Samuel Gilbert Scott

Samuel Gilbert Scott (c. 1813 – January 11, 1841) was an American daredevil who was killed performing a stunt at Waterloo Bridge in London, England.

For his act, Scott often swung from a rope by his feet and neck before jumping. During a performance in Deptford, the rope accidentally slipped around his neck and nearly strangled him. He was rescued by a bystander. Scott went on to perform the same act at Waterloo Bridge, and accidentally hanged himself from a scaffold.

Navy veteran and start of his diving career

Scott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served in the United States Navy, where he became well known for jumping off the masts of Navy vessels. Upon leaving the Navy he became a professional stuntman, passing the hat for contributions after his performances. Scott performed stunts in Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia and on the St. Lawrence River. He dived from a precipice near Niagara Falls, reported in newspapers as a jump, although historians consider this figure to be impossible. Scott also worked as a bartender in Rochester, New York, where Sam Patch had jumped to his death from the High Falls in 1829. alt=This is a print of Samuel Gilbert Scott leaping from Waterloo Bridge.

Working in England

Around 1837,

Nearly-fatal accident and help from a bystander

Scott was nearly killed in an accident while performing on an American ship in Deptford. He often swung from a rope by his feet and neck before jumping. While he was doing so in Deptford, the rope accidentally slipped around his neck and nearly strangled him. Scott was saved only by the quick thinking of a sailor who caught his feet and supported him, allowing Scott to loosen the rope. Scott's comment to the crowd after this accident was, "The hemp that is to hang me is not grown yet!"

Fatal accident and inaction by the spectators

On January 11, 1841, Scott planned to run from the White Lion Pub in Drury Lane to Waterloo Bridge, jump from a scaffold on the bridge into the river, and return to the pub during the hour between 1:00 and 2:00 P.M. Upon arrival at the bridge, Scott began swinging from a noose attached to the scaffold. Once again, the noose slipped and tightened around Scott's neck. As had also happened in Deptford, the spectators erroneously thought that this was part of Scott's act, and no immediate action was taken. Eventually, one man in the crowd insisted that Scott be cut down, but it was too late. According to a contemporary broadside, Scott "was immediately taken to Charing Cross Hospital, where every attention was paid to him, but unfortunately without effect, as life was quite extinct." According to The Times of London, Scott was residing with his wife in Deptford at the time of his death. His wife usually accompanied him to his performances, but was not present on the occasion of his fatal accident.

The case is further mentioned in Alfred Swaine Taylor's Manual of Medical Jurisprudence, 6th American edition (Philadelphia 1866), p. 339, albeit giving a wrong year:

The death of Scott, the American diver, in January, 1840, shows how readily asphyxia may be induced by a slight compression of the throat, even when a person might be supposed to have both the knowledge and the power to save himself ... No attempt was made to save him until it was too late, and he was not brought to a hospital until thirty-three minutes had elapsed. He was allowed to hang thirteen minutes –– the spectators thinking that the deceased was prolonging the experiment for their gratification!