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Show Hi$ Leap 1 JlPor Life1 Ercapcd "Pur uing Ftamcj y "Daring Jump to a Windotu Ledge. A.UtaKcncd by Smell of Smoke. Courageous Man Sprang From Tied and Leaped From I Windotv to Wlndotv. A few minutes after tl o'clock one morning not long hIiiic the ping of n breaking window ptiiio caused pedes trlnns on Itrimdvvny, St Louis, to look up at the Ilro idwuj Musee A pull of "T1IK KEKTIOX OKE MC." brown smoke shot out of the hole mndu hi one of the w Indows on tho top door. On tln fourth Moor slept Ullswottli Adams, who tells the tale of his csenpc from death "I went to bed veiy lute," Htilil Mr. Adams. "1 went up to my room on tho fourth lloor, wit up rending awhile, and when I mow sleepy I went to bed nnd Into a dreamless sleep. "The night passed and day en me on. I nwokp for an Instant, hut dinpped to nlecp nca I ii at onto. It was then I lind a horrible dream or nightmare. Some one hail mo by the threat and was stt angling me. I struggled in my sleep, lighting off my enemy, and tho exertion woke mo. For a few moments mo-ments I lay In a sort of dazo Now I realled what tho btiangllug demon of my dream was. Smoke! "Instautl) I leaped out of bed. I realised that I was four stories above the .street and that If the lire was so close as to burn through tl(o H6or above me 1 must be active to escape It. "In the back pnrlor of tho Jloor, 130 feet awa), was a nairow stairway leading to tho lire escape "I leaped for the door connecting my room with tho huge hall hi tho rear, across whleh weio the stalls. So closely close-ly was the Die from aboc pressing me that I had no time to think of clothes and started forwaid In my nightshirt. "As I opened the door n mass of llnme and smoke burst In upon me, and I slummed It shut. Hut In that Instant I saw tho whole Interior of tho building build-ing full of a trembling mass of black smoke, through whleh the lUtiues Hashed. There was no escape thnt way. "My room was In the north sldo of the building, with one window. To this I ran and threw It open, for tho beat was teiillle and tho smoke suffocating. As I looked out 1 saw the tlamcs waving wav-ing ftoni the windows of the story above me and tho street full of smoke. '"1 ho heat behind was- growing Intense. In-tense. Willi a crash tho door fell In, blazing. 1 looked up and down the street for tho lire engines, for I knew they must soon come. Tho flrcmcii would run up a ladder and take me down, and nil would be well. Hut there were no llremen. "I stepped upon the window sill nnd looked down Into tho street. The tllr.-7) tllr.-7) lug horror of that glnnee will neer leavo me. "I resoled to look down no more, but to keep straight abend along the window ledges until I came to the cud nnd take n ehnnee of there being something some-thing there on to.whleh I could Jump Uho window ledge wns only three Inches Inch-es wldo and only supported the bull of my foot. I took a deep breath of fresh cold ulr and prepared to start. "As I looked n lien 1 ot ino along the sldo of tho building I almost turned back In despair. Pacing mo was n brond electric sign thnt inn up nnd dowu tho building vertically. I hod first to get nround this. Hetween the sign and the building wns n space of about six? Inches. No uso trying to I squeeze through that "I grasped the Innpr edge ot the sign, placed my left foot on tho window ledgo nnd reached nround tho sign with my right leg. I barely touched tho ledgo of tho second window with my bare toes. Tho flames were coming out of tho window now and wero burning my left hand. It was now or never. 8o 1 clutched tit the edge of tho sign with my rtirht baud, giue u swing, worked UN f Jl upon t'ie i U 1 pn""l i. sell In lliclediip win no li mow 1 could nu. walk It. so I got djwn uu .,i;. bunds and knee and crawled iiIjih; until I cuno to the other side of tho wmJow', nbout six fiet 'Iheti' I ci'ine to tin Itou pillar that stood out from the level lev-el .of the window about tw toot unit was :i foot and a half bio id. "The lite almost got uu- there, for it sudden gust of tlnmo as lil,; im a bl tit-ki't tit-ki't Lame out ol the window It was then in) eats wete binned nnd mj hair Hinged as I turned b) fme awny trim it 1 clutched (he w liiibiw s.ish utid l cached around the pillar. I couldn't innke It. It was too far a st.ctih fur mo. Hut fe.tr of lite wis gieitcr than till cNc now. "1 fastened luy lingers tn the window sill, caught at the base ut the pillar, a projotlnii lei than an Inch wide, with til) toes and sw'ttng m.wlf out I it I most slipped oir. because there came up to me I'toiii the street a .veil, a sott of long iltawu Ali-li'.' that bad it note of hoi loi In It. "I wotked ni) othet foot up to tin nariow ledge, got in) toes upon It, swlftl) shlltcsl the tight foot Into the window, gtaspetl the window s.ish with my right hand and pulled ut) sell In. "Dow ti the w ludow hung a bit of rope, ptobabl) fiom an" old awning lKluie The lllc was lomlnu out of the window ptett) llel). and I gtasp-ed gtasp-ed the lope to help me walk the ledge It broke, and I swit)eit out tot an In stunt and almost went dowu t!od. It was awful! I ctoiiehed at oneo and irawied, with a slik. hcatt, to the other side, whore I came to another electric sign, mate to tin; one 1 had loiuo around befote, and In tho same manner man-ner I got past that and by itawliug the net ledge dime to the pillar that stood between me and the uet building to the south, in whkh there was no tire and whore safety lay "As I stood up to teeotinolter I heard the people dow n In the street yell. I looked down nnd wined mj hand to let tbeni know that so far 1 was safe. "My back was against the pillar as I stopped to get my bteath, for tho smoke and my exertions had "about exhausted ex-hausted me In a moment or two I clutched the window sash and leaned far out to look around the pillar. I saw a window about four feet away, I should Judge, and below It almost Hush with tho building a sign. As I looked along It I tend the words, 'We trust,' nnd could not see the test of It because It flattened off 'AH tight,' thought 1. 'If )ott can trust It, so lhu I.' "I saw thnt my only chance was a leap a leap for life. This was how I figured It, and I had to do it fast. Tho ledge of the w ludow In the net building build-ing was almost flush with our building, but the window Itself was deep set, which gae me an adwiiitagc The sign stood out fiom the wall, I suppose, sup-pose, three, maybe tour, Inches, so that I had a stu face a foot or mine In breadth I knew I could not make It on a Jump to laud on my feet, and I could by no possibility tench the edge of the window with my baud "It was a despetato chance! "Hut there was no alternative except to burn to death on the window ledgo or leap Into the stteet. "I grasped tho sash w Ith my fingers, took a long breath and a good look at my lauding pl..c I clutched the edge "I TllllKW MYRKW AT THE SIOV " of the base of tho pillar wltli my toes, then throw ni)self at the sign and tho window ledge I closed my eyes. "Hut I htttiLk tho window ledge with my chest, and my hands grasped tho sign, and I pulled and scrambled iny way on to tho narrow perch and rested for a second. I was afraid to mine for four of falling off. "Again I lienid u yell, glad find triumphant. tri-umphant. "Gradually, slowly, carefully, I worked myself along until I could kneel on the window ledge, my feet hanging o er space, nnd tried the window. win-dow. It was not iocked, and I pushed It up nnd crawled Into tho room. As I got lusldo I toppled oi er and lay on the tloor "I wns aroused by tho cold and aa I recou'red my composure sat up nnd looked nround. Thero were plenty of clothes In plloti on (l' tnbles, .and I hunted up a pnlr of trousers nnd n coat nnd then found my way downstairs. down-stairs. Those outside heard mo bentlng on tlm window and broke In the door nnd-tliat's all." |