-
came hysterical and ran up and down
the building terrified at the tragedy
of the morning.
The police took immediate charge,
driving back the crowd, and in very
short time the remains were carried
away to the morgue, and hose lines
were playing on the spot where it
had fallen, wiping out the ugly red
stains. SO vivid and spectacular, how
ever, was the death that all day long
morbid crowds collected there, retell-
ing the tale of the fall and gazing to
the top of the building from which
he had leaped.
During the investigation conducted
by Chief Deputy Joseph Kelly of the
coroner's office, money was found scat
tered on the cornice work of the build
ing, some of it being on the ledge out
side the law office of Charles Wesley
Reed on the sixteenth floor. and few
coins were also on the water table on
the fifteenth floor, where the body had
struck. The mans hat was on the
ledge of the seventeenth floor.
DIAMOND RING MISSING
A diamond ring which he was sup
posed to have been wearing, and which
it. was thought dropped from him as
he fell, could not be found, and it is
said that a negro picked it up from
the street The police made vain
search for the latter last night.
letter from the mans mother, liv-
ing in Neohorion. Greece, indicated
that he had been wretehedly homesick
and Respondent because of having no
money The undertaker's receipt was
addressed to the general public and
was typewriter note,-signed by S A.
White, a member of the firm.
Lekakis was interested in a fruit
store at 1887 Market street. He had
been in the United States for 90 years
and was 50 years of age.