The Newtown bee., 1893-09-01
Litchield County News.
NEW PRESTON.
A FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
 We are called upon to record one sad and fatal accident here, as connected with the violent storm of wind and rain, of Thursday of last week. We did our best to wire the news, that day, but tel ephones suffered with the rest, so we had to be content in letting the matter go over till this weeks issue of THE BEE. A. M. Chapman, president of the Brooklyn Wrecking Co.,, of Brooklyn, N. r., had with his family been for a few weeks, a guest at George o. Hopkins at Lakeside. Last week, son, residing in the above city, came up to visit his par ents for brief space and 1t was thought best by him to start on the return trip home, on Thursday morning. His father decided tO take him to the New Preston railroad station to connect with the morning train. They took the road at the foot of the lake, which connects with the Christian street road beyond Fred erick Hotlman's, and while passing through sherman Cogswelrs grove, the strong wind caused an oak tree of about IS inches diameter at base, to snap of from it's roots and descend with terrible force, just as the carriage top came with in the line of it's descent. The carriage top, body, springs and wheels, were crushed to the ground leaving Mir Chap man and son pinioned beneath the trunk of the tree and badly fracturing Mir Chap mans skull. The son was able with as- sistance to extricate himself from the tree, but the elder remained there speech less and senseless. The trunk of the tree had to be sawed through 15 feet from the base, before the old gentleman could be taken out and placed on rude- ly constructed litter, most hurridly pre-. pared by those who had been summoned to the scene through the agency of Hor- ace N. sherman, who was passing that way to his fathers and met the horse. Uninjured it had cleared itself from the carriage and was passing along the road unhindered till MT Sherman caught him and led him back to the scene of the accident. The alarm was then given as soon as Mir Sherman could reach his fathers cottage. Covered wagons were soon procured after the injured ones were released from the fallen tree, and they were carried back to Mir Hopkins attended by Dr R. A. Marcy, and after wards pr J. K Bacon, who was sum- moned from New Milford in consulta- tion. No encouragement could be ex- tended thereby in the case of A. M. Chapman, but the young man who show ed much unnaturalness and wild taking, caused by the shock, was put to bed and kept quiet through the day with opi- ates, and was taken back to Brooklyn on the following morning. A. M. Chap man fingered till 10.30 a. m., Thursday evening when he expired, aged about 60 years and his remains, accompanied by his widow and children, and son-in-law went to their saddened home at Brook lyn, on Friday afternoon. It is conced- ed to be the worst accident which has cibly impresses the fact on all "there is but step twixt me and death."
 ANOTHER REPORT OF THE ACCIDENT.
 One of our town boarders from Brook lyn, N. r., met an untimely fate, little past s o'clock, on Thursday morning. He was riding in a close carriage, taking his son to the carson the Shepaug rail- road. After turning the corner at the foot of Lake Waramaug and reaching the woods beyond, a tree at least II inches in diameter struck and smashed the ve- hicle like an egg shell, pinning in both of the occupants, fracturing the skull of the father, A. M. Chapman, thereby rendering him insensible. He lived un- til night, never returning to conscious ness. The son was more or less injured. It was at least two hours before they could be extricated from the wreck, as after help came, it was necessary to saw the tree in two. The horse escaped un- harmed and ran. Mir Chapman, wife and son, were boarding at George Hop kins. The business of MT Chapman was that of a wrecker and he thought his son ought to go to the city, little thinking that they should be wrecked on their way to the depot, and he should receive his death injury. A second of motion would have carried them beyond the danger. The father was there to the moment to meet his end. Some would say It was accidental-fate. All we can say, Is, so it was to be. We are reminded of Pope's lines in his essay on man:
 "When the loose mountain trembles from on
 high.
 Shall gravitation cease, If those go by?
 Or some old temple, nodding to it's fall,
 For Chartres' head reserve the hanging
 wall"
 Pope believed in general laws, and de- nied, what many hold, that they are ever arrested. In other words, he denied that such thing as miracle could be. We'll the sudden death of this man, in this great storm, sent a shock through midst of life we are in death. We should lay it to heart and ask ourselves personally, am ready to go hence as suddenly? Our heart is filled with sor- row for the widow and the scn.-[G.
 ACCIDENT TO O. E. BRENNAN.
 Oscar E. Beeman met with a painful accident at his mill, on Friday last, in lacerating his hand while using his cir cular saw. Dr Marcy was called and placed the hand in proper condition. He ~x,sII to ya to norrv if in a SIinU 9ar a fau,