SUICIDE AND ANOTHER BRIDGE OVER THE NIAGARA

 

Cortland County Express, Thursday, May 2, 1850.

SUICIDE.

   Miriam Salisbury, a middle-aged maiden lady residing near Cortland Village, committed suicide on Sunday last by hanging. Miss Salisbury has been a resident of this town from childhood, and has long been esteemed for her intellectual worth and christian character. For several years she has been employed in teaching, and was pursuing her occupation at the east, near her relatives, something more than a year since, when she began to manifest symptoms of insanity. She was accompanied to her home in this town, where her malady continued to increase. A deep seated melancholy seemed to prey upon her—she avoided society, and either wandered alone in the fields, or kept her room in silence—the painful picture of despair. A short time since, she began, seemingly, to amend. She grew more social, was induced to get out to church, visited her friends who began to indulge a hope that she was rapidly recovering her mental energy; but alas! How soon were their expectations blasted.

   She had, during the lucid period of which we have made mention, spent several weeks in this village with relatives, and had returned to her home and employed herself in arranging her things but a few days, when she ended her life in the melancholy manner above stated. We are informed she seemed very anxious that her mother should attend church last Sabbath, and the daughter appearing well and the day being fine, she consented to leave the house in charge of Miriam. On her return she witnessed the dreadful spectacle of the daughter suspended by the neck by means of a skein of yarn attached to a hook overhead! She seemed to have adjusted the skein by climbing upon a stand. She had laid out, apparently with care, the clothes in which she wished to be habited for the tomb; and had labeled such articles as she wished distributed among her friends.

   How mysterious—how terrible!—are the workings of dethroned reason. If there be one earthly blessing which we should prize above most others—if there be a gift which demands a constant thankfulness on our part toward our Maker, it is surely that of unimpaired reason.

 

AS WE EXPECTED.

   Central College opens we believe with over a hundred students. Among these are many young ladies and gentlemen of fine talents and very respectable attainments. The manual labor system of this school seems to attract students possessing energy and moral worth. The plan of the school is fast maturing; the classes are organized, the professors are exerting themselves successfully to promote thorough and rapid improvement on the part of their pupils. Every room in the College as well as in the Boarding Hall is occupied, and the students who are arriving daily are obliged to take rooms in private houses. When we consider how short a time has sufficed to project, build, and organize this institution, we can not but regard its present prosperity and position as remarkable. We hope ere long to see the other large Boarding Hall erected. It is certainly needed.

 

Howell Cobb.

CONGRESS.

   Mrs. Swisshelm, in her admirable editorial correspondence from Washington, gives some highly entertaining descriptions of the habits of visitors at the Capitol, and also sets some of our Congressmen in their true light. It must be remembered that she is an eye witness—she does not make statements upon the ipse dixit of any one. We rejoice that such a writer—honest, impartial, and pure-minded—has gone to look upon and expose the iniquities of Congressmen. The following short paragraph will give our readers some idea of the manner in which those well-paid gentry employ a portion of their time.

   "In the House, Mr. Cobb will laugh and talk with some member, and be as much engaged as in a private conversation in a private parlor, while some gentleman is up, vociferating, gesticulating, and displaying all the graces of oratory interspersed with, 'Yes, Mr. Speaker,' 'I say Mr. Speaker,' &c., &c. Mr. Speaker all the time chatting away, and a buzz of general conversation, like the voice of a crowded market house, swelling up to the dome in a drowsy or deafening hum. Oh it is a great place, this Washington, and there are a great many great people in it."

 

   ◘ We observe that by a new provision of the Massachusetts Legislature, parties of that state who marry in any other are required, on their return, to notify the authorities within 7 days or be subject to a fine of 10 dollars. O, how much wisdom.

   ◘ TOO BAD!—We are sorry to sec so respectable a sheet as the Cortland Democrat puff a strolling theatre. If the vagabonds get starved out in the cities, let them go to work, and earn an honest livelihood; let not the country press descend so low as to make favorable mention of them.

   ◘ Don't fail to read Mrs. Sturtevant's advertisement. She comes well recommended, and we doubt not is prepared to give the best satisfaction to those who employ her. She is certainly worthy of patronage.

   ◘ The effusion from friend Fellows did not reach us in time for insertion in the present number, but it shall appear next week. His favors will be ever acceptable.

   ◘ We have experienced quite a thaw, lately, in this region; the snow banks on our hills are growing beautifully less. We opine there will be none left by the 4th of July.

 

COMMUNICATED.

   MR. A. H. BENEDICT:

   DEAR SIR:—The statement of a letter writer in the columns of the True Wesleyan, which you have recently published, is a forgery and falsehood. I refer to the statement that a Local Minister of the M. E. Church, after preaching near Antrim, Ohio, proceeded to arrest a slave, a colored sister in the congregation, saying that he took that method to find her, making quite a flourish with rope, bowie knives, &c. There seems to be a great fondness for such tales, to the discredit of the churches at the present day; and they are consequently seized with great eagerness by the press.

   Please correct, either by the insertion of this or otherwise, and oblige a subscriber and brother. Yours,

   E. G. B., McGrawville, April 23d.

 

For the Cortland County Express.

   MR. EDITOR:—I would advise that correspondent of the Cortland Democrat, "A. R.," who wrote an account of the N. Y. Central College Exhibition, to use a little more caution in giving the names of those who took part in it, should he ever write another. By comparing that account with a scheme, it will be seen that he has W. P. Walker for W. J. Walker, T. B. Ames for F. B. Ames, Alfred C Willis for A. C. Hills, and a paper called the Seminary instead of Luminary!

   We are inclined to believe, however, that they are blunders of the printer, and not of the correspondent. Be this as it may, they should be corrected. C.

 

Another Bridge over the Niagara.

   A company has been organized for the purpose of a suspension bridge over the Niagara river at Lewiston, and the work upon it has been commenced under the direction of Edward  W. Serrell, civil engineer of this city. The bridge is to be located upon the level with the ridge 70 feet above the water, is to be 1040 feet span between the stone towers, supported by ten cables, capable of sustaining 2250 tons, with double carriage way and foot path, and will be ready for crossing by the first of September next—N. Y. Com. Adv.