The Tragic Leap Over the Falls
A man with a prosthetic leg made a final, fatal decision to go over Spokane's Upper Falls.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Spokane—'I'm going over the Upper Falls or bust,' declared Jack Robinson to his friend, Jack King, here, as he removed his wooden leg and leaped into the river. Robinson was carried down the stream, over both falls, and perished in the whirlpool. The tragedy was witnessed by dozens to whom Robinson smiled cheerfully as he passed along. Robinson was a molder from Davenport, Wash.
“The tragedy was witnessed by dozens to whom Robinson smiled cheerfully, as he passed along.”
Public spaces like Spokane Falls have long been places where the public gaze meets extreme personal despair. Today, we view such accounts with a greater focus on mental health resources, though the historical paper’s casual framing of the death highlights a lack of empathy common in the era's reporting.
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