The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-26
MISS TEASLEY IS
DECLARED INSANE
Her Long Struggle Against
the N. & w. Ended.
-------------
FLAGGED THEIR TRAINS
Fight Began Whom Road Was Sur
veyed Through Her Property.
HER HOME BURNED, IT GREW MORE BITTER
She Declared The Road Responsible For the Fire
Refusing Every Offer Made Her, Fin
ally She Was ARE s,ed and
Today Declared lnsanp.
Especial to News and Observer

Especial to News and Observer
Durham, N. c., June 25.-Miss f. B.
Teasley, who lives on the Norfolk and
Western road, between here and Rox-
boro, was brought before Squire j. r.
Owens this morning on the charge of
tagging trains ON that road without
cause. Before the trial was called it
was decided that the woman was in
sane and a commission of lunacy was
asked for. The commission decided
she was not of sound mind and it was
ordered that she be sent to the insane
hospital or kept in confinement until
such time as she can obtain admission
to the asylum.
The fight Miss Teasley has made on
and bitter. 1t started back in the days
when the surveyors first began to locate
the road. After long fight peace was
declared between the road and Miss
Teasley.
Last fall, one year ago. however, the
home of Miss Teasley was burned to the
ground and this was a signal for re-
newed hostilities. She claimed that the
road set the old field on fire and that
burned her home Since then there was
considerable trouble.
The road was willing to right
any wrong that might have been com,
mitted, and it is said that Miss Teasley
has been offered $3.50 for her home,
h;
refused all offers and finally the
as last resort.
The defendant in this section had
been tagging trains until the superin-
tendent of the division issued or
ders that all trains pass through her
plantation at no greater rate of speed
than four miles an hour. This was
done in order to prevent accident of any
kind The engineers did not dare run
by a red flag for fear there was dan
ger ahead and they had to- get along as
best they could until out of that neigh
borhood Sometimes she would wrap a
United States flag about her and get
on the track. The engineer would have
to stop in order to save the life of the
woman.
In refusing the offer to $3.50 for her
home, which was burned, Miss Teas
ley was only following her former ac-
ton in not accepting money from the
road.
When the right of way was first con-
demned there was a suit about the
matter and Miss Teasley secured judg-
ment for $500. There was no further
contest and the money was paid over
to the clerk of the court. The woman
refused to have the money and it re-
NAMED in the clerks office for five
years and then went to the State Uni.
versity under the law governing such
matters.
After that she advertised the road
for sale, but recently walked into the
office of Guthrie & Guthrie, attorneys
for the road in this city, and told them
to notify the officers of the road that
the road had to come off her plantation.
When arrested yesterday Mrs. Teas
ley said that she would have resisted
arrest if the officers had not found her
when she did not have a flag of the
United States. When asked why she
persisted in tagging trains on the road
she said that she wanted one of the
cars to live in. The road she said, was
responsible for her home being burned
10 the ground and she was going to
have car. She then told of the road
Offering her $3.50 and said that she
would never have accepted it.