The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-08-05
/ A DISTRESSING ACCIDENT.
The Fatality Of Love Finds a
Curious Illustration.


a. young gentleman named Joe
White, avery respectable, industrious,
quiet, good-!ouking fellow Of about Is
years of age, and a resident of Ger
mantown, went to South Nashville
Saturday night, TO visit his lady love
q Miss Barnes. He had been fre-
qnantly to visit her before, at various
tines. They were engaged to be
married. He found her In The parlor,
sewing, as a proper young girl sho'd
be. She was anxious to finish the
article, and therefore concluded not
to throw it aside when he entered,
particularly as he complimented her
on her pretty appearance, with her
beautiful face, bending over her work,
and her slender fingers flying as she
piled the stitches with as much grace
and rapidity as other girls display
when skimming over the keys ofa
nasty piano. He took his seat be.
side her. They chatted very gaily.
After waiting Q few. minutes, which
to him seemed hours, he became i'm
patient, and longed to imprint a
chaste kiss upon her ripe lips. With
the view of carrying out his design,
he let his arm circle her waist furtive-
ly, and, as he was drawing her close
to himself, she objected being disturb
ed until her little work was finished;
but he insisted. She made q motion
to shove him of, rs girls are said to,
generally. This motion proved fatal
to her happiness and to his life. He
became impetuous, and, drawing her
TO him with much violence, the needle
which was caught in her thimble,
got between them, the point toward
his heart. It entered, and as he was
about to imprint q kiss Of love upon
her lips his own became ashy pale.
His vigorous grasp relaxed, and then
the fire Of love died out, as if by q
celestial Puff, at the moment of con-
tact. He sickcned, fell back upon
the sofa, quite helpless. The young
lady was much alarmed, and ran for
assistance. The family all ran into
the room and proceeded to open his
shirt collar, thinking he was in q
fainting fit, and that the usual restor-
atives would suffice. In undoing his
vest it was found that the needle had
penetrated his side very deeply, a |
circumstance which the young lady |
never noticed in her fright. The
doctor was sent for. He administer.
ed what remedies he. could. Partial
consciousness was restored, and the
young fellow enabled to talk. The
scene between him and his first, last
love was extremely affecting. She
wept like one who feels that all hap
piness on earth is lost, and he seemed
to regret her loss and not his owa
He eonsoled her by say
ing that she would soon get another
lover to ill his place, who would be
more worthy of her than he conld
hope TO be, and who would make her
happy. This but increased her sor-
row She sank down upon the floor
beside him and cried aloud. When
he was becoming worse, and the doc
tor gave tho emphatic opinion that
he could not live, she started sudden
ly to her feet, and, running into all
other room, swallowed q heavy dose
OF laudanum, which was kept there
for the use ofa young member of the
fomily that was sick. It was some
time before she was discovered, and
it was with the utmost difficulty she
was brought back to consciousness.
The first word she uttered was go,
where is he2 let me go tohim; Twill be
with him." AT the same instant the
young gentleman was resiginy his
spirit into the hands ofits Maker in
the adjoining room. He died about
10 o'clock. She is stillin precarious
condition, and cvinces symptoms Of
insanity.