The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-06

Smith, of Falls; machinist named
Smith. of Neuse; Allen Thompson,
colored, relative of Brooks; Ben
Higgins, cOlored; ana Victoria Eman-
uel, a colored woman, besides the en-
gineer.
The staement made by David Clay
the negro who was uninjured, save
bruised about the back and shoulders
is as follows;
THE accident occurred at about
$50 o'clock, and l was holding the
reins. The mule and buggy were
mine and just recently been pur-
chased, being new. Brooks was seated
i'm the foot of the buggy, where ne
had been ever since Mr.. Nipper got
in. We took him up at Rogers Store.
We were almost on the engine before
we knew the train was anywhere near
US for we did not hear a whistle, and
could neither see nor hear the train
approach. The mule began to grow
wild, and, getting from under my con-
troll, after several cars had passed,
tried to jump over Hat car. All this
occurred so quickly that twas impos-
sible forany of us to jump out, and we
could not have done SO had we even
thought agout it, for the buggy had
a top. / don't know how or where the
others were struck. but | was hurled
aside with the buggy, and escaped Sc
rious injury, but my back mad Shout
der give me severe pain from injuries
| received in the accident. was
thrown into a gutter, and everything
was dark for a few minutes"
Engineer c. Watson, who was driv-
ing extra No. 687, made the following
statement:
Pigeon Branch railroad crossing is
one and one huff miles north of john
son Street Station on the main line of
the Seaboard. AS | approached the
crossing | noticed several teams stand
ing i'm the road, presumably waiting
for my train to pass. | saw another
vehicle drive up with three men in it.
They drove around the other teams
and came within five fct of my train
and stopped. This was otter fifteen
cars had passed over and the sixteenth
car, a flat, was going over the cross
ing. The mule was pulling the We
hicle violently, and suddenly he lung
ed forward and seemed to have tried
to jump over the fiat car.
Before app aching the crossing ]
gave all necessary signals for the road
crossing, and l of course presumed
that all the teams heard the signals
and stopped their horses to let my
train pass ! was going at the speed
Of about twenty-five miles an hour
when the party drove into my train
| saw two negroes and a white man
in the buggy, but could not tell which
was driving"
Ben Riggans an eye witness, said:
81 saw it all. They were driving
along towards Raleigh. the three men
i'm a top buggy. When they had got to
a place near the railroad track where
that curve in the dirt road, the mule
got frightened at the blowing of tn"
train whistle and started to run. The
train was runnin~ along fast towards
Raleigh. and when the mule got even
with the track. the engine and three
box cars had passed and it was fiat
car that struck the mule, or that he
tried to Jump on. Jim Brooks, the
man who was killed, was sitting in the
foot of the buggy. Mr.. John Nipper
was on the left hand side of the seal,
end David Clay, who owned the mule
and who was driving, was on the right
side The mule vas struck and was
turned round. Mr.. Nipper was on the
side next to the train and was hurt
and Fthe buggy was turned up
side down it landed i'm gully arr
Dave Clay was under it and had to be
taken out
Allen Thompson a relative of the
dead negro. refused to make state
ment Yesterdays saying that the whole
matter would be aired in court,
meaning probably suit against the
+. ilroad for damages, and that he
would then make his statement. lie
did say, however. that none of the
three had been drinking.