Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-02-04
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.
Captain Wiley, OF Indianapolis, Falls
From a Train, and is Horribly
Mutilated.
A Sleeping Car and Twenty Passengers
Precipitated Down an EmbankPent
in Georgia.

The Atlanta Herald of Friday gives
an account of two railroad accidents that
occurred "Wednesday night. One on the
State road in the vicinity of Dalton.
The facts being as follows:
A gentleman belonging TO party of
tourists, on their way TO Florida, was
observed by the conductor of the Sleep
ing car, "Racine," on the down night
passenger train, TO leave his seat in the
car, and wend his way to the forward
mart of the train. The train was then
some distance cut of Dalton, speeding
radidly on its way to Atlanta. Mr..
Howell, the conductor, thought the gem
tleman was seeking quiet nook in the
smoking-caT..to enjoy his cigar, and paid
no attention TO the circumstance. After
a considerable time had elapsed,
aud most of the passengers had
retired TO their berths, the conductor,
in oassing through the car missed the
man who had left the ear, and inquired
Of the porter why the gentleman had
not returned to occupy his berth. The
porter could not give any information
concerning him, and it was believed the
absent gentleman had preferred a seat
in one OF the front cars. When the ac-
eident occurred to the sleeping-car near
Altoona, the circumstances of which
are related elsewhere, Captain Wi
ley, OF indianapolis, was missed,
and it was for a long time supposed
that he had been crushed under the
wrecked car. The most active eXertions
were made by his friends to ascertain
the fate of their companion during the
night, but i'm vain. On Thursday morn
ing, about six o'clock, as a freight train,
on its way TO Atlanta, was passing
point on the road a little South of
Dalton, the horribly mutilated re-
mains of a man We're found upon the
track. The CHASTITY corpse proved TO be
the body Of Captain Wiley, of Indian
apoiis, one of the Florida eXcursiOnists,
and the gentleman whom the cOnduc-
tor had missed in the early part of the
evening. 1t is evident that the unfOrtu-
nate man, in passing from the sleeping
ear to another, missed his footing ON
the sleety platform, aud falling be-
tween the cars on the track, was crushed
TO death. The body of Captain Wiley
Law upon the track where il had fallen
all night, and a freight train passing
over the road in the rear of the passen-
ger train, some time after the sad occur
renee, passed over the lifeless form,
crushing and mutilating it in a still
more frightful manner than it had been
by the wheels of the passenger train.
The same night an accident occurred
on the Western and Atlantic Rail-
road at a point between Altoona and
Cartersville, where broken rail threw
from the track a Pullman sleeping car,
which contained about twenty passen-
gers, among them three or four ladies,
two of whom We're severely injured.
One of the ladies had an arm broken,
and another was injured internally.
During the chaos created by the aeci-
dent, and while human beings, bed
clothes, mattresses, baggage and splin-
tered wood were jammed together in
almost inextricable confusion, the stove
being red hot, set the car on fire. How
ever, by the presence Of mind Of an in
valid lady, the fire was eXtinguished be-
fore it had made any serious progress.
At the time of the accident everybody
within the car was asleep, excepting the
conductor, Mr.. G. Howell, and
the train was running at its
usual speed, between fifteen and
twenty miles per hour. The major
ity of the passengers in the car were
from the Western States, on their way
TO Florida in search Of health and recre-
alton. A considerable amount Of valu-
able private property was lost in the
melee and amid the debris OF the shat
tered car. One Of the ladies lost val
liable gold watch, which up to the pres
ent time has not been recovered.