Evening star., 1923-03-09
.PLUNGES 5O4 FEET
FROM MONUMENT
T0|NSTANT DEATH
Body, Picked Up at Base,
Bears Laundry Labels of
A. Birney Seip.
WALKS UP SHAFT AND
LEAPS OUT UNNOTICED
First Suicide From Outside Fall.
Woman Once Jumped Down
Elevator Shaft.

From the south window Of tho
Washington Monument 4. Birney
Seip leaped to instant death 504 feet
below shortly after one o'clock this
afternoon,
The body was found by attendants
at the Monument only u yard south
of the south wall of the obelisk. A
pool of blood had collected about the
head One hand was badly discolored
and the belief is that the victim
landed almost in an oblique position,
with the head and right arm slightly
in advance of the rest OF the body.
The window from which the man
left the Monument is eighteen inches
high by three feet wide. and the win
, dow ledge is four feet above the floor
level, which would place the window
ledge at approximately the chest of
the fallen man. it was estimated by
ofhcials in charge OF public buildings
and grounds.
JO4 Feet From Ground.
The window ledge is sol feet from
the ground.
Seip was the only visitor at the top
or the Monument at the time. c. II. F.
Reintzel. the guard on duty at the
top. did not know Of the tragedy until
he received d telephone message from
the guard at the bottom. II was stated
that Reintzel wos on the opposite side
OF the elevator shaft, which occupies
the center of the landing, when the
man left the window
Ihe body was taken to the morgue.
An inquest will he held, if Coroner
hewitt deems II necessary, within the
next forty-eight hours.
The man. apparently. was twenty
six or Nv enty-Seyen years of age He
wore suit which bore the label of
>. NJ. Greer, tailor who up until
a year ago had Offices IN the Wood
ward building. The date of the label
was February 8. 1920. Thirty-nine
! cents was all the money found on the
, person of the dead man.
! He was clothed in d green over
| coat. brown suit, brown shoes and
black socks. A green mixture cap
| was found beside the body. His
| shirt was percale striped and he wore
! clean soft collar, but an old purple
| necktie. He wore wooden underw ear
! of the qua0ty issued to service men.
He was about five feet six inches in
height, weighing about 125 pounds
and was rather dark -complcvioned,
! with light brown hair and u slightly
tanned skin.
AS far as police could learn. no one
saw him take the jump from the
window. An attendant of the build
ing, however, noticed that he did not
ascend in the elevator, but walked
up the steps. Immediately after the
body had landed, crowds commenced
TO gather. Lieut.. p. J. Carroll of the
park police took charge assisted by
officers and members OF the metro
politan police department.
Identified by Labels.
Identification was established by
means of the names contained on tai
lor and laundry labels in the clothing.
In the inside pocket OF the coat ap-
peared the name "Birpey Seip,' with
the date mentioned above. In the in
side pocket of the Cvercoat there was
a tag believed by police to have been
! inserted at a government laundry.
such as is operated in connection with
hospitals.
The leap from the Monument is the
second in the history of the structure,
the first having occurred February "a,
1915, when Mrs. Mae Varney Cockreli
Of Covington. Ky, jumped down the
elevator shaft to her death from the
third landing from the top-a dis
tanCe of almost 500 feet.
About forty years ago. when the
great shaft was incomplete and only
$50 feet high. cat pursued by a dog
jumped from the top of the structure
DIR. Tindan said. and when it struck
the earth another dog attacked and
killed 1t.