Year: 1871

,ss -. Fire.


While Madison street, west of
Dearborn, and west side Of Dear.
born were all ablaze, the pecta
tors saw a lnrid light appear in the
rear window Of Speeds block
Presently q man, who had appa.
rently taken time to dress himself
leisurely, appeared on the cx,en.
sion built mp to tho second story
Of two of the stores. He coolly
looked down the thirty feet be
tween bin and the ground, while
the excited crowd first cried
jump; and then some of them
moro CONSIDERABLY looked for a
ladder. A long plank was soon
found and answered the same as
the ladder, and was placed at once
against the building, down which
the man soon after slid. But,
while these preparations were go.
ing OH there snddenly appeared
another man at fourth story win.
dow of the building below, which
had no protection, but flush from
the top to tho ground-four stories
and a basement. His escape by
the stairway was evidently cut
off and he looked; despairingly
down the fifty feet between him
and the ground. The crowd grew
almost frantic at the sight, for it
was only choice of death before
him-by fire or by being crushed
to death by tue fall.


Senseless cries of jump! Jump I
went mp from the crowd-sense-
less but full of sympathy, for the
sight was absolutely agoniz;ng.-
Then for a minute or two he disap.
reared, perhaps even less, but it
seemed SO long a time the suppo-
sition was that he had fallen, suf-
fncatcd with the smoke and heat.
But, no; he appears again.
First, he throws bed , then some
bedclothes, apparently; why,
probably he even does not know.
Again he looks down the dead.
sheer wall of fifty feet below him.
Then he monts the window SILL
Ills whole form appears, naked to
the shirt, and lGis white limbs
gleam against the dark wall in the
bright light as he swings, himself
below the window. Somehow
how none can tell-he drops and
catches on the top of the window
below him, of the third story.
lie stoops and drops again, and
seizes the frame with his hands,
and his cleaning body once more
straightens and hangs prone down.
ward, and then drops instantly and
accurately upcn the window sill of
the second story.


A shout, more of joy than ap-
plause, goes up from tho breath
less crowd, and those who had
turned away their heads not bear
ing to look upon him as lie seem
ed to drop to sudden and certain
death, glanced up at him once
more, with a ray ofhope, at this dar-
ing and skillful feat. Into this win
dow he crcpt to look probably, for a
stairway, bnt appeared again pres
emily, for here was the only ave
nue. of escape, desperately hope.
less as it was. Oace more he
dropped his body, hanging by his
hands. The crowd screamed and
waved to him TO swing over the
projection from which the other
man had just been rcscued. He
tiled 10 do this, and vibrated like
a pendulum from side TO side, bu,
could not reach far enough to
throw himself upon it's roof
Then lie hung by one hand and
looked down raising the other
hand he took a fresh hold and
swung from side to side again to
reach the roof. In vain again he
hung motionlcss by one hand, and
slowly turned his head over his
shoulder and gazed into the abyss
below him. Then, gathering him.
self mp, he let go his hold, and for
secnnd n CLEAN Of white shot
down full forty feet, to the founda
tion OF the basement. OF course
it killed him. He was taken to a
drug store near by and died in ten
minutes. sa