The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-10-26
OUTRAGEOUS TREATMENT.
Passengers Indignant at Seaboard's
Special Train Service to Raleigh Last
Thur sday-Scheduies and Wishes
of Patrons Utterly ignored.

ihuT Sday and Wtshe s
of Patrons Utterly ignored.
If outraged feelings and indigna-
ton freely expressed by persons who
were passengers on the Seaboard's
special train from Bennehan, Oxford
and Henderson to Raleigh last
Thursday had not been impOtent
under the circumstances they would
not have tolerated the miserable
treatment to which they were sub
jected' The train was scheduled to
leave Henderson $50. Several hun
dred persons who were promptly on
hand bought tickets to Raleigh. But
no train came. 1t was reported late
how late nobody knew. Finally it
was given out that the train was two
hours late in being taken from here
to Bennehan, the starting point.
Whose fault this was we do not
know. 1t was said the engineer had
oversight himself But OF the truth
OF this we do not know. At any rate
it was after ten o'clock when the train
reached Henderson. Eight coach
es all well filled stood on the tracks
here and waited. 1t was twenty-five
minutes after ten O'Clock when these
were hooked on at the coal chute to
the engine and four coaches brought
down from Bennehan and Oxford and
the train pulled out for Raleigh
nearly one hour and half after it
was scheduled to arrive there
Foreseeing the end several persons
got Disguised and gave up the trip,
demanding their money back. Others
regretted that they did not do the
same thing when they found that
they were to be subjected to still fur
ther outrage and Inconvenience. Ar
irving at Raleigh the train was side
tracked at johnson street station.
Announcement was made that the
three rear coaches would be cut Off
and all passengers were ordered to
go forward into the other coaches,
already uncomfortably crowded. And
there on a siding between two rows
of box cars, the passengers herded
like cattle and standing in the aisles
crowded almost to the point of suffo-
cation the train was held fOrty-five
minutes. No one knew how long the
train would be there or for what pur-
pose it had been stopped and expect
ed every minute for it to move. 1t
may have been all right to hold it
for the two NorthbOund trains to
pass but there was no excuse for cut
ting off the coaches and subjecting
the passengers to still further discom-
fort until time for the train to move
If then. Ii announcement had been
made that the train would be there
half an hour or more those persons
who wished to do SO could have walk
ed across to the capitol and taken
the street car there for the fair
grounds. But then the fares paid to
the street car company would have
been lost to the railroad, and maybe
this had something to do with with
holding all information.
1t was a quarter to one O'Clock
when the Henderson special finally
emptied it's passengers, Disguised and
disappointed, at the union station
three hours and three-quarters after
the time advertised to put them
there. Most persons who went to
Raleigh on that train Thursday went
for the express purpose of seeing the
President. When they reached the
fair grounds he had gone and the
dust had settled where he had been
along. Was there not cause for out
ragged feelings, disappointment and
Indignation at such treatment?