Albert Berry (parachutist)

Albert Berry collapses his parachute on at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, after his jump on 1 March 1912.

"Captain" Albert Berry (born March 1, 1878)^{[citation needed]} is one of two people credited as the first person to make a successful parachute jump from a powered airplane. The other contender is Grant Morton, who is reported to have jumped from a Wright Model B flying over Venice Beach, California sometime late in 1911.^[1] Morton's pilot was Phil Parmalee. Berry's jump took place on March 1, 1912, when he jumped from a Benoist pusher biplane piloted by Tony Jannus.^[2][3][4]

Early life[]

Albert Berry was the son of balloonist John Berry.^[2][5][6] He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[2] While living in Detroit around 1891, John Berry and his wife separated. Albert was 10 years old at the time and stayed with his mother while John moved to St. Louis, Missouri. John did not see or know the whereabouts of his son until the fall of 1911, when he read newspaper articles of a lynching in West Chester, Pennsylvania and the subsequent arrest of an balloonist named Albert Berry. Upon reading the articles John reached out to the jailed man with a similar name and occupation offering assistance. He received a quick response from Albert Berry, stating he believed he was his son. After investigation John verified it was indeed his estranged son who was in jail for murder.^[5]

Lynching of Zachariah Walker[]

In August 1911, Albert Berry was in West Chester, Pennsylvania with his wife for a balloon exhibition when an African-American man, Zachariah "Zack" Walker, was accused of murdering a Worth Brothers company police officer, Edgar Rice, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. A mob attempted to lynch Walker but a posse succeeded in getting him to jail. It is stated that Walker had attempted suicide when he was captured which resulted in serious injuries to his jaw. He was taken to the local hospital for surgery and afterward remained there in custody of a police guard. The next day the mob stormed the hospital overwhelming the sole guard and took Walker. That night Walker was burnt alive near Coatesville. One reporter estimated the crowd gathered to watch the murder at 5,000 men, women and children.

The mob's actions were condemned by regional newspapers and local and national political figures such as former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. An investigation was launched but was hampered by a "conspiracy of silence". Albert Berry was arrested several days later after making incriminating statements to an officer. Police also believed Berry visited the jail on the day of the lynching to do reconnaissance for the mob that came later that night. Fifteen men and boys, nearly half under the age of 21, were indicted on charges related to the murder. Berry denied he actively participated in the lynching. Norman Walter Price confessed to helping burn Walker and pled guilty to second-degree murder. Price turned state's evidence and was the principal witness in the lynching trials.

On October 11, 1911, Albert Berry and William Gilbert went on trial for murder. After two hours of deliberations the jury acquitted Berry and Gilbert. In all at least seven trials were held resulting in seven acquittals of the accused. Following the Berry acquittal, Deputy Attorney General J. E. B. Cunningham stated, "it seems to be beyond human agency to secure a conviction in the killing of Walker." After multiple acquittals Cunningham asked that the charges against the rest of the defendants be dropped as it was clear no convictions could be obtained.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Parachute jump[]

On March 1, 1912, Berry jumped from a Benoist pusher biplane from 1,500 feet (460 m) and landed successfully at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. The pilot was Tony Jannus. The 36 feet (11 m) diameter parachute was contained in a metal canister attached to the underside of the plane. When Berry dropped from the plane his weight pulled the parachute from the canister. Berry seated himself on a trapeze bar hanging from the front of the airplane before attaching the parachute to his harness. He dropped 500 feet (150 m) before the parachute opened. Berry had extensive experience parachuting from balloons prior to his first airplane jump.^[1][2][3][4] He jumped from an airplane again on March 10, 1912.^[4]

In 1960, the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) named Mount Berry, a mountain in Antarctica, after Berry.^[11]

References[]

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