Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1906-12-06
PRESIDENT SPENCER OF SOUTH.
ERN ~. KILLED ON HIS
OWN ROAD.
HE WAS SLUMBER|NC
ok Others Killed, Three Of Whom
Were His Guests on . Hunting
Trip, When Engine Crashed
Into His Car.

Su ubLCu 90 ~ vi NV
men In the development OF the south.
ern states, and six other persons were
killed and IL injured Thanksgiving
morning in a rear-end collision be-
tween two fast passenger trains ten
miles south of Lynchburg and a mile
north OF Lawyers depot. They were
on their way to North Carolina on a
hunting trip. Phillip Schuyler, a re-
tired capitalist of New York, was
among the killed, together with other
guests OF Mr.. Spencer. or those on
Mr.. Spencer's private secretary. f.. A..
Merrill. OF New York, and n Of three
porters survived the accident.
The Dead.
PRESIDENT SAMUEL SPENCER,
New York.
CHARLES ID. FISHER, Baltimore.
PHILLIP SCHUYLER, New York.
FRANCIS +. REDWOOD, Balti.
more.
ID. w. DAVIS, Alexandria, Va, pri.
vate dispatcher to President Spencer.
j.. W. SHAW, colored, Spencer, N. e.
AN UNKNOWN PERSON, whose
head and limbs are burned o short
The Jacksonville express had
stopped at the top Of a heavy grade to
repair a slight breakdown, and the
other train dashed into it before a
fiagman could get back t O give. warn
Ing.
Dispatcher Davis Death.
Dispatcher Davis was alive hen
taken from the wreck. He was crushed
about the lower part of his body and
was conscious to the end. lie stated
to his rescuer that he knew he was
dying.
place your finger on my mouth"
he said; 1T feels so cool and good"
In response to his pleadings, a fell
low passenger remained with him for
ten minutes until he saw nothing
more could be done for Davis.
Spencer and Party Were Asleep.
The collision was between the Jack
sOnville express and the Washington
and Southwestern vetibule limited.
both s%outhbound. President Spencer
and his entire party, as far as is
known, were sleeping when the col
lisiOn occurred, and the probabilities
are that all of them, excepting Dis
patcher Davis, were killed instantly.
1t Is certain that life was extinct be-
fore the flames touched them. Presi-
len Spenccr's body was burned al
most beyond recognition, as was hat
OF Mr.. Fisher. The body OF Mr..
Schuyler was recovered before it was
burned very much. President Spen-
rAr'c yao atfanhnH IN thu ,nar nt
the Jacksonville train, which was
standing still when struck.
spencer's Corpse Under Locomotive.
President S%pencer's charred corpse
was found under the big locomotive
OF the rear train. SO great was the
force of the impact that the forward
! train was sent at least $50 feet ahead.
Until tn debris had burned itself out,
and the engine cooled on. the bodies
could not be removed. The combina.
ton car OF the G train crashed INTO
the express a ahead Of 1t. Forty
feet OF It was splintered, leaving the
best of the car strewn with tons OF
baggage and cOlOred passengers, who
were jammed back by the express car.
How the negro passengers In the Jim
Grow part of the train escaped death
Is beyond explanation.
Ghouis at Work.
Several cases were reported in
which persons %ransacked the wrecked
cars for plumber. Some of the pas
sengers are said to have participated
In this, and q large amount OF val.
uables and money scattered about the
debris was taken. Mr.. +. NJ. Curtis.
Of jamestown. N. Y, says he saw o
porter search q wOman's grip, throw
away things OF no value to him, and
take those things he waited. Mr.. Cur.
tis declared he would have killed the
porter had he had a weapon. Coroner
g. W. Davis, at the request of the
Southern officials. went to the wreck
to hold an inquest. but found the bod.
les had been removed.
Cause Of the Wreck.
The Jacksonville express had the
right of way In the block. The engine
broke away from the train. and pro
ceeded q mile beyond Lawyers before
the engineer noticed he was without
his train. 1t may be that when he
passed Lawyers, the operator there
gave Rangoon q clear block without
noticing whether the rear end mark
ers were visible before he did 80. In
the absence OF an official statement
oxcont that tho narrator nj RangOOu