The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-08-17

DISTRESSING Academia painful and
distressing accident occurred, on Friday
night last, caused by the II =. NJ. southern
express, resulting in the outright killing Of
horse, seriously SCATTERING carriage and
ended in the almost miraculous escape OF
its occupants from 4 most horrible death.
Messrs. John VI. and Levi X. Bowen were
the occupants of the vehicle at the time the
accident took place. Levi had driven i'll
from the country for the purpose Of con
veying his brother John home from Eiktou,
where lie had been engaged during the day
as compositor in TIE Democrat office In
the early part of the evening, Levi had
taken a drive To Frenchtown and returned
to town about a quarter before II o'clock,
and shortly afterwards, is company with
his brother John, started for home. On
their way up North street they stopped at
TIE Democrat office for a small bundle
Starting from the office, they proceeded
slowly towards tie railroad. listening at
tentively for approaching trains. When
they arrived in font of Maxwell's store,
they heard the whistle of the approaching
north bound freight train, and knowing
from the distant sound which it made that
they would have ample time to cross the
track. they accordingly urged the horse to
\ brisk trot, little dreaming that death and
destI uction were SO near at hand. Nor did
they realize their terrible situation until
the horse had actually placed his fore fee,
on the north bound track, where. with
iicndish fury, the southern express was
dashiug along at the rate of fifty miles per
hour, and before the brothers, with their
utmost efforts, could stop the horse, the
engine passed, the horse coliding with the
tender and tearing the steps from it and
bending a bolt in some part of the ma
chiEery. The shock, terrible and instanta-
necus as it was, threw the horse length
wise with and partly on the north bound
track, on which came the laundering
freight train. The shock killed the poor
beast almost instantly. The carriage was
thrown violently around and sustained a
most fearful straining, which broke the
spokes in the wheels on the right side of il
and badly injured the top. Miraculous as
it seems, the brothers escaped uninjured,
with the exception of Levi, who sustained
slight bruises on the right arm. Lewis
first thought after the accident was to run
to the FELTON, House for the purpose of pro-
curing assistance and removing The body
of the dead beast ami the carriage from in
front of the approaching freight train
They had hardly succeeded in doing So be-
fore the freight train went laundering by.
The southern express, after the accident,
commenced Il prolonged whistle, at the
same time signaling the approaching
freight train, which Immediately com
menccd most frightful whistl,ng. The
train stopped aud ran back to the depot,
and in = few moments, the conductor. en-
gineer and several of the brakemen ar
rived ut the scene of the accident. After
discovering that no human lives had been
lost, they immediatly returned to their
train and started on. The freight train
also stopped TO ascertain the nature of the
accident.
Perhaps never before in the history of
accidents has there been such a miraculous
escape from the avs of death as IN this
instance, and we do heartily congratu-
late those two young gentlemen from
their lucky escape from a most horrible
death. The horse that was killed was a
valuable one and formerly belonged t..
Oliver Clemson, ESD, proprietor