The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-05
THE WAKE FOREST CASE.
Now Mr. Oates Answers Mr.. Walters
Giving Reasons for His Faith.

4
| Now Mr.. Oates Answers Mr.. Walters,
| Giving Reasons for His Faith
To the Editor: Please publish en-.
| closed article. which is full copy or
| COMPLAINT as fled by me before the Rail
road Commissioner. 1t is, / think, Il
fnll answer to Mr.. r. 2. Walters's ar
| ticle. and hope it will be the last or H.
To the Railroad Commission:
Raleigh, n. c.:
Dear Sir. | would like to submit the
| following questions to your nouce' ana
ask a ruling:
/. Where should the bulletin board be
placed-on the passenger depot or on
the warehouse when they are on the op-
posites Of the road?
2. Can the depot agent keep a woman
out OF the ladies waiting room because
she has a second class ticket, and is he
jusfitable in putting her in tile gents
waiting roomF'
CIRCUMSTANCES OF QUESTION 1.
The bulletin board at Wake Forest is
mp on the warehouse on the opposite OF
the track from the passenger depot, and
just a little to the right OF the ticket Of
fee. suppose it is about 10 feet. The
ticket office is between the ladies and
gents waiting rooms, the ladies room
being on the right of the ticket Office,
and the gents on the left. You see from
my description The bulletin board is
considerably to the right OF the gents
room. and some 10 the right OF the ladies'
room. and on the opposite OF the rail-
road. Should not the board be on the
passenger depot, and would it not be
more convenient? Suppose a freight
train is switched on the side track wait
ing for the regular passenger train, it
viii keep the bulletin board from being
seen from the passenger depot. Suppose
il is night, how can passenger tell any
thing about the time the train is delayed
unless his attention is called 10 the bul
letin board being on the opposite side
ON the warehouse and then viii It not
require light to be placed near the
board under such circumstances? Isn't
the bulletin board too far off to be in
diligently read from the passenger de-
pot? The numbers can't be made out
to the average person from the passen-
ger depot. Would not the average pas
senger expect to find the bulletin board
warehouse. for it is for the convenience
of the public travel and not for the
agent? Under the same question is it
not the duty Of the agent to erase the
board Immediately upon the leaving Of
the train? For after the board is not
cleared until the next delay, which
may be several days after. Suppose the
time is marked 80 minutes late, and the
next day a passenger goes down to the
depot and sees the bulletin marked 80
minutes late and goes off and the train
arrives on time, hasn't he redress if he
gets left under the instructions of the
bulletin board?
CIRCUMSTANCES OF QUESTION ,
On December oath or 23rd, think the
oath, went down to the depot here at
Wake Forest fully 20 minutes before the
arrival OF the south bound train. The
train was late. i found the waiting
rooms marked respectively: Ladies
waiting room and Gents waiting
ROOM" / found in the gents waiting
room an old white woman poorly dressed
and presenting a very dilapidated APP
pearnnce and with her little girl about
II years old. The gents room was full
of college boys, citizens and negroes, it
being n cold day The woman and little
girl seemed to be very cold and made
several attempts to get to the stove.
soon to be pushed out by the boys. AT
ter several attempts to stay at the stove
she muttered something to the little girl
and went out on the platform in the cold.
| saw her, went to her and said: Mad
am, you are cold, and / would suggest
you 90 to the ladies' waiting room as
that is the place for women" She
thanked me and said Let me go and
get my bundles" which were in white
-four sack, and / went to the ladies' wait
ing room, opened the door. She entered,
thanked me, and / closed the door behind
her and went back on the platform.
Soon afterwards Mr.. Reid the agent,
came up to me and said in the presence
Of j.. S. Yann and others; Did you put
that woman in the ladies' waiting room?"
Then / replied: II did" Then he said:
You have gone beyond your authority,
she has bought a second-class ticket and
she has no right in the ladies' waiting
room" Mr. Vann said: Are you go-
ing to exclude her from her rights be-
cause she is a poor woman Mr.. Reid
said: Il put her in the gents waiting