The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-06
Two Killed at Pigeon
Branch Crossing.
WHITE MAN AND NEGRO
Unmanageable Mule Attempted to Leap
Over a Flat Car With Buggy.
Third Man Escaped Serious
Injury. May Sue the
Seaboard.

Pigeon Branch railroad crossins,
one and one-half miles north of Raj
eigh, claimed its first victims yester-
day, q white man and a negro Jimmy
Brooks, aged q, a school teacher i'll
the coIored schools Of Frankiinton was
killed instantly, and John l.. Nipper,
white man 40 years of age, received
injuries causing his death several
hours later, by driving into a freight
train. The accident occurred yester-
day morning at $50 o'clock. David
Clay, another negro in the party, was
unhurt.
The party of three Nipper, Brooks
and Clay, were coming to Raleigh,
their homes being in Barton's Creek
Township. Brooks was one of the
principal witnesses III a case against
Shep. Rogers, a negro school teacher
charged with tampering with wit
nesSes, and the cause was to have
been heard by Justice of the Peace
Conn yesterday. Clay was coming to
the city on business, and the white
man was to have been d character
witness in the Rogers case, as well as
appear before the Board of County
Commissioners to secure charity. Clay
was driving his mule, hitched to his
new buggy, and he with Brooks had
come from their homes near Six
Forks, Tipper's Cross Roads, ten miles
north of this city. Nipper joined them
at Rogers store.
Clay slowed up as he neared Pigeon
Branch crossing, and not hearing the
train or it's signals continued to drive,
and not until he was almost on the
track did he know that a train was APP
preaching. 1t was too late to drive
across, and he endeaVOred to pull the
mule back, but it became frightened,
and after several cars had passed,
fat car dashed by, when the mule
leaped forward, and seemed to try to
clear the car. The mule and Brooks
were killed outright, and Nipper was
badly hurt, but his wounds were not
considered fatal. The buggy was
completely demolished, and under it
was Clay slightly hurt who got UP
and walked to Raleigh.
The train was special freight no.
6S7, run by engineer G. Watson, and
he stopped and returned to the cross
ms, picked up Nipper and carried the
wounded man to Johnson Street Sta
ton, where he lay stretched out on a
stretcher for more than two hours
without medical aid. 1t seemed im-
possible to get u physician to attend
the man, as Or. James r. Rogers, the
-
At a quarter to twelve O'Clock an
amh3lance was sent to the depot, and
Nipper was carried to Rex Hospital,
where he died at 4:45 O'Clock ycSteI-
day afternoon. He is said to have
died from the shock, although several
of his ribs were broken, his right col
lar bone fractured, the left shoulder
broken, and he sustained other in
ternal injuries. The body was taken
to the G.. A.. Strickland Undertaking
establishment where the wounds were
dressed, and the body prepared for
burial. The remains will be taken to
Nippcr's home, or that of his mother,
who is widow, this morning.
Brooks was q fright to see. There
were horrible gashes from head TO
foot, and his mangled body presented
Il most repulsivc appearance. The
body was taken to the Strickland I'M
taking establishment, and prepared
for burial at the request of his rela-
tives, several of whom were interest
ed in the case i'm which he was a wit
ness. on the head were several cuts,
one piercing the skull three inches
long and one wide. His entire scalp
was nearly peeled. In about eight
places on the body and limbs there
protruded naked bones, where all the
flesh had been cut away. Both MS
hips and shoulders were broken.
The coroner did not hold an III
quest, but examined one or two wit
nesses, satisfying himself of the man
ner in which the persons met their
death.
Several witnesses saw the accident.
Among them were eX County Commits
sioner John d. Allen, of Falls; VIM.