Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-07-04
A BRIDES UNTIMELY DEATH.
The Drowning of u Paterson Clergy.
mans Wife---An Accident which the
Niagara Falls Tragedy Recalls.
New York Times.

en- years ago, which was, if ANYTHING,
more distressing in the attending cir
cumstances. During the early part OF
the summer of 1872, number of the
residents of Paterson, desiring to have
regular preaching in the English lam
guage, induced the Presbytery Of New
ark to accede to their wish, and the
Rev. Hooper Cumming, pastor Of the
Second Presbyterian Church at Newark,
was appointed to preach for them. He
went to Paterson on Saturday, JuAo 20,
1872, with his young wife, to whom he
had been united only q few weeks. On
Sunday he preached to the people in
English, in the old Dutch Church at
Totowa, then standing on what is now
Water street, near the corner of Mat
lock---a quaint and venerable building
burned down in 1927. He was the first
to use the English tongue in that pulpit,
which before that time had been occu.
pied exclusively by Dutch Dominies,
and this fact, combined with his I'M
doubted eloquence, produced marked
impression on his congregation, which
was deepened by the unfortunate sequel
to his visit. In after years it was al
legged that, rs he concluded his sermon
a blackbird flew in at an open window
and ominously perched on the great
sounding-board that in those days
oycrhung the pulpit, but this
was Enthusiastically an invention of
some imaginative chronicler who
thought this to invest the melancholy
narrative with u tinge of superstitious
horror. The next morning, before set
ting ont on their drive back to Newark,
the young couple took walk up to the
falls, which in those days presented a
far finer spectacle than now, as then the
cataract was almost in a state of nature
surrounded by forests, and adorned
with flowers Of varied hues. After gaz-
ing about them for some time, and
looking down the dizzy depths into
which the river suddenly plunges, Mrs.
Cumming grew faint, and withdrew q
short distance from the precipice until
she should regain her composure. After
y while, Us they were about leaving the
vicinity, she yentured again, with her
husband, to the edge Of the rocks to take
a farewell view of the sublime and, to
her, novel scene. The spot whereon
they stood is about $50 feet south or
southwest of the present chasm bridge,
near the whltcncd trunk Of blasted
pine, and just over u deep cleft III the
trap-reck, spanned by board II couple
Of feet across Fascinated by the wild
beauty Of the spectacle, they stood en-
tranced for some minutes, when he said:
at is time to return, and stepped back
II pace or two to allow her to follow
him across The narrow bridge. Sudden
ly he heard u wild cry, and turning, saw
her not. She had disappeared over the
awful brink with that agonizing shrek
which was to ring in his ears forever.
In II mad frenzy he ran to and fro
along the edge of the precipice, crying,
"She is fallen! She is fallen!" Thomas
wills, lad of 16, happened to be fish.
ing in the basin below the falls
at the time. Rushing to
tho top of the rocks he caugh: Mr.. Cum
ming just rs he was on the point of
plunging over the precipice after his
wife. The two then descended to the
basin, and again the bereaved young
husband attempted to throw himself
into the water, but was restrained by
his youthful friend. Soon the news of
the shocking accident spread through
the town, and the people turned out to
recover the body. 1t wns found in the
basin, II few rods from where she fell
in, about Z O'clock the next morning,
and taken to the residence of Mr.. sam.
uel Colt, one Of the principal men in
the new Presbyterian congregation, who
then occupied u house where Masonic
Hall now stands. The remains were
conveyed the same day to Newark, and
on Wednesday the funeral took place
from the Second Presbyterian Church ut
Newark, the sermon being preached by
the Rev. James Richards, Of the First
Church. Thousands of citizens from
Newark, and the surrounding towns as
sembled, and there was not dry eye in
all the congregation. The bride who
met with such All untimely death was
the daughter of reputable parents i'll
Portland, Me-, her maiden name being
Sarah Emmons. She was educated in
that town, and lived there until within
IL Few weeks OI neT Eau emu, Wnlcn QC-
Cured IN her 23d year. Ter person
WINS agreeable, her manners simple, and
her mind strong and ingenious.
The subsequent career Of Cumming
VAS checkered and on the whole was
melancholy. lie never recovered from
the terrible shock of the sudden loss OF
his wife. For fortnight he was com.
pletely crushed. AT the end Of that
time his mother saw, one morning
when he came out of his chamber, III
evident change from the deepest de
preston to insensibilty and irivolity
The cord was snapped lii Il few day,
he was riding with n gay young girl
and he offered her his hand. He was
seen, about the same time, riding abou
the streets Of Newark AZ full speed Will
his hat in his hand. His insanity be
came subject of common remark il
Newark, but ont Of regard for his fam
lily, one of the most prominent i'll town
and out OF consideration for his grea
) bereavement, his congregation tolerated
: his numerous eccentricities for tw,
/ years, when he withdrew from til,
| Presbytery. He went to South Caro-
I ~ e ~. ~