The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-11-16
LYNNVILLE COLLISION.
Adam FOrepaugh Desires a
Hearing in VindicatiOn
OfHis Men.
To the American.

To the American.
COLUMBUS, GA, Nov. 9, 1881
had determined to make no state
ment regarding the collision of two
OF ny trains at Lynnville, on the
early morning of Nov. 2, until l did
so in court, but the persistency with
which the Nashville World con-
tinues to distort facts, and seeks to
injure me, compels me to make this
statement. When in Columbia, the
trainmen who were to take out my
trains that night came up to the
show and in an irregular way de
manded admission, which granted.
At the time it was remarked that
several of them seemed to be under
the influence of liquor. At night,
when we were ready to start, nearly
all of them were drunk--some of
them stupidity drunk and asleep
Ny master of transportation as we'll
as myself was afraid to trust the
trains to them and we went to the
telegraph operator and wanted him
to telegraph to the superintendent
of the road for other men, but he
would not do it, but did help to
awaken the men and get them to
their trains and get them started
out. The collision at Lynnville is
easily reported. The first train
stopped for water. No signals were
displayed or other warnings given
the other two trains, which were
following closely along, and the
second train went crashing into the
first, its engine being stripped and
it's tender bursting back through an
elephant car. 1t was only by the
most miraculous interposition OF
providence, fate or whatever you
choose to call it, that some three
hundred people occupying the four
sleepers attached to the rear of the
first train escaped with their lives.
There was not the least possible ex-
cuse for the occurrence of the acct
dent, and so Mr.. Geddes, the super
intendent, admitted when he arrived
upon the scene. My peoole, when
they scrambled out of the badly
wrecked cars, were frightened and
excited, and when they saw that the
trainmen were either drunk or half
asleep they were naturally indig
nant, and denounced the affair as
outrageous and nearly wholesale
murder This man Russell, who
has been so highly extolled, sheer
ingly remarked that it was good
enough for you - d-n yankee
---." Improved too much,
and he was struck twice in the face
by one of the men. He broke away
and ran across the fields, and came
back when he got ready later in the
day. The other men were not in
terferred with, and the conductor
and engineer of the last train were
unusually active in helping to
straighten things out. They, too,
denounced the affair as an outrage
AS to the stories about clothing be-
ing stolen, stores broken into,
houses robbed, they are quite as
true as the one that has followed us
through this country that we raided
a passenge train and hanged all of
the train men, and no more so.-
The Louisville 81 Nashville authori-
ties at Montgomery have impor-
tuned the newspapers to publish
sensational accounts to my great
detriment and they succeeded in
getting one of them into the Associ-
ated Press. shall seek my redress
in the courts.
have quietly submitted to the
destruction of my property, but
when it comes to deliberate and
labOred efforts to defame my pro
fession, as well as destroy my bust
ness, by a corporation whose fnan-
cial standing is discussed almost
under breath, aided principally by a
newspaper of somewhat similar re
pute. it is time for me to protest.
Accept my sincere thanks for the
fairness in what you have had to
say about the affair; that is charac-
teristic of the American; and oblige
me still further by enabling me to
submit this to the public. L re-
main yours respectfully,
ADAM FoREPAUGH.