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Despondent 1920s Man’s Attempt At Suicide Foiled By His Fake Leg Made Out Of Cork

The lowest of lows for a New York man ended up making headlines

Life is hard and sometimes can be downright overwhelming. The ensuing struggle can take many forms, and sometimes results in people attempting to end their lives to get away from the pain and problems. Fortunately, not all efforts at suicide are successful, for muriad reasons. Perhaps one of the most unusual occurred in the 1920s when a despondent man tried to drown himself but was saved in large part by his prosthetic leg, which was made out of cork.

In 1924, Russell B. Hayward of New York was a homeless 39-year-old drug addict. He had long tried to kick his narcotic habit but always fell back into using. It was a vicious cycle, as he used drugs to combat his difficult life, but his addiction also prevented him from being able to make positive strides towards a healthier life and finding a roof over his head.

Finally reaching his breaking point, Hayward jumped into New York Bay with the intent of drowning himself. However, his dark plan was foiled by his fake leg, which was made out of cork. Instead of quietly sinking to the bottom of the murky water, his prosthetic kept him awkwardly floating.

When a man named James Weiber saw the floundering man, he jumped in to try and save him. He must have been surprised when Hayward fought back — perhaps partly due to still wanting to die and also because he couldn’t properly right himself because of his pesky cork leg.

Somehow, Weiber was able to not only catch a rope thrown to him from a passing excursion boat, but was also able to overpower Hayward and get him drawn to safety.

Hayward was brought to Bellvue for observation. It’s unknown if he was able to get the help he needed and turn his life around but hopefully he was able to find a better mental space than feeling like he had no recourse than to end it all.

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