The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-03-04
shocking CATASTROPHE.
NINE MEMBERS OF A TENNESSEE
FAMILY MEET AN AWFUL
DEATH.
PASSENGER TRAIN STRUCK hWAGON
~
In Which Were Ten Members of the
Woodward Family--Thc Only Sur
tyivor, II 0-Ycar-Old Girl, Had
Miraculous Escape.

Chattanooga, Tenn, Feb. H.-An in
coming passenger train on the Georgia
division of the old East Tennessee, Nir-
gnia and Georgia, branch of the South
prn Railway, bound from Atlanta, struck
a wagon ut n crossing ten miles east Of
this city today at / O'Clock y. III. In the
vehicle were ten members of the family
OF Lawrence Woodward. living at Josey,
a hamlet in this county, and nine were
killed, and only one escaping, being D.
.ycar-old girl, Virginia Woodward.
The killed:
Mrs. Lawrence Woodward, aged Al.
George Woodward, her son, aged ~.
Josie Woodward, II laughter, aged -.
Mrs. Lizzie Woodward Montgomery, II
married daughter, aged 70.
Mrs. Montgomery son, an infant, TWO
. months old.
Della Woodward, a daughter, aged II.
Mary Woodward. n daughter. aged ~.
Daisy Woodward, daughter, aged 10.
Ada Woodward, "A daughter, aged u.
All except Della and Daisy were in
stantly killed, and these two died in n
few hours aftcrwnrd from their injuries.
The scene Of the accident il near q
cut on the main line. The track makes
4 sharp cut just east OF the point where
the pike crosses.
The family left their home about 10
o'clock this morning all seated in large
wagon driven by George Woodward. Two
horses were hitchcd to il. The engineer
states that as the train emerged from the
cut ID was moving at an ordinary rate Of
speed. about thrty-hvc miles an hour
AS the engine turned the curve he saw the
wagon load Of people and sounded his
whistle repeatedly. The bell was also
..;u L,, /. utn
ton. The wagon was close to the cross
ing when he first saw IL. the young man
who was driving seemed to become con-
fused, and instead Of hating he excited
~ whipped the horses to clear the cross
ing before the train reached him, having
evidently lost control of himself. The
engineer saw collision was inevitable,
as the distance between bin and the wag-
on was too small to stop the train, but
he reversed his lever and closed his eyes
TO shut out the horrible sight that was
pending. The wagon was struck when
sQuarcly across the track, and instantly
the air was filed with the bodies of the
Inflated family and the splinters of the
wagon. Shrieks rent the air and the man
gled bodies were strcwn along both sides
OF the track. Two of the bodies were
mpaled on the pilot Of the locomotive.
The momentum Of the train was so great
that 1t ran fully 200 yards before 1t was
stopped.
The body of Mrs. Montgomery was
found on the pilot with her dead infant
held in her arms in the rigid clasp Of
death. the mothorlv instinct controlling
to the last The little girl. Virgie, by some
curious fate, was forced under the OK
tension front of the locomotive, and when
rescued from her pcrilous position was
found 10 he entirely uniniurcd, being
the only one of the ten who escaped
alive.
THE family left their home for the city
with the view of having family photo
graph taken prior to the departure of Mrs.
Montgomery. who intended TO leave to-
night for Florence, Ala. to join her hus.
band The father and eldest son had
previously come To the city and were mp
prsed Of the shocking tragedy about an
hour after its occurrence.
The two members who were alive when
the train stopped were horribly manglcd.
They were conveyed TO the iniirmary
hut never rcgnincd consciousness and
died in five hours.
The bodies of the nine victims were
brought to the city and will he buried
near the family home by the railway
company.
The engineer is Frustrated over the
shocking accident. and for time il was
feared he would lose his mind.