Falls From Balloon; Dashed To Pieces.

New York Times 100 years ago today, December 2, 1912:
Richard Frayne, Aeronaut, Killed in Exhibition Parachute Descent Before 3,000 People.
FATAL DROP OF 2,000 FEET
Tragedy Probably Due to Failure to Use Safety Wristlets Attached to Parachute.
    JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 1.— Richard Frayne, an aeronaut, fell 2,000 feet here this afternoon and was instantly killed. Three thousand people witnessed the accident. The aeronaut was thrown from his seat in the parachute immediately after he cut, loose from the balloon. His body landed in the driveway of the Evergreen Cemetery near here. Physicians say every bone in his body was broken.
    With "Jack" Crosby Frayne ascended at the Tri-County Fair here late this afternoon. Both men had individual parachutes attached to the balloon. Crosby severed his parachute first, and a moment later he saw Frayne's body dash past him. Witnesses of the tragedy say that Frayne's parachute opened successfully, and it is believed that his fall was due to his failure to place his hands in the safety wristlets, the momentary halting of the descent upon the opening of the parachute, having hurled him from his seat.
    Frayne's home was at Lowell, Mass. He was 25 years old and unmarried. Crosby, who was a business partner of Frayne, also lives in Massachusetts. They had headquarters in Boston.