The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-20
NEGRO MAN KILLED
Run Over By a Street Car
Near Fair Ground.
THOS HAWKINS HIS NAME
PAID NO ATTENTION TO WARN
INGs OF THE MoTORMAN.
He DIED SOON AFTER THE ACCIDENT
Coroners Inquest Completely Fxonorated Street
Car Company From All BIame--Haw-
kins Never Drank and His Con-
duct is a Mystery,


Whether or not impending death casts
a shadow before is a disputed question,
but if it does Thomas Hawkins did not
foresee the grim and awful spectre yes
terday before he was in its icy grasp
mangled and bleeding.
Tom Hawkins, a young negro man,
came here just one week ago, from his
home in Ridgeway, Warren county, in
search of work. He was strong, active,
Industrious fellow, about twenty years
old, and so found no trouble in securing
| employment. For the first few days
he got work with a contractor who is
building a residence on Newbern avenue
Then he went to the cotton compress
This week he had been employed as a
laborer at the Fair Grounds.
Yesterday at 10 o'clock he started to-
| ward the city walking. As
it was raining and the red
clay on the road was quite
sticky, he trudged along the street car
! track. As he came out of the Fair
Ground gate there was street car
standing on the track nearby, and he
must have seen it: but if he did he seems
TO have very soon forgotten it.
For II was hardly three minutes be-
fore ne had reached the bottom of the
bill. still walking along the track, and
the street car started on it's journey to
the city with eight passengers aboard.
Just b fore getting to the bottom of
the grade the motorman began to ring
his gong to warn the negro Of the ap-
proach of the car But he paid no at
tention to the alarm. The conductor ap-
piled the brakes bHt the rain had made
the track slippery and the car, impelled
10y its weight and momentum, Sided on
rapidly down the incline.
The motorlnan realized the awful stu
alton, called to the man and pulled with
all his might upon the brake. Still the
ear slipped along on its dealy mission
and the negro trudged on with bowed
head
Ile was struck full in the back and
Knocked forward on his face; and though
he fell to one side OF the track and was
not run over by the car, he was terri
bly, torn and bruised and in five min
utes he was Il corpse.
An examination by DR.. JAS Mckee,
the physician summoned. showed that
no bones were broken The man had
fallen forward on his elbows, from which
the flesh was torn TO the bone His face
also struck the sils and laeerated the
chin and forehead. The mouth was full
Of dirt and blood was gushing from one
Of the ears.
This Indicated, DR.. Mckee said. that
there was fracture at the base of the
brain. But the immediate cause of
death, however, was nervous shock
from the injuries received.
The man was taken en- the car and
brought to the court house, where, at
10 o'clock, DR.. Ellis, the coroner, held
IN inquest. The jury was composed of
+. ii. Johns. A. A. Howell, G.. II. Todd,
John 4. White (col), Jas. Baker VIII
liam Williams, (col)
Three witnesses were examined at the
coroner's inquest, held in the grand Jury
room at the court house at / o'clock.
They were Howard Winchester, conduc-
tor Of the car that killed the man; ].
II. McGinnis, a passenger who was
standing on the platform with the mo-
torman, and Bette Wilcox, a negro
woman who lives near the scene of the
accident
Conductor Winchester said he was
coming down the steep grade from the
Fair Grounds when he saw the man
walking slowly along the track ahead of
him-just at the foot of the grade. He
had one foot inside the rail and one on
the ends of the sills outside and was go
ing from the car. Winchester said he
rang his gong loudly and continuously.
but as the man paid no attention to him
he applied the brakes with all his
might and called to him to look out. Or
dnarily, the witness said, he could stop
the car, when going at that rate, within
ten feet, but on account of the rain the
brakes slipped and the wheels Sided on
the track.
When the car hit Hawkins full in the
back, Winchester said he was thrown
straight forward upon his face, falling
just outside the rail on the end of the
sills. The car did not stop until it was
some five feet past the body. When they
went back the man was living, but I'M
conscious. de died within a few minutes
Mr.. McGinnes said he was standing
on the platform with the motorman when
they saw the negro walking along
ahead of them. The motorman rang his
gong, applied his brakes and did all IN
his power to prevent the accident,
Hawkins, when first noticed bv him.
was walking slowly along with his back
to the car and paid no attention to the
alarm. When they went back. after the
accident, they found he was still living
and lying on tn eoutside of the track
on the end of the cross-ties--on his back.
He was about five feet in the rear of the
car. McGinnis swore that the car was