The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-08-23
SAM PATCH.
-ur MAN WHO JUMPED INTO
LASTING FAME.

ing-His Exploits at Paterson,
r;scara and Rochester-Thc Leap
That Cost Life.
p.vtucket Falls are entitled to place
:. history other than by reason of the
Wv manufactures which began by their
' ';dc or the great variety of manufactures
"s m carried on around them in the thriv-
~ city which bears their name. At
.Ssse fails began what may be called the
''hl;c career of man whose fame ex-
i,nds all over the country, and who even
sow has humble im;tators. 1t was at
\ ,Se,e falls that sam Patch first learned
Ssv TO Jump from great heights into the
water.
aver been written. The sketches of his
t,,ts in jumping in New Jersey, at Mag
=, Falls and at GcncScc Falls may be
mhtantially correct. but only the merest
meption has been made of his early life.
Some of the cyclopedias say he was born
n Rhode Island in 1907, which is true
neither as to place nor date. Some of the
,ketches have called him a sailor, "a
vharf rat" and such like pet names, and
have conveyed the impression that he
VAS ANYTHING but what he was. The
,ketches of his early life have all been
Misleading, as well as meager, and have
been allowed to 60 without contradic-
ton.
Sam Patch was born in South Reading,
Mass. The date of his birth is unknown,
but it must haxe been before 1907, as he
vas more than % at the time of his death
in 1929. His father, Greenleaf Patch,
Vssa farmer at that place.
\ When boy, Sam worked in a mill on
1 the east side of the river, just above the
hills, which was run by Samuel Slater
md others. Like his companions in this
mill and other mills, he was fond of the
water, and bathing was an amusement
often practised. The river at the foot of
The falls is of very great depth, especially
90 the cast side, and it was common
amusement, not only sixty years ago, but
until very recently, for boys, and men,
TOO, for that matter, to jump from the
top rail of the bridge into the river. But
the boys could not long be content with
this jump. After making it few times
they fguratively. turned up their noses at
It and sought something higher. In the
days of Sam Patch, the old Yellow
MILL" now the paper mill at the east end
Of the bridge, was two stories lower than
1t the present time. A few of the more
venturesome jumped from the peak of the
roof of this mill. Q distance of nearly 100
feet, but their number was not so great
that of those who jumped from the
bridge jerks Maxwell and Gardner
Bucklin were among the first to make
this jump, and many others, including
Sam Patch, followed their daring ex,
ample, and even after the mill was raised
up one story the same Mr.. Bucklin made
the jump. Next to the Yellow Mill was
the old stone mill. which in its early days
had fiat roof This roof was somewhat
higher than the roof of the Yellow Mill,
and the jump from there was more
perilous, as it was necessary to make 8
iunuing jump in order to reach the deer
water, this mill being further down the
nver. As Sans ambition grew upon hin
be was not satisfied with jumping from
the Yellow Mill, but climbed to the rool
Of the stone mill and jumped from
there.
So far as is known, then, Sam Patch
while here made no greater jumps than
did many of his fellows. and very likely
thought little of the feats-certainly die
not think of ever jun ping for money Oh
lame. lie was daring young man, and
was proud of it. but no more daring thar
lew OF his fellows. When he grew tC
manhood, having become acquainted
with the mysteries of the cotton manu-
facture, he entered into partnership with
aScotchman named Kennedy, under thu
hm name of Kennedy & Patch, anC
went into the business of cotton manu-
iacture in Central Falls, in mill which
stood where now stands the mill of late
years run by Thurlow, Horton & Wood
TINS arrangement did not prove goo(
tning for Sam. Whether or not the bus
iness was successful is unknown, but il
short time Kennedy skipped out, tax
ing with him, it was said, what funds h,
s.. WI Cdui was uoW Dt'
shape. He found himself liable for debit
contracted by the firm, and his bushes
crippled. He sold out to the best adj
vantage, and went to New Jersey in tn,
nope Of lettering his condition. Whil'
mere, accident brought about some con
sersatlon in which he told of the height
rom which he had jumped at Pawtucke
rails. His statement was disputed, ant
:ne result was he made two or thre
Jumps there. From this point dates hi
real jumping career.
Jane Marsh Parker, in the history o
rochester, gives sketch of Sam, tn
authority for which is chiefly that o
'oseph Cochrane, who was a clear-head
81 lad In 1929. and knew Sam Patel
ueIter than anybody in these parts" Sh