Daily camera., 1901-05-13
SINGULAR ACCIDENT:
Most Remarkable Lawsuit In Re,
cent Court History.
Principal Sufferer in Railway Acct
dent Is Made to Pay Damages
Resulting from Strange Com
binati0n of Circumstances.

A suit in the superior court in Ra-
leigh, N. C., against the Seaboard Air
Line railway has brought to light the
most novel accident known to the
annals of Jurisprudence, says the
Philadelphia Press.
The vestibule passenger train from
Atlanta was bowling along toward
Raleigh on down grade at the rate
of so miles per hour at ten o'clock in
the morning. William Watlington
was on his way to a Wild turkey blind
which he had bnitod, ard had his
double barrcllcd. breech-lcading shot
gun on his shoulder, two cartridges
being in the chambers.
On reaching the railroad track
which was on an embankment about
ten feet high at this place. Mr.. Wat.
lington heard the train in the dis
tance and stopped on the side of the
track about so feet away, to view the
train as it swept by.
He could not see over the embank.
ment to the other side of the track
Along beside the embankment on
both sides of the track there are
the usual bitches, which were filled
with water. Mr.. Warrington was
standing between the embankment
and one of these bitches on the north
side of the track with his gun on his
right shoulder. On the other side OF
the track were number of cattle
nipping grass, which Mr.. Watlington
could not see.
just a few seconds before the train
PASSED these cattle commenced ia
struggle across the track to the side
on which Mr.. Watlington was stand.
ing. The bovines all got safely across
except one small Jersey bull.
He was caught on the cowcatcher
and hurled away with terrible veloc.
ity, and as misfortune and luck both
would have it he struck Mr.. Waiting
ton about midships and knocked him
down into the ditch and planted the
bull on top of him.
The bull was stunned and strug.
gled, but could not get up, and the
water was drowning both man and
beast. The engineer, Mr.. Honeycutt
was watching the cattle and had not
seen Mr.. Watlington. and when the
fireman told him what had happened
he stopped the train and hurried back
and got there in time to get Mr.. Wat
lington and the bovine out of the
ditch before they were drowned.
Striking Mr.. Watlington and knock
ing 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
the bull struck Mr.. Watlington and
the shock had knocked the gun some
distance, and when il struck the
ground il was discharged and killed
one of the cows and wounded another
so badly that it had to be killed. The
gun was not injured.
On these facts Judge Brown held
that the railroad company was not
lab in damages to Mr.. Watlington.
Since the trial the owner of the two
cows has sued Mr.. Watlington and re-
covered 500 in full damages for their
killing.
Mr.. Watlington says the ending OF
this lawsuit beats blue sheep. That
he was knocked down by q Jersey
bull. which was hurled at him by the
train. and nearly drowned, and his
gun is discharged and kills two cows,
and he gets no damage and is COM
PEELED to pay 500 for being the
principal in the most celebrated case
in the history of accidents by rail
road trains.