The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-07
Among the Railroads.

Among the Railroads.
The Common Carrier says it is thought
that the Southern Railway now controls
the Tennessee Central
We hear there has been a meeting called
of the stockholders of the c. and N w
Railroad, to meet in Chester on the Both,
to consider the question of issuing $780,
600 in bonds to prosecute the work Of the
road on Wilson's Creek.-Lenor News.
Greensboro, N. c., June 6.-The survey
ing corps of the Durham and Charlotte
Railroad is now rapidly approaching
Greensboro, and will reach here the first
of next week The chief engineer who
is in Greensboro today says that he has
lust received orders from headquarters
in Philadelphia to hurry matters up, and
lust as soon as the survey is completed,
to locate the road at once, and begin
work.
Hon. Hope Elias, who. has been here for
several days past on a business trip, speaks
Interestingly of the new Franklin railway,
which is now being built between Frank
lin and Tallulah Falls. 1t is expected that
road work viii be completed in a few
months time. Franklin people are de-
lighted with the prospects of getting a
railway through their section at SO early
date. and say no wthat they will not
have to ask Asheyme any odds-Asheville
Gazette.
The Warren Record gives additional
particulars of the killing of a negro wo-
man at Wise 1t says: "Llitta Young,
colored woman about 80 years old, was run
over and killed by train Monday even
| ing on the S. A. L. Railroad about
mile and a half from Wise Coroner S.
p. Fleming was notified and went to the
scene and held an inquest The evidence
brought out at the trial showed that the
woman placed herself on the track in
front of the train with suicidal intent, and
the jury returned verdict generating
the railroad.
The citizens of Hickory have organized
to try to secure a new and better depot,
but seem to receive little or no encour-
agement from the railroads The commit
tee reports that they talked with repre-
sentatives of the Southern Railway, and
say: These officials of the Southern
Railway did not give us any encourage
ment, but rather expressed themselves
adversely to the removal of the depot.
They also informed us that it is the in
tention of the Southern to remodel the
present depot by building an extension of
10 feet to the east end and shed of the
same length to the west end. In our
judgment this would be an unsightly and
unbearable structure for the center of the
city"
one of the most important damage cases
tried Of late in North Carolina was the
case of Mrs. Anna Griffin VS.. S. A. l.,
tried at Anson Superior court, Judge o.
H Allen, presiding. The trial took
whole week. Owing to its Importance and
the deep interest manifested in it, we give
the following account of the trial and
subsequent events from the Wadesboro
Messenger and Intelligencer:
THE case, which was taken UP and the
jury secured before the noon adjourn
ment Monday, was one of the most hotly
contested actions ever tried here. James
A. Lockhart and Son, Robinson and
Caudle, and r. B. Redwine, of Monroe,
represented the PLAINTIFF and Major J. d.
Shaw, of Rockingham, Bennett and Ben
nett, and II. II. McLendon, of Wadesboro,
appeared for the railroad.
Interest in the trial increased from day
to day until towards the end when it is
not exaggeration to say, it reached al
most fever heat. Considerable feeling had
been worked up on both sides, on the out
side, and groups of men could be seen
standing on the corners of the streets dis
cussing the evidence and the probable out
come of the case.
1.-The action of the railroad in sending a
number of well known citizens of Wades-
boro to Peachland ON Wednesday night,
on a special train, to make a test as to
whether or not is was possible for the
engineer to have seen the head of Mr.
Griffin on the rail, on the night of the
tragedy, in time to.have stopped the train
and avoided the accident, caused a great
deal of talk The engine used in making
the test was the one which killed Mr.
Griffin, and the same engineer was at
the throttle on both occasions. The gen
that, in their opinion, the. engineer could
not have seen Mr. Griffin. In rebuttal
of this evidence the plaintiff introduced
several witnesses who testified that the
electric light of the test train was very
inferior; that it was nothing like so bril-
liant as the usual lights on the engines of
the road. The gentlemen who made the
test all testified that the light on the
test train was of the usual brilliancy
the case was not given to the jury
until late Saturday afternoon, and that
body was not long in reaching decision
The verdict was that Mrs. Griffin was
entitled to $4,000 damages.
Some time during the trial it came
to the ears ofgthe attorneys for the rail
road that one of the jurors. Mr.. ]. d.
Burch, was kin to Mrs. Griffin, the plain
tiff. Mr.. Burch, on being questioned
about the matter, stated that he did not
know when he qualified as juror that
such relationship existed, and that he did