New-York tribune., 1910-07-15
LEAPS FROM TOWER OF
WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE
Mans Body Crashes Through
Sandbox on Parapet, 200
Feet Below.
WROTE NOTE SIGNED ~. c."
Tired Of Fourfushing," His
Explanation, and Gould
Stand the Strain
No Longer.

Leaving only & note signed j. c, an
unidentified man, after thrilling climb
to the topmost point of the Brooklyn
tower of the Williamsburg Bridge. 3S5
feet above the East River, threw him
self into space Instead of striking the
water. the mans body was shattered on
a sand box standing on the parapet
which runs around the tower. Nearly
every bone in his body was broken by
the force of the 200-foot fall. but he was
still brea thing when he reached the
Eastern District Hospital. He died,
without recovering consciousness, at 9
o'clock
From the note left in his coat pocket,
at the top of the tower, it IS believed
that the man decided TO kill himself
after having lost money on the races at
Empire City track.
Nobody, apparently. saw him make the
sensational dive. Some minutes after
the body had struck the sand box, Pa
trolman Rosenstock, of the Bridge
Squad, picked up a Panama hat. Think
ing some one would come along to claim
it. because of its fine quality, Rosen-
stock looked up and down the roadway.
When the owner failed to appear, he
began to Investigate, and found drops Of
blood on the parapet A few feet further
on was the crushed and shapeless body
Of the man. It was lying doubled up in
the sand box having battered the two
inch oak covering in its fall.
Depressed by Racing News.
The only man who says he saw the
man before he jumped was Samuel Peu,
Of No. 132 North 1st street, Williams
burg. Peu said he was sitting on
bench in the footpath of the bridge, near
the Brooklyn end, when the man came
and sat down beside him. He showed an
evening paper, giving the results of the
fifth race, in which a horse named Bad
News won. He seemed greatly de-
pressed, and said his luck had turned
against him.
After sitting on the bench for a few
minutes the man got up and walked
toward the Manhattan end Of the bridge.
Peu watched him as he walked along
the footpath, and saw him climb through
the ironWork which separates the path
IIl6 SOulI1 IOci0 W dS- A4c SAAO-5AiS
the man was going to enter the roadway
in order 10 get lift on 2 passing wagon,
and paid no more attention to him
After climbing through the ironwork
that separates the footpath from the
roadway the man must have walked to
the foot of the tower and crawled
through the steel trellis work Of which
it is built
Inside the tower is a stairway leading
to the top. but before he could gain ac-
cess to this he must have crawled up the
outside Of the tower. like a fly on a wall
Nobody saw this perilous climb, al
though he must have been in plain view
of the passing hundreds on the bridge.
Once inside the tower the man made
quick progress to the top Before
crawling out on the steel platform
cresting the tower he stopped TO take
off his overcoat and to write a brief
note limiting at the reason for his act
He then hung the coat on a projection
and began the last stage Of his climb.
He walked TO the south side of the
tower. thinking. probably. that his body
would clear the steel parap and made
his leap.
When Captain Barry. Of the bridge
SQUAD. was told of the suicide he in
structed a patrolnan TO climb the steps
of the tower and get the mans coat.
which was missing In the pocket Of
the coat was found a note, which read;
When you know you're not forgotten
BY the girl you cant forget;
When you find the queen you left behind
Is laughing at you yet-its a joke
The word Laughing was strongly un-
derscored.
Another note scribbled in lead pencil
said that the writer could stand the
strain no longer, and that he had been
four-fushing all his life. 1t was signed
AIDES, J. c.
The man was about thirty-fve years
old, feet 10 inches tall. and weighed
about 175 pounds. He had brown hair
and eyes and was smooth shaven. His
clothes were of fine material and new
Twenty cents and a bunch of keys were
found in his pockets