Sunday Dispatch

A STRANGE STORY.—The inhabitants of Farmer's Mills and the region round about were thrown into quite a fermentation of excitement on Wednesday last, by the revelation of a tragedy in their vicinity quite astounding. It appears that Mr. George Green, some time during the day mentioned, while passing up the gulf back of Mr. Gardiner's place, discovered, under a little shanty of boards and rails which she had erected for her protection, a young woman, apparently about thirty or thirty-five years of age, almost speechless, and in the last stages of starvation.

Immediate notice of the fact was given to the Postmaster, but in the meantime the news of the strange discovery had spread, and Mr. P. Lawrence very humanely took measures to remove the helpless and starving woman to his house, where she was kindly cared for, and every means taken to relieve her sufferings.

As soon as she was able to converse, the following revelations and explanation in regard to her position and intentions were made by her.

She gave her name as Miss Caroline Lewis of Utica, of which place she has long been a resident, and where she now has a mother and brother and sisters residing; she left Utica about the last week in June, with the intention of committing suicide by drowning herself, and, as she avers, several times while between here and Utica, attempted to do so by throwing herself into the canal, but something seemed to hold her back from committing the suicidal act. She continued her wanderings until, partly by chance, she concluded to stop in the locality near where she was found, as affording good protection and security from being discovered, and deliberately set about to starving herself to death.

After a few days, nature in a measure re-asserted her supremacy, as she picked a few berries to relieve her appetite, other than which she had taken no food since that period—the last of June—until her discovery. She is a seamstress, and had been able to earn a respectable living until within two or three years, since which time she had been in feeble health. The cause of her desperation and misfortune, she avers, is abuse and neglect from her relatives, and on the occasion of their visit to her since her discovery, was much excited and displeased by their presence.—Clinton (N. Y.) Courier.