Note 107 — JOURNAL. (continued 7)

This spot is famous as the scene of the last exploit of a singular individual, known by the name of Sam Patch. An Irishman by birth, I believe, he came over to this country to earn his bread, and hit upon a very ingenious method of doing so, i. e. jumping for large wagers down cataracts; which daring feat he performed successfully more than once. But, like the Sicilian diver of old, poor Sam Patch took one plunge too many; and, after leaping with impunity from the rocks immediately below the Falls of Niagara, he found his death in the Genesee—attempting the leap, it is said, while in a state of intoxication.