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

Yesterday morning at II .55 o'clock th
inward passenger train of the Westeri
and Atlantic Railroad was nearinl
the. city, and was coming, on time
at the rate of twenty-eight miles an hour
Mr.. w. D. Thrash, the engineer, driyinf
his good engine the ~. w. Lewis" hat
just entered the rock cut three and hal
miles from the city, when he saw q scene
which ne says he hopes he will never sec
repeated. a man standing near the banh
of the cut about twenty yards in front Of
the flying engine, began walking toward
the track, but seeing that he would moi
get there in time for his purpose, sudden.
ly rushed forward, threw himself down
and in an instant had placed his neck or,
the rail, grasped 1t with both hands in O
desperate clutch, turned his eyes toward
the. engine and then-the terrible weight
rushed over him. Mr.. Charles Brown,
son of Ex-Governor Brown, was looking
at the whole scene with Mr.. Thrash, and
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 tho suicide desired, and
the bloody corpse lay on one side of the
track, a sickening sight. The train was
booked and commotion cnsued among
the passengers. Ladies' and children
cried and shrieked as they saw the terri
ole spectacle that lay, in all its forbid
ding horror, just under their eyes.
The train came into the city, and Cap.
tain ID. G. Wyiie sent o 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 anv.
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 1t moved his head around a little.
and then instantly the low bar, which al
most touches tho rack, mashed over his
iicad and crushed out his brains. Both
his arms were broken. A more certain
or more horrible form Of suicide cannot
be conceived. g
DR.. Drake, the Coroner, summoned
jury and held an inquest over the re.
mains. Mr.. Thrash and Mr.. Brown tes.
tilted 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 weTe placed in the
hands OF the county authorities, and will
be buried by them to-day.
Crushed aud mangied as was che head
OF the suicide, it was almost impossible
to tell how the features looked before
death. The man was dressed in q new
blue flannel suit, new hat, new shoes
and even new socks. He weighed about
l20 pounds, had brown hair and yery
thin chin-whiskers. There was hand
kerchief in his pocket with the initial
~ marked on it. In his pocket were
no Letters or documents except two 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 :he others daily-morn-
ing, noon and evening" The other paper
was marked: "Food, no coffee; no pork,
no spice; no pepper no alcoholic wines;
no hot drinks at night. Bath with o
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.
vino USED TO tend bar at Union, S. @.
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. lie left his card and said ne
would return, but did not do so. Mr.. s.
Z. Jones saw Nethers, and says he had on
an old suit of clothes. Mr.. Warner
Jones saw the corpse and trld it resem-
bled Mothers 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.
MIR. 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 to
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 so
completely wrapped in mystery, and per-
haps no one win ever know who was the
poor fellow who rushed to his death, end
perhaps clasped the cold iron as the only
friend he had in world which he had
determined to leave. We cannot tell but
that the secret OF his identity and the sor-
row of his life perished together in that
awful suicide.
LATER.--Late yesterday afternoon the
remains Of the unfortunate man we-4
buried. Last night some light was thrown
on tho identity of the suicide. About
II O'Clock the reporter learned that Mr..
II. Franklin, the we'll known stove mer-
chant, feared that the unfortunate was
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 half-past o'clock
| yesterday and has not since been seen.
He had been nnweii lately, which TACT
accords with the directions of diet found
on his body. The corpse had handker-
| chief with the initial "F" on it. Even
| the shoes were described such as young
Franklin wore. All the circumstances
| poin! plainly to the conclusion that he
waa the suicide. Max Franklin was 4
man of about 25 and small of stature.
He was connected with several business
honscs 'om time to time, but for some
weeks past had been CIT of business.
The remains will probably be disinterred
to-day for identification.-AA AAn,,tn Cs,n-
stitution july 10.
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