The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1901-05-22
CAN'T BE TOLD in A HEAD LINE


CAN'T BE TOLD IN A HEAD LINE.
From Raleigh Letter in Charlotte OBJ
server.
A suit brought in the Superior Court
here against the Seaboard Air Line
Railroad has developed the most novel
accident known to the annals of juris-
prudence. There is but one other case
like 1t, and that is to be found in the
Alabama reports.
The vestibuled train from Atlanta was
bowling along toward Raleigh on a down
grade at the rate of fifty miles per hour
at 10 o'clock in the morning. William
Warrington was on his way to a wild
turkey blind which he had baited and
had his double barreled. breech-loading
gun on his boulder two cartridges being
in the chambers. On reaching the rail-
road track. which was on an embank-
ment about twelve feet high at this
place, Mr.. Warrington heard the train in
the distance. and stopped on the side of
the track about fifty feet away, to view
the train as it passed by. He could not
see over the embankment to the other
side of the track. Along beside the en-
bankment ON both sides of the track are
the usual bitches. which were filed with
water.
Mr.. Warrington was standing on the
north side of the track with his gun on
his shoulder. On TIL other side of the
track were number of cattle nipping
grass, which Mr.. Warrington could not
see. Just few seconds before the train
swept by these cattle commenced to
straggle across the track to the side on
which Mr.. Warrington was standing. The
bovines all got safely across except one
Jersey bull. He was caught on the cow
catcher and hurled with terrible We
locity, and, as misfortune and luck
would have it, he struck Mr.. Waiting
ton about midships and knocked him
down into the ditch and planted himself
on top of him. The bull was stunned.
He struggled. but could not get up,
and the water was drowning both man
and beast. Mr. Honeycutt. the engineer
who was watching the cattle had not
seen Mr.. Warrington, and when the fire.
man told him what had happened he
stopped the train and hurried back, and
got there in time to get Mr.. Warrington
and the bull out of the ditch before they
were drowned. Striking Mr.. Warrington
and knocking him into the water saved
the life of the bull, and the water saved
the blow by the bull from killing Wat
lington.
Further examination showed that when
the bull struck Mr.. watingtonsthe shock
knocked the gun some distance, and
when it struck the ground 1t was dis
charged and killed one of the cows and
wounded another so badly that 1t had
to be killed. The gun was not injured.
On these facts Judge Brown held that
the railroad company was not liable in
damage to Mr.. Warrington. Since the
trial the owner of the two cows has sued
Mr.. Warrington and recovered 500 in
full in damages for their killing.
Mr. Warrington was knocked down by
a Jersey bull, which was hurled at him
by the train, and nearly drowned, and
his gun was discharged and killed two
cows, and he gets no damages and is
compelled to pay 500 damages for the
luxury of being principal In the most
celebrated case in the history of acci-
dents to animals and man by railroad
trains. But since all this happened Mr..
Warrington has had great piece OF
good luck befall him. He has been work.
ing for H. N. Snow. at High Point, In
the furniture business for many years,
Snow is getting old. and being rich and
tired of business. he retired and gave the
whole plant and business, worth $4,000.
to Mr.. Warrington, who was of no kin to
him, but simply a faithful employe. So
Mr.. Wellington had some recompense
for his experience with the bull and the
train