A barber living and working in Bristol, Stephens started performing stunts to support his family, which included his wife, Annie, and their 11 children.

After calling the stunt a "cool commercial proposition", Stephens went over the Horseshoe Falls in an oak barrel,[3] using an anvil for ballast; this proved to be fatal.

Stephens ignored warnings from his advisers, fellow Niagara daredevils Bobby Leach and William "Red" Hill Sr., who suggested he test the barrel before going over the Falls.

As a result, Stephens was dragged under the Falls after the anvil broke the bottom of the barrel.

Stephens' severed right arm, the only part recovered, is buried in the Drummond Hills Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario.