The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-07-07
PITTSBURGH SUBSCRIBER SEES STORY OF TRAGEDY
OF ELY TRULY IN REPUBLICAN; WRITES ACCOUNT
Writer Gives Correct Date of
Occurrence-StOry Found In
The Republican Files of Fifty
Years Ago.

Mrs. Ida j. Grim, residing in Pitts
burgh, has written letter to the Edi-
tor of The Republican in connection
with feature article appearing in
last weeks issue of the paper in re-
gard to the drowning of Ely Truly, a
negro, in the we'll by the side entrance
of the Court house. She was per-
sonal witness of the accident and feels
very much interested in getting the
facts straight to the public.
GAS l was right on the spot when
poor old uncle Ely met his fate,' she
writes, 81 couldn't resist writing this
enclosed article as there seems to be
some doubt in the minds of some of
the old timers about the eventful hap
pening as to the dates, etc. But every
little detail of the sad occurrence has
remained in my mind and always
will"
Following is the enclosed article:
II was deeply interested in the arti-
Gle printed in last weeks issue of The
Republican referring to the drowning
accident which befell Ely Truly, an
old colored man, well known in Oak
land for many years. The property
adjoining the Corrigan Beer Garden
mentioned in the article and being the
principal portion of the ground on
which the Court House now stands,
was owned and occupied as a family
residence by my father, the late Jo-
seph M. Grim, and family for forty
years. During this time, all the water
consumed by our family was drawn
from this old well where Ely Truly
met his fate, as well as by neighbors
far and near. Old Uncle Ely, as we
children called him, passed our home
many times day with two large sized
tin buckets carrying water from the
old Corrigan well for Miss Della Ed
wards, corner of Fourth and Oak
streets, who gave him home 1t was
on Christmas eve, 1877, at five o'clock.
just came out of my home to go to
the well, when Uncle Ely passed by
our gate with the familiar buckets)
IN badly intoxicated condition. He
got to the we'll in advance of me and
was drawing the well bucket up Zone
of those heavy iron-bound ones con-
tanning water sufficient to fill two
buckets of domestic size.) While try
ing to pull the bucket to the platform
he released his grip on the windlass
handle, and Uncle Ely, bucket, wind
lass rope and all went down. All l
could see when looked down was the
bottom of his shoes as they disap-
peared under the water His body
was recovered that night at $50 by
the use of graphing hooks. Great ex-
citement reigned in Oakland that
night"
(Signed) Ida C. GRIM.
Found in Republican Files
After the date of the accident was
so certain in the mind of Mrs. Grim,
the issue of The Republican following
the mishap was looked over and an
account of the accident was found.
Volume l, number A, dated Saturday,
December 20, 1877, had the following
to say:
Drowned in Well
Saturday evening last, about half
past five o'clock, Ely Truly, colored,
while drawing water from Mr.. Corri-
gan's well, in Oakland, lost his bal
ance and plunged, head FIRST, into the
well, and before assistance could be
rendered, was drowned. The well is
about sixty feet deep, and contained
about twenty-five feet of water at the
time of the accident. The body was
drawn out, after a lapse of half an
hour, and conveyed to the residence
of Miss Edwards, where the deceased
had been making his home for the
past four or five years, and was in
TERED in the Odd Fellows cemetery
on Monday. Deceased was a slave in
the Bruce family until the late war,
Through which he served as an Off
GERS servant. He was a quiet, inof-
fensive man, with more than ordinary
Intelligence, and had it not been for
the use of whiskey, which was the in
direct cause of his death, would have
been useful citizen"
The Ladies Guild of ST Matthew's