The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-05-06
N'O.l9
EXCITING RUNAW'A.Y
Ola Pullman Coach Over Two Miles.
Into Car Of Whiskey. Il
woRK,or AN UNKNOWN NEGRO
Men, Women, Boys and Girls, white
and Black. scramble to-
Catch the spilIing
Corn Xyhfslxev ;y5
Corn whiskey.

| - ~ :
The Columbia State says the people
of the mill district of that city. wit
messed an exciting runaway Wednes-
day afternoon. A Pullman coach,
whose brakes had been released by an
unknown negro on mischief bent, as
the car stood on an incline at the
Seaboard's Gervias street yard, DASH
ed at a high rate of speed over the
long trestle south of the city. In.
the coach at the time were a Penn
sylvannia railroad porter, ID. @. Muir
ray, who says he lives in Jersey City,
ana his helper, Joe Robertson,
small negro boy who says he lives
with his mother, Frances Robertson,
at 9l3 Pendleton street. Both were
asleep at the time the coach started
OUT, but were aroused before the
coach reached the Seaboard's. main
line trestle, which starts at the south
ern end Of the yards and extends
through the mill district to the rear
OF the Olympia and CRANKY mills, a
distance of nearly two miles.
Over this elevated track the coach
sped at a rate of about 40 miles an
hour Murray tugged at the brakes,
put without apparent result, his
failure being due, he thinks, to his
excitement and fear. At the end Of
the trestle behind the mills stood a
FSeaboard box car loaded with 80 bar
relS OF Wateree corn whiskey consign-
ed to Commissioner Tatum which had
been temporarily switched on to the
main lire 5y c train busy ii tiie nil,
siding. Murry ard the boy retreated
TO the end of the couch furthest from
the approaching danger. The box
car was telescoped and reduced to
spllnters by the heavy Pullman,
which was hurt but little. Neither
occupant OF the coach was injured. Ike
Dreher, yard brakeman, who was on
Tue top Of the box car as he saw the
runaway coach rounding the curve
toward him. did not hesitate long to
wonder. He had just made his Way
down the embankment when the
collision occurred.
Ihlrty-six barrels of whiskey. rolled
down the embankment unbroken.
-Four were smashed and the contents
streamed out Of the werck and collect
ed IN the shape Of a little lake.
Quickly collection about SO men.
women and boys, white and colored.
were On tile scene with bottle, pans,
glasses and buckets scrambling for
positions under the various little
streams of whiskey pouring forth
from the wrecked box car. When the &
white boys and girls began to dip up
The whiskey in their caps and what
vessels they were able to muster into
service on short notice, white man
with deep-seated look Of disgust on
his face found shovel and began
throwing dirt into the lake. The
children who were uning off to
drink the whiskey as rapidly as they
Scooped it up raised protest and
some men who were also clipping into
the mine made remark, about the
man with the shovel being smart and
but he needed not and did
not stop until he had obliterated the
lake.
a wrecking train working from the
bridge end and Il freight engine from
the other cleared the track in less
than an hour, and no trains were
delayed. The Pullman coach, Which
was due to go north with the Sea-
boards $50 train, was hauled back to
the yards for repairs. 1t was slightly
Splntered and broken in at the col
lslon end, but it is remarkable how
little it was damaged in view of the
complete way in which the box car
had been wrecked.