The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-31

An Unknown Man Puts His Head Undt
the Wheels OF Moving Train, and it
Mashed to a JelIy-A Sickening Spec
tacle.
/ Yesterday morning at 11.55 o'clock th
inward passenger train of the Wester
and Atlantic Railroad was nearin
the city, and was coming, on time
at the rate of twenty-eight miles an hour
Mr.. W. D. Thrash, the engineer, driving
his good engine the 81. W. Lewis" hat
just entered the rock cut three and a hal
miles from the city, when he saw seen
which he says lie hopes he will never SCI
repeated. A man standing near the banl
of the cut about twenty yards in front o
the flying engine, began walking TOWARD
the track, but seeing that he would no
get there in time 70! his purpose, sudden
ly rushed forward, threw himself down
and in an instant had placed his neck OF
the rail, grasped it with both hands in {
desperate clutch, turned his eyes TOWARD
the engine and then-the terrible weigh
rushed over him. Mr.. Charles Brown
son of Ex-Governor Brown, was looking
at the whole scene with Mr.. Thrash, ano
they both describe it as being the work
of moment. Before the terrible speed
of the engine could be checked, it had
done the work the suicide desired, and
the bloody corpse lay on one side of the
track, sickening sight. The train was
booked and commotion ensued among
the passengers. Ladies and children
cried and shrieked as they saw the terri
BILE spectacle that lay, in all its forbid.
ding horror, just under their eyes.
The train came into the city, and Cap.
tain D. G.. Wylie sent q switch engine
out after the body. 1t was brought in
and placed on the depot platform of the
Western and Atlantic Railroad.
The news of the fearful suicide spread
over the city, and hundreds of people,
urged by that strange desire to see any
thing terrible, walked down and looked
at the unfortunate. Evidently he had
intended that the wheel should cut his
head of. The pilot, however, was the in
strument of death. When it first struck
him it moved his head around a little,
and then instantly the low bar, which al
most touches the track, mashed over his
head and crushed out his brains. Both
his arms were broken. A more certain
or more horrible form of suicide cannot
be conceived.
DR.. Drake, the Coroner, summoned q
jury and held an inquest over the re-
mains. Mr.. Thrash and Mr. Brown tes.
titled to the facts as above stated. The
fireman, Mr.. Bart Goodwin, did not see
the man at all until after he was killed.
A verdict of voluntary suicide was re-
turned. The remains were placed in the
hands Of the county authorities, and will
be buried by them to-day.
Crushed and mangled as was the head
of the suicide, it was almost impossible
to tell how the features looked before
death. The man was dressed in a new
blue flannel suit, new hat, new shoes
and even new socks. He weighed about
12O pounds, had brown hair and very
thin chin-whiskers. There was hand
kerchief in his pocket with the initial
"F" marked on it. In his pocket were
no letters or documents excepttwo stain
ed pieces of paper. On one of these
were the words: 'Take one of the
powders marked with an X at night.
Take three of the others daily-morn-
ing, noon and evening"" The other paper
was marked: "Food, no coffee; no pork,
no spice; no pepper; no alchohic wines;
no hot drinks at night. Bath with q
sponge in the morning. You can have
beer at dinner" These papers would in
dicate that he was in bad health, and it
is possible that physical suffering may
have caused his suicide.
1t is supposed by some that the un-
fortunate man was James V. Nethers,
who used to tend bar at Union, S. g.
Day before yesterday he was in the city,
and called at the store of Mr.. Paul
Jones, on Alabama street, and asked for
Mr.. Warner Jones, whom he knew in
Carolina. He left his card and said he
would return, but did not do so. Mr.. S.
P. Jones saw Nethers, and says he had on
an old suit of clothes. Mr.. Warner
Jones saw the corpse and said it resem-
bled Nethers some, but not enough for
him to say positively that it was he.
Mr. A. T. Shepherd says he met man
late the afternoon before the suicide, who
asked him the way to the Cherokee road.
Mr.. Shepherd told him that Marietta was
the nearest point to which the road came,
and directed the man to Marietta. He
asked him how he was going, and the
stranger replied that he was going tc
walk. Mr.. Shepherd saw the corpse and
says it looks something like the man he
talked to. But after all, these are mere
guesses. There have been few cases SC
completely wrapped in mystery, and per
haps no one will ever know who was the
poor fellow who rushed to his death, and
perhaps clasped the cold iron as the only
friend he had in a world which he hac
determined to leave. We cannot tell bu
that the secret of his identity and the sor
row of his life perished together in thai
awful suicide.
LATER-Late yesterday afternoon the
remains of the unfortunate man were
buried. Last night some light was thrown
on the identity of the suicide. .Abou
II o'clock the reporter learned that Mr.
II. Franklin, the we'll known stove mer
chant, feared that the unfortunate wa:
his nephew. A gentleman who saw the
corpse described every article of its ad
dress, and Mr.. Franklin said it must be
his nephew. He and the other relatives
are in great distress. Young Franklin
left his home about halfpast Q O'Clock
Yesterday and has not since been seen
He had been unwell lately, which fact
accords with the directions of diet found
on his body. The corpse had a handker'
chief with the initial "F" on it. Even
the shoes we're described such as young
Franklin wore. All the circumstance
point plainly to the conclusion that hs
was the suicide. Max Franklin was
man of about % and small of stature
He was connected with several busines:
houses from time to time, but for some
weeks past had been out of business
The remains will probably be disinterret
to-day for Observation-Disclosures Con
stitution july 10.