The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-06
AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
A Lady Receivers Damages for Being
1nsulted IN Train.

a Lady Receivers Damages for Being
Insulted IN Train.
4 letter from Greenville to The
State says the court Of common pleas
has been engaged for three days in
hearing most extraordinary case, in
which the Southern railway is asked
to pay $50, 900 damages to Mrs. Susan
L. Franklin Of Newberry for an al.
Legged insult to her by passenger
while on a train between Greenville
and Atlanta about a year ago. The
Jury brought in a verdict Friday af-
ternoon for s25, 900 in the plaintiffs
favor.
Mrs. Franklin is a comely woman,
unusually self possessed on the witness
stand, with readiness and intelligence
in giving testimony that is surprising
and uncommon, and aprreciating the
bearing of evidence upon the case ID
band. Her testimony revealed the
fact that she was married when only
sixteen years old, and has been the
mother Of three children, one>of whom
is dead. Her husband is a policeman
in Newberry and her occupation is
dress making. Mrs. Franklin gave
connected account Of the trip from
Newberry to Atlanta, stating that on
reaching Greenville she and her little
child went aboard the afternoon train
for Atlanta, and that there were only
two other passengers in the car, both
Of whom we're men. Soon after the
train left Greenville one Of these men
engaged her In conversation, taking a
seat by her side, making indecent pro-
posals, putting his arm around her
waist and using familiarities against
her protest, though she endured the
unpleasant treatment for quarter Of
an hour or more. The men were
drinking and behaving unseemlY but
only one of them made approaches to
her.
On the cross examination Mrs.
Franklin said that the conductor was
in the car the most Of the time when
the man was annoying and insulting
her and made no effort to stop his un-
| ruly behavior until she appealed to
him for protection, when the cnndue-
tor told the man he must desist or be
would put him off the train. The man
claimed that he was a detective, but
the conductor said he must behave OF
else he could not ride any further on
his train, which put Quietus to the
men except that they continued te
drink and use indecent language, but
the conductor had removed her to the
centre of the car, where he had beer
seated for some time. On arriving al
Atlanta she was taken i'll and the
cause was due to the fright occasion
ed by the conduct Of this unknown
man, resulting il serious consequence:
owing to her delicate condition at the
time.
Conductor Roseborough, who was ir
charge of the train when alleged in.
dignities were heaped upon Mrs
Franklin, stated that be had observed
the man on the seat with Mrs. Frank
lin and holding her little daughter OF
his knee, and be was not aware that
the woman was being annoyed by nj:
presence as she made no complain
against him, and seemingly they were
engaged in an ordinary conversation
MIR. Roseborough assumed that they
were at least acQuaintances and il
was not bis duty to interfere, but he
denied that he was in the car for any
length Of time and did not observe
that Mrs. Franklin was at all annoyed
until be went through the train again
when as he entered the coach be saw
that she was in the act Of leaving the
seat. Immediately he approached ane
asked il she desired to change hel
seat, when her reply was that the
man had been an annoyance to her
which caused her to make the change
The conductor escorted Mrs. Franklin
to the rear of the car and then wen
back for the child, who was taken Il
her mother. He told the man not tt
repeat his conduct and if be spoke t.
; Mrs. Franklin again he would be pu
off the train and left in the ditch.
The man asserted that he had moi
done anything wrong, but was willing
to make an apology if Mrs. Franklin
was offended and then went into an
other coach. Mr. Rosenborough as
sisted the mother and child off ths
train on reaching Atlanta and the in
cident on the train was not mention
again.
The testimony Of other witnesses
had little bearing upon the facts relat-
ing to the alleged insults, and much
time occupied in efforts to exclude i'm
proper evidence from the case. Con
ductor Roseborough was supported il
the main by the fagman, who san
and heard d portion Of what took
place. The conductor is known as
one Of the most careful officials in the
service Of the Southern and be has
been on the 'Air Line" for upwards
Of 20 years.
The arguments in the case begar
on Thursday afternoon.
Jumped to His Death.
Sydney Johnson Hayden OF the
Hotel Holley, New York, Friday
jumped to the street from the toE
floor Of the 2l-story skyscraper al
Broadway and New street. Nearly
every bone in his body was broken
Hayden went into one Of the unoc'
cupied offices on the top floor Of the
New street side, raised window, laic