The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-12-10
A DIABOLICAL DEED.
THE WRECK OF THE DOWN COLUM-
BIA TRAIN NEAR CHARLESTON,

was Deliberately Planned and Well
Executed Train wreek-The Details OF
tho Disaster.
o'clock last night Il train OH the South
Carolina Hallway, Oh its way from Col
umbia with nearly two hundred passen-
gers on board, was thrown into the
swamp just this side Of Lincolnyillc
anu one person WAS killed and five in
Jurru. The following is u list of the
cauSualtieS:
Killed, Mason Parker, colored, fire
man. Injured, Thos. Anderson, white.
baggage master, serious; $. M. Preston,
white, express messenger, seriously; :;
Nlc>or la Nergnc, white, passenger,
probably fatal, Charleston. Mrs. Phillip
CahTS, white, passenger, Charleston, not
serious. Annie Kelly, white, passcnge
broken arm.
There is abundant evidence that the
train was calmly, deliberately and ma
liciously wrecked. The rail on the east
side OF The track had been syStematicnl-
~ loosencd, and even the tools which
had been used for the purpose were
found on the side of the track. The
train consisted of five coaches, includ-
ing Pullman. Az except the Pull.
mar car were thrown down the en-
oankment, turned over and completely
wreckei. That 50 few persons were
injured can only be attributed to the
miraculous interpoSition of Divine
Providence.
The crew Of the wrecked train, or
such OF them as We're not disabled, act
ed promptly, one Of the brakemen run
nlng to Summerville, three miles dis.
tant. for assistance. by II o'clock re
llet tram arrived from Summeryille,
anu halt hour later one from Charles
ton. under the charge Of Manager G. NJ.
ward. DR.. Lee, of Summerville, came
DOWN To the scene and aided DR.. +. D.
roHt, who was on train and who had
bestowed as much attention as possible
to the injured. The locomotive Jump
eo the track, but remained or the cross.
Ties. Ihe tank was thrown into the
swamp and the colored fireman was
crushed to death under il. His body
remains at the scene of the wreck, only
ms legs being visible. 1t was not until
after o'clock that the reScurers sue
10 remove baggage Master Anderson.
Conductor Speissiger was nniniured.
Engineer William Waters remained on
the cab, which ran fully three yards
from the displaced rail on the crossties.
lhe hVc coaches were crowded, two of
them with white and two with colored
people, there being an unusually large
proportion OF women among the num-
Der These were picked out of the wreck
by Inc passengers and taken up on tho
embankment, where they remained un-
I'll the arrival of the first relief train
from Summerville.
On The train were the passengers who
came from Columbia including "a num-
Der or the members OF the Legislature
and some officials and representative
Oh the News and Courier, and large
number OF CharleStonians who g0t Oh
the tram at BranclNille, having come
tnat lar on their way from the Augusta
Exposition, and number of ladies who
got on at Summerville. The ill-fated
train left Branchville at 8 o'clock and
made the run to Summerville without
stopping, forty miles in fifty minutes.
1t was only IL few moments after leav-
ing Summervillc that the cataStropho
occurred.
The railway authorities lost no time
whatever in starting out in search Of
the william, who moved the taps from
the bolts on the track. Trial Justice
Limehouse was communicated with
and the Charleston police were asked
to detail an officer to assist in working
up the fearful case.
There was Il heavy downpOur during
the several hours the passengers were
detained at the nineteen mile post.
Work on the wreck had consequently
to bc abandoned until a cessation Of the
rain storm.
Tio train arrived at the depot at
about minutes after 3 o'clock. The
pas. 1nEerS hurried out Of the coaches
to meet those who were waiting for
them, and it was not long before every
carriage was crowded and the passen-
gers who had been miraculously saved
from death were on their way home.
Although there had five hours passed
between the accident and the return
home of the Proyidentially saved pas
SengerS, no one was in condition to saw
anything about the wreck.
a diabOlical deed was what everyone
pronounced it. During the day at the
scene Of the wreck many made personal
observation and convinced themselves
that 1T was premeditated and deliber-
ATE ACT, done with satanic intent. The
wrench with which the bolts were un-
fastened was left upon the scene. The
position Of the bolts. one of them being
replaced Oh the wire edge after being
taken out of the rails, al Indicated the
delDerateneSS Of the act.
Young La Vergne was lying in the
express coach Of the relief train. I'm
mediately upon arrival of the train
kind friends rushed to the coach, and. |
picking up the palette, carried the
wounded man to the ambulance of the |
City Hospital. He was yet alive when |
carried to the Hospital.
superintendent j. II. Agnew, of the |
South Carolina Railway, is one of the |
most competent persons in the city to |
give description of the wreck and its |
causes from railroad standpoint. lie
left mere on the relief train, and remain.
ed at the scene Of the disaster until the |
wreck had been cleared. lie was seen
yesterday morning by a Reporter for |
The News and Courier, to whom he |
gave minute account Of some of the |
features of the wreck and its clearing. |
at is two clearly evident from the |
of everything around the |
scene" he said "that the spiL.o on1