Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-08-25
JUMPS INTO The RIVER.
Colored Woman Leaps Off Bridge
Tuesday Noon
Was Mrs Nora De Cassi Who Caused
Arrest of Husband for Living with
Another Woman.

Another woman.
Michael Hennessey, an employee of the
Twin State Gas & Electric Co., was seat
ed at the rear of the plant on the bank
of the river at l2.45 Tuesday after
noon when he noticed a young colored
woman walking across the bridge. AS
she walked she removed her coat and
then her hat. Placing them on the
bridge she paused and looked over the
railing into the water. An instant later
she mounted to the top of the railing
and jumped.
Miss Bessie l.. Farnum, bookkeeper
of The Phoenix, was seated in the tel
.ephone room taking Associated Press
dispatches when from the window she
saw the woman jump. She cried the
alarm and n Phoenix man rushed to the
street to do what he could. He found
w. j. Pentland, jr., standing near his
automobile and asked him if he could
swim. Mr.. Pentland replied that he
could, and upon being told what had
taken place jumped into the machine
and traffic regulations were busted all
to flinders.
When the Phoenix man and Mr.
Pentland reached the bridge Hennessey
had rope about his waist and was
wading into the river while a by
stander was holding the other end. The
woman was swimming laboriously d.
agonally towards the shore, but not to-
wards Hennessey.
The rope was short and Mr.. Pent-
land ran down the bank to prepare to
enter the water. The woman was fast
weakening and Mr.. Pentland took the
end of the rope, allowing Mr. Hennes
sey more latitude, and waded into the
river. As Mr.. Hennessey managed to
grasp one hand of the woman she col
lapsed. Both were hauled to the shore
and the woman was taken into the Of
flee at the gas works.
1t was seen that she was Mrs. Mona
DeCassi, wife of William DeCassi, who
on Monday was sentenced to the house
of correction at Rutland by Judge F. +.
Barber upon complaint of his wife, who
had traced him from New York and
found him here living with another
woman.
The woman was not in her right mind
and DR.. H. p. Greene was summoned.
Her only explanation for her act was
"That man called me bad woman
DR.. Greene had her taken to the Brat
teboro Retreat for temporary safe keep
ing. one Idt pldCtu
ey in her hat before she jumped and
this was cared for by the authorities.
1t is expected that Mrs. DeCassi will
leave the Retreat in a few days. Ply
sicians are satisfied that she is not in
sane, but was suffering from overstrung
nerves at the time she jumped.
Mrs. DeCassi had called upon Attor-
ney II. +. Whitney few minutes be-
fore to say that she was not vindictive
against her husband and asked If there
was any means by which she could
bring about his release from jail, to
which he had been sentenced upon her
proof that he had deserted her and had
been living here with another colored
woman.
She went from the Office of the at
torney to the railroad station to buy a
ticket for New York, having cashed a
check earlier in the day for So which
she had received from New York to pay
her expenses back to that city. She
found the ticket office locked, and said
she started to walk across the bridge
with no intention of committing suicide.
She stopped TO look into the water and
an uncomfortable desire to ''end it
all" overcame her.
She placed her money in her hat and
removed her coat, nut a1ter mounting
the railing attempted to turn back, but
was compelled to jump. The instant she
struck the wafer she began to swim. AS
she thought III the shortest direction TO
Tie shore.
She had been much worried over n
statement made by a lawyer in court
that she was not good woman, which
she said was an absolutely false state
:nent, and as she had been recently in a
hospital in New York three weeks fo-
treatment for nervous trouble II
preyed upon her mind. She consented
to remain at the Retreat until she had
improved mentally which the physicians
told her would be in few days under
treatment.
Mrs. DeCassi is we'll educated
Young woman. She is trained lady s
mail and has taken course ~ dc nestle
s.icnce and claims 10 be an excellent
cook. She told several Tuesday before
her unfortunate experience that she
would like to remain here rather than
return to New York.
William DeCassi, who has been EN-