New-York tribune., 1910-03-10
FELL 30 FT. ON HEAD
AND NOT Il SCRATCH
HAD MRS. REIFF.
Landed IN Small Yard L pside
Dozen and Kicked Her
self Free.

After falling fifty feet from the roof
of building yesterday. and landing on
her head in a small inclosure. Mary
Reiff, thirty-two years old. wife Of De
tective Rciff OF the Central Office. of
No. 100 Sumner avenue. Brooklyn. suf-
fered no worse injury than a slight cut
on her head and an abrasion OF the right
elbow. Furthermore. Mrs. Reiff. after
landing on her head and remaining in
that position for several minutes. calmly
proceeded to kick out the boards of the
fence against which she was leaning.
and kicked herself TO liberty
Shortly after o'clock Yesterday af-
ternoon Mrs. Reif was hanging clothes
from the roof of the house in which she
lives. As she leaned far out, supporting
herself Oh the slender rope. the line broke
and Mrs Reiff fer. She screamed, and
this attracted the attention OF persons
in adjoining houses. who ran to the win
dows.
When half way from the roof TO the
yard the woman's body struck an extern
sion. causing her to fall into the yard of
No. 1854. next door The space within
which Mrs. Reiff landed is not very
much larger than a good sized packing
case. She landed with great force, di-
rectly on her head. and instead of top
pling over she remained in that position
her feet leaning against one wall Of the
fence
When women ir the other houses saw
Mrs. Reiff's fall and heard the sound of
her body striking the yard below they
believed that she had been killed. and
began to call for help.
While her neighbors ran this way and
that, crying out TO one another and she'd
ding tears over the fate of Mrs. Reiff.
that young woman was not idle She
called for help in no uncertain voice.
Because OF the nsrrowness of the space.
she was unable to regain her feet. which
were kicking violently and Intermittent
ly in the surrounding air. and the best
she could do was TO kick strenuously
against the board fence on either side,
raising a spirited tattoo.
Telephone calls for doctors, hremen.
policemen and ambulances continued to
hum over the wires. A crowd gathered
on adjacent roofs. Offers and sugges-
tions were tossed from roof 70 roof. yet
Mrs. Reiff continued 10 balance on her
head-and to kick. Anxious neighbors
found IL impossible to reach the ward
quickly.
Although she felt her strength fast
waning, Mrs. Reiff did not abandon hope.
but continued her assault on the fence.
Finally. with a supreme effort, she man
aged 20 smash the boards and send them
Gathering to the ground. The rest was
easy. and soon Mrs. Reiff had gained her
feet and climbed back into her own yard.
A hasty survey served TO show her that
she was uninjured and unbroken. and
she went calmly into the kitchen of her
homo and sat down.
When the neighbors rushed in they
saw Mrs. Mary Rciff, mother of four
children, sitting on a chair replacing
pins in her hair and dusting of her
clothes. When medical aid. in the shape
of Or. Lewis, of Bushwick Hospital, was
offered, she resented the intrusion. and
started upstairs. where her four children
were awaiting their mothers return
The injuries suffered by Mrs Reiff
were so slight that her own physi-
clan attended them and left her at home.
When Detective Reiff got home ne found
his wife in cheerful spirits.