Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-11-06
The Fearful Tragedy at Lewiston

We gather from the Lewiston Journal of
Saturday the following particulars of the sui
eide of the two girls at Lewiston on Friday,
briefly alluded to in our last daily:
The family of Mr.. Cyrus Cobb, living on
Court street, observed the two girls, at about
IL 80 o'clock, sitting on the Auburn shore
of the river, on the verge of the West Pitch
of the falls, very dangerous place. They
tripped lightly down the rocks, removed their
outer garments, including their hats and re-
turned to their seats on the rocks. As the
one O'Clock train passed over the railroad
bridge near by, Miss Cobb says that she saw
the girls rise, each throw her arm around the
others waist, and in this embrace. they with
apparently one consent leaped from the shore
into the falls. Miss Cobb turned to her ia
Their: "Father they have jumped together
into falls" The facts speedily became
known and crowds gathered in the vicinity
of the scene Of the terrible tragedy, but moth
ing could be discovered but the garments,
bearing silent and at the same time sad wit
ness of the tragedy. The clothing was dis
tinctly visible to crowds, and was found on
spur of the ledge, about opposite the main
plunge of West pitch. 1t was not rolled up
carefully, but seemed to have been laid down,
each article as it had been removed from the
ptEsoR. nc CIothluS, WHICH COHSlSteu OF
their hats, a waterproof cloak, shawl and a
black over-skirt, with a mass of false hair,
was of rather Indifferent quality, yet appar-
emily tidy. Pinned into the waterproof was
brooch of some black stone, with q medal.
lion face in white in the center of the stone
the whole set in gold. Pinned to the ribbon
of the hat were two ten cent bills.
An examination of the premises established
the fact that the suicides-as they seem to
have leaped from the point where they first
sat down-threw themselves from the fiat
rock which forms q level platform close to
the waters edge, near the foot of the first
descent of West Pitch, which consists of two
falls. The first is slight plunge upon
table rock then light fall for hundred feet,
| more or less; then a great cataract, which at
present, is fearful.fall of water, rolling down
into a chasam, many feet from the base OF
the first fall. Here, just beyond the base OF
the first fall, they seem to have thrown them
selves into the river. 1t must have been a
headlong leap with the current. Miss Cobb
saw them no more. They fell and were
plunged into the torrent and out of the world.
in a moment.
Miss Starbird of Auburn and others, iden-
tify the clothing as belonging to Ada Brown
of Buckfield, and Anna Wood of Hartford,
young girls l6 and IA years of age Miss
StarDlTu says tnat DOtn girls were at her nome
| on Hampshire street, Auburn, Thursday eve
ming and appeared in excellent spirits. Anna
Wood left No. Bates Block on Thursday,
| where she had been since Saturday. When
she left she said she was going to work in
gentlemans family in this city. The land
lady paid her SO cents, her due when she left
Ada Brown has worked in the Androscoggin
Mill and has been of late at No. 2 Bates cor
poration. While Miss Wood was at No. 4,
Ada Brown c.-lled frequently and Miss Brown
and herself went out together several eve
nings. Miss Brown came here three weeks
since. Her father, John Brown, is farmer
residing in Buckield.
Her landlady says that Miss Wood appear
ed cheerful when she left her house, though
she had complained of sickness caused by
eating lobster. 1t is not yet certain where
the girls spent the night. They were seen
passing up Court street, Auburn, at 8 P. NJ.
A young man recognized the pin as one he
gave one of the girls. Ira Foster says he
saw both on the street at 8 o'clock in the
morning Miss Browns older sister has
been at work in the city, and is frantic with
grief at the sad tragedy. She left this after
noon to carry the sad news to her parents.
Miss Woods father is dead. Her mother
is now in Massachusetts. Both the girls had
an appointment to meet the older Miss Brown
in the morning. but their failure to meet it
caused her to go out to look after them. The
| bodies have not yet been recovered.