Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1898 — Narrow Escape at Cowden’s Bridge. [ARTICLE]

Narrow Escape at Cowden’s Bridge.

As J. W. Cowden and family, from just east of town, were going home from church the other evening, in two buggies, they had a narrow escape from a bad accident on the high pike, just this side of the Cowden bridge. Mrs. Cowden and daughter were in the front buggy, and a piece of paper in the road frightened their horse, and he backed the buggy off the grade. The ‘ bqggy was upset and Mrs. Cowden and daughter were thrown down the high bank and into three feet of water, with the buggy on top of them. The horse attached to the rear buggy, in which was Mr. Cowden and other members of his family, backed off the other side of the pike, but Mr, Cowden succeeded in preventing it from being upset, and he then went to the rescue of his wife and daughter. They luckily escaped with nothing worse, than some bruises and a thorough wetting. This high grade is a dangerous place and about a year ago another buggy was upset there and a Miss Clark was crippled for life, it is said. It looks like there ought to be a strong railing put along both sides of that grade.