Princeton Press/1883/William Drew Robeson I

by unknown author

Rachel Stryker, an aged colored woman, well and favorably known in town, met with a serious and tragic accident, on Friday of last week, which has resulted in her death from mortification of the broken limb, on Sunday morning. She had gone out to Lawrenceville, to the house of Mr. Lewis Hendrickson, to work there for the winter. It appears that in an outer kitchen, there was a well covered over by the floor. While, with two others, by a table, engaged in chopping meat, without the slightest warning, the floor suddenly broke under her, and she fell through in an instant, near forty feet down the well. There was a cucumber pump therein, and she was stayed by its braces from being drowned. There being no men about at the time, it was nearly an hour before she could be rescued. She had been in the water to the depth of three feet all this time. When taken out it was found that one of her legs was badly broken near the ankle. She was a woman of nearly 200 lb (91 kg) weight. The unusual weight and the jarring motion caused the floor, which was a comparatively new one, but had become, unknown to any one, rotten, to give way. Everything was done to minister to her relief medically; and Dr. Gosman and Rev. Mr. Robeson went to minister otherwise. She was buried in town on Monday afternoon.