The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-29
DEATH CLAIMED TWO
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND
SWEETHEART KILLED.
BY S. A. L. PASSENGER TRAIN.
LILLY RUSHING AND HARRY sAUN-
DERs THE VICTIMS.


chee Rond CrOssing-BOth Escaped
without Scratch Rushing
Turned Horses Head sharply and
Threw Renr of Wagon Into Rapid
~ Moving Car His Sister and
Saunders Were Instantly Killed.
GIRLS Body Horribly MangIcd.
witnesses Claim Whistle Was Not
Blown.
Happy in the thought that they were
| soon to be welded. and probably dis
cussing plans for the future as they
sat side by side in a country wagon,
Lilly Rushing, aged 16 years, of No.
G77 Lavinia street, and Harry Saun-
ders. aged % years, of No. 315 VALID
burg street, west were instantly kill
ed at o'clock yesterday afternoon by
a northbound passenger train of the
Seaboard Air Line at a crossing on
! the Ogeechee road, four and half
miles from the city.
In the front seat of the same
wagon were Rufus and Annie Rush
ing. man and wife, of Thirty-seventh
and Burroughs streets, and their es-
cape from death was little short of
miraculous. The rear of the wagon
where Saunders and his sweetheart
were sitting was broken in splinters;
the girls body was cut into pieces, and
bone and flesh and bits of clothing
were scattered for 200 yards along the
track; Saunders body was cut and
mangled and hurled into a ditch on
the side of the track, yet Mr.. and
Mrs. Rushing and the horse escaped
without a scratch.
The accident was as peculiar as it
was sad. The party had been on the
Ogeechee hunting, and was returning
to the city. The four people left home
at o'clock in the morning with the
intention of shooting squirrels, but
found that there was too much water
in the Ogeechee swamp and decided to
return home. Rushing was talking
with his wife, while his sister and her
sweetheart were chatting merrily in
the seat behind. AS the crossing was
neared there was no thought of dan
ger. Mr.. and Mrs. Rushing say they
heard no whistle and that none was
blown by the engineer.
The Fearful Crash.
There are entertainments on both sides
of the road and it was impossible for
Rushing to look up the track until
he was almost on it, He says he work.
ed on the road when it was paved and
realized the danger of the crossing.
He looked towards the city and saw
that the track was clear, but when
a FIN po6 1, &c In fk,a ~
ton the blood almost stopped in his
veins. Within 100 feet of him was the
swiftly approaching locomotive.
Although most paralyzed from fear,
Rushing pulled hard on the left rein
and threw his horses head in the di-
rection of the city as the engine swept
by. The sudden turn saved the horse
and those who were on the first seat
but threw the rear of the wagon
around and against one of the cars.
There was a crash and scream and
the fatal work had been done. Miss
Rushing was being ground to pieces
under the wheels of the cars and her
flesh and bones were being scattered
on the track. Her companion was
also run over, but was thrown clear
of the tracks and into a ditch of wa
ter.
AS the car struck the wagon the
horse jumped and went down into
ditch, throwing Mr.. and Mrs. Rush
ing out, but not injuring them.
There were two guns in the wagon,
one in the front and one in the rear
The sun that was held by Saunders
was caught under the train and brok-
en- in pieces. but the one held by Mrs.
Rushing was not injured. AS the
wagon collioed with the first car she
threw the gun against the embank-
ment.
Besides Mr.. and Mrs. Rushing, four
| persons, two of whom were negro
women, witnessed the accident. All of
them stated to Acting Coroner
Naughtin, who investigated the trag-
| edy, that no whistle had been blown
| by the engineer. InaSmuch, however,
as there had been eyewitnesses it was
decided that an inquest was not nee
essary. The remains of the two
| young people were turned over to Fox
& Weeks and were brought to the
city to be prepared for burial. The
| funeral of Saunders, who leaves a
mother, father, four brothers and four
sisters, will take place this after
noon at 5 O'Clock from the house and
from st. Patricks Church. Miss
Rushing leaves mother and two
brothers.
| story of Passenger.
at was eating dinner" said one of
|
| the trouble till the train stopped and
| began backing to where the accident
had occurred. I should say that the
train stopped after it had gone not more
! than a hundred yards from the cross
! ing. ! got out as did a number of the
| ether passengers, and saw the bodies.
THE body of the man was lying in
ditch. 1t appeared to be very bad
| ly crushed but was not dismembered
as was the case with the woman. for
in her case the body had been literally
cut to pieces, portions of flesh were on
the track and parts of the clothing
were even seen on the shrubbery along
| the side of the roadway"
! The gentleman was asked if the en-
! CINE had blown as the crossing was
neared but said he was not sure
whether it had or not. and that this
matter had been discussed by himself
With some of the other passengers af-
ter the train had again started for the
city but without any definite decision,
no one appearing quite certain whether
a warning blast had been blown or not
The engineer claimed that he blew the
usual signal.
The funeral of Miss Rushing will