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i I'l I ! . I
VOL, 1. NO. 186.
The Atlanta Georgian.
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 29, 1900.
PPirm*.' In Atlanta TWO CENTS,
i. Xl/JeUL. on Trains FIVE CH.VI>
SAMUEL SPENCER AND 9 OTHERS
KILLED IN A WRECK ON SOUTHERN;
MANY INJURED; COACHES BURNED
Rear ■ End Collision Occurred
About 6:30 A. M. at Lawyers,
Va., No. 33, On Which Was
the Officers’ Car, Being
Struck by No. 37 Which Had
Been Allowed to Enter Block
Within Which No. 33 Had
Stopped for Repairs.
WRECK CA TCHES EIRE
AND BURNS; VICTIMS
ESCAPE CREMA TION
President’s Car was on Rear of No. 33,
Which Had Left Washington Late
Because of Congested Holiday Traf
fic. Philip Scuyler and Tel. Supt.
Davis Killed. All Cars on No. 33
Burned. Injured Passengers Taken
to Lynchburg, Va.—Pres. Spencer’s
Body Badly Burned—Operator’s Neg
ligence Cause of Wreck.
Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 29.—Samuel Spencer, pres
ident of the Southern railway, with his home at 29
West 73d street, New York, was killed today with
nine other persons, including Philip Schuyler, of the
old New York Schuylers, in a crashing rear-end col
lision on his own road at Lawyers, Va., 10 miles south
of liertl
Mr. Spencer’s privatecar containing Mr. Schuyler,
a director of the Baltimore and Ohio road, and a num
ber of prominent and wealthy men, was attached to
train No. 33, and bore the full brunt of the fearful
smash when the fast vestibuled express’Nb. 37 dashed
into it. y
Fifteen people, most of them passengers in the
last two regular cars of the passenger train .to which
tlie Spencer private car was attached, were so serious
ly injured thnt it is feared some of them will die.
THE DEAD.
Among the known dead are:
Samuel Spencer, president of the Southern.
Philip Schuyler, of New York.
D. W. Davis, manager of Telegraph of the South
ern Railway.
Charles D. Fisher, of Baltimore, Md., member of
the commission house of GUI & Fisher.
W. A. Berry, engineer.
Redmond, of Baltimore.
Samuel Cox, cook in car *100.
William Pollard, porter in ear 100.
Gilland Thomas, colored, passenger.
THE INJURED.
Will J. Winston, colored, seriously injured.
(’ora Logan, colored, seriously injured.
I mere tin Allen, colored, seriously injured.
Preston Bane, colored, seriously injured.
Nearly all who were in the wreck were pinioned
in the burning train, but some were rescued. Both
trains were running behind time. Spencer’s coach
was tilled with friends.
When President Spencer's body was taken out
of the wreckage, it w as so blackened and charred that
it could not. be recognized by bis friends, he having
been practically cremated.
OPERATOR HAS DISAPPEARED.
The operator," to whom is laid the blame for the
wreck, is named Mattox, and was stationed at Lynch
burg. As soon as he learned of the accident, Mattox
disappeared and lias not yet been found.
President Spencer leaves a widow and two sons,
one of whom is the sixth vice president of the South
ern railway.
CRASH WITH THE BLOCK.
’’rain No. A! carried Mr. Spencer and his party in
JUDGE ROAN ROASTS JURY
FOR CRUTCHFIELD VERDICT
Crutchfield Acquitted
Qp Theory of
* Accident.
COURT DISPLEASED
AT JURY’S ACTION
Acquittal Surprise to Every
body yixcept Defendant
and Jury,
Private Car No. 100. In that car were also Watt Da
vis, manager of telegraph; E. A. Merrill, secretary to
President Spencer, and Samu'el Cox, William Poilard
and Gilland Thomas, the colored crew. The train
had just passed the block station at Lawyers.
It had stopped to make a slight repair in a coup
ling. While it stood, train No. 37, which leaves Wash-
j»gton 55 minutes after No. 33, crashed into it fro?j
* the rear. A dub car, No. 37, and a passenger coach,
as well as Mr. Spencer’s ear, were all burned. In the
passenger car the persons, all negroes, were injured.
The injured were brought to Lynchburg.
WRECK TRAINS RUSH TO SCENE.
The bright glare of the burning ear in the center
of the two trains further alarmed the ' passengers.
The lire was fanned up by the wind and had so much
headway when the railroad men grasped the situation,
that they were powerless to do anything other than
drag burning pieces of wood away so that the flames
would die out that much quicker.
Wreck trains were hurried from Lynchburg as
soon as the disaster was heard of. Some of the more
seriously injured passengers and the bodies of others
were brought to Lynchburg.
Lawyers is a very small station and has limited
telegraph facilities and no telephones. Because of
these handicaps it was difficult to obtain names or
much accurate information.
Washington, I). C,, Nov. 29.—The Southern Rail
way officials say regarding the death of President
Samuel Spencer and the railroad wreck in which lie
was killed:
“Southern Railway Passenger train No. ,'J3 left
Washington last night late by reason of congested hol
iday traffic. About 6:30 a. in. today at lawyers, Va.,
on a portion of the road protected by block system,
the train was stopped for slight repairs to a coupling.
Passenger train No. 37, following No, ;!:} and be
ing given a clear block, ran into flic rear of No. 33,
resulting iu a serious wreck.
“Our present advices in regard to the collision
say that, it was probably due to the negligence of the
operator iu allowing No. 37 iu the block.
“President Samuel Spencer, of the Southern
Railway compauv, and a party of friends were in an
officer’s car at the rear of No. 33, and the reports
are that President Spencer is killed and several of
the party seriously injured.”
“I can’t nee how you Jurymen In this
Crutchfleld catce reached your verdict,”
declared Judge Koan in the criminal
branch of the superior court Thursday
morning, when the verdict of acquittal
of J. If. Crutchfleld was read.
“I don't think 1 would be doing my
duty without giving you some expres
sion of my opinion.
“Jt Is a mystery to me how you
reached your conclusion, when the
prisoner picked up and left his wife,
without finding how badly he hud hurt
her and without even getting u physi
cian.
j "I think I know on what ground you
• put your verdict. 1 think yob put It on
• the ground that the Wife did not want
to prosecute: that you reached you*-
i filrem t mtr rrr symffStntr^trt twirfnr <
Imistake. Hympathy should not flgurn
In the case.
Trouble in Future.
“Am a result of your verdict, I am
afraid tljero will lie considerable trou
ble In the future. Persons will con
clude to shoot their wives and they will
then *chiln4 It Is an accident. The
country will suffer In consequence and
crime will be multiplied.
“The only way to purify society Is
fQT the Jury to measure up to the re
quirements of the law. The courts
cannot undertake to enforce the law
by themselves. They have to have
the assistance of the Jury. It all de
pends on how the Jury fulfills the re
quirements.
“The only way to suppress crime
to enforce the law."
Somewhat of a sensation was sprung
hi (he criminal branch * if the superior
ourt. Thursday morning when Judge
Roun roasted the Jury tti the case of
J. H. Crutchfield, charged with assault
wfth Intent to murder his wife, Mrs.
Sal lie I,. Orutcluleld. on account of the
vardlct which they rendered In the
case.
Judge Roan spoke his mind pluinty,
and when lie had Mulshed II. F. Me*
Connell, foreman of the Jury, secured
the Moor.
Foreman of Jury.
Mr. McConnell deduced that the
court was mistaken; that the Jury )\iid
found their verdict entirely on the ac
cident theory. They had Tiof reached
theJr conclusion, he said, out of sym
pathy.
Judge Roan said he hojanl the Jury
would not misunderstand him. That he
thought they were honest men, but did
not see how they came to their conclu
sion.
Colonel Hill, solicitor general, stuted-
It seemed to him thnt the Jury was
one which wus easily and profoundly
MR8. 8ALLIE CRUTCHFIELD,
Who kisssd htr husband at Grady hospital Wednesday night and
saya aha has forgiven him#
SKETCH OF THE LIFE
•OF PRESIDENT SPENCER
Hamuel Spencer, since 1884 president
of the Southern railway, the head of
the Morgan system of Railways, and
one of the most eminent railway men
In America, was a Georgian by birth
and education.
He was born at Columbus, (iu., March
2. 1817. He was the son of Lambert
SA W MOON THROUGH BARS;
CRUTCHFIELD SA YS LUCKY
OMEN BROUGHT HIM HOPE
mentioned in the argument ot the enso
Wednesday, thut the Jury, If It did not
And the defendant guilty, ought to tuck
its head under its wings like a turkey
and get away.
.fudge Roan stopped Mr. Hatcltelor,
and. turning to Crutchfield, declared:
•Crutc hfield, you are a free man.”
Judge Roan called the Jury Into court
thin morning at !» o’clock to render
their verdict In the case. H. F. Me-
»’mmeJI, the foreman, handed the in
dictment to Colonel Hill, who read the
verdict, “Not guilty.” Judge Roan then
delivered his “roast."
Judge Roan's Roast.
"I am not blood-thirsty,” he said. ”1
undertake to give every man a fall’
trial. I have no desire to Impose a pen
alty on Crutchfleld. Hut ! can’t see
how you reached your verdict. I don't
think I would he doing my duty with
out giving smiie expression of my opin
ion. I do not see how the diootlng can
have been an accident, when Crutch-
i ju*a picked up and left bis wife
w ithout finding how- badly she was hurt
nd without calling a physician.
"Mr. Crutchfleld Is a free man now
by your verdict. No doubt you reached
your conclusion on what you thought
was a reasonable theory. You must
have reached that conclusion on the
accident theory, for I don’t see on w hat
other ground ft could have been Justly
made.”
Foreman McConnell arose at thin
point and said that the Jury made
their verdict on the theory that the
shooting was an accident. They Old
not consider sympathy for any one.
”1 hope the Jury will not misunder
stand me,” said Judge Roan. “Of yoursc
If you believed the statement of the
prisoner, you had a tight to come to
J. H. CRUTCHFIELD,
Who waa acquitted of attempt at
murdor in trial Tucoday.
An old railroad superstition, In* which
J. II. Crutchfleld P’Jt implicit confidence
while working for seven yearo as a
locmcHivo engineer, lightened his heart
a few night ago and caused him, he
kb.vs, to feel that ho would, beyond any
doubt, be acquit*ed of the charge of
uitrimqliiK to muriltr his wife,
” Whenever 1 see the now moon
enough wlr»* or lion work of any
kind ! know this means good luck,” said
Crutchfleld at the Tower Thursday
morning Ju*l before Ids release, *’Hev-
eral nights ago, while looking out of
h* window In the jail, I saw' the new
niisin through.the bars and I was sat
isfied then I would Ik? turned loose. The^ _
night was cloudy, but therd was on£ for them.
4- %
ilttle clear spot and through -this, thw
moon was shining. As 1 gaged through
the barred window at tho moon I knew
, then what the verdict of the Jury
i would be,and J i’eJt o*rferfjy safe.”
Crutchfleld stated that’when runrlnk'
an engine the sight of-the new moon
through the telegraph wires ulongsld *
tm* railroad was,always an*InfuUlblt
slgn that lie would inaka a safe trip. .•
"I always out great confidence In
this Hlgn,” said Crutchfleld. “I always
lielleved that If l srw tin now moon
through the wires I' would have .i
safe trip.
8avsd from Accident.
“F have a vivid recollect lou of one
Incident in which this superstition
figured and w’hlch gteatly strengthein-d
my faith In It. I was on ufty engine on-
night uml as It sped along the rails 1
happened to glance tip through* Uu-
telegraph wires. A».I dkl so I saw; th*‘
new moon. I smiled to npyself, iu» I
felt that I'would make the run, un
harmed. About half an hour later, as
we were going along at rapid clip,
my engine left the I'blls'and completely
overturned, being smashed to pieces.
Things were tom up generally and It
tens tho next day before they found
my vest and watch. Hut I escaped from
tho accident without a scratch. WJien
I realised! I was unlnjuied, I remem
bered I had seen the new moon through
the telegraph wires.”
Crutcnfle
Thanksgiving day tii*
him.
"I have much to be thankful tor,"
ho said. "Till* I* truly a dry of thtinhs-
irlvinit for me."
Crutchfleld -aid he Intended to v,*-
muln in Atlanta olid oontlnu.' hi. Ini--
ine** n* n machinery broker.
he left the Tower he called a dray and
hud hi* trunk, phonograph and other
cflewtH tuken to l*la office In the Peo
ple’* hulldlnir, at Marietta end Forayth
street*. A* toon n» he waa formally re-
loaned lie went direct to hie office and
resumed hi* bualneaa.
He declared that his wife and two
little boy* should naver want for any
thin* a* Ion* na lie la able to provide
Continued on Page THrte.
Continued on Page Three.
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O OOV. TERRELL TO PRESIDE O
AT THE JOINT DEBATE. O
O Special to The 1 If or* Ian. O
O Macon. Ha., Nov. S».—Governor O
O Joseph M. Terrell 1* in Macon to- O
O day, and tonight will preside at O
S the Mercer and Wake Forest de- O
bate In the auditorium. This aft- O
O erjioon the governor will lend hi* O
O presence at the fotboll game and O
O eheer Georgia on to victory. O
O
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0 Yeoman*, the aetres.. who he- O
O been III for Home tine- died !»-• O
0 night, Her .mother. Mi- Ann, • o
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O Offerlnw- hy friend* "f u... f„„ m o
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