The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-12-06
President Spencer Killed
Loses Life in Wreck on Southern
Railway Near Lynchburg at Early
Hour Thanksgiving Day-Pri-
yate Car Catches Fire and Body
Dreadfully ed-Eight Per-
sons Dead as Result of Awful
Tragedy.

LYNCHBURG, VA, November 90
Samuel Spencer. president of the
Southern Railway company and rec
= ognized as one OF the foremost men
ia the development of the Southerr,
States. was killed this morning at
G:1O O'Clock in a rear-end collision. in
which two fast passenger trains were
involved, ten miles South OF Lynch
burg and II mile North OF LAWYERS
depot. In the same. wreck three OF
his guests were killed. only his pri-
vate secretary, Il. A. Merrill, OF New
York City, and one of the three port
ers surviving he accident.
The accident is one OF the most
heartrending that has occurred in
Virginia for years. The dead are:
President Samuel Spencer, New York
City; Charles D. Fisher, of Baltimore,
Md; Philip SCHUYLER, of Nnw York
City; Frank L. Redwood, of Balti-
more, Md; ID. W. Davis, of Alexandra,
Va, private dispatcher to President
! Spencer; Pollock, colored porter on
President Spencer's car, who died in
hospital here; an unknown person,
whose head and limbs are burned off
short, who is believed to be the third
porter on the private ear, who is
missing.
The injured are: Lucretia Allen.
colOred, Danville. Va, leg broken and
amputated below the knee, left arm
badly broken; Willis }. Winston, 223
last One Hundred and Twenty
seventh Street, New York City, leg
badly broken; J. W. Shaw, colnred,
Spencer, N. G.. fireman, badly crushed
and both legs broken; Garland
Thomas, colored, Greensboro, n. e.,
LEG broken AMI badly bruised up; p.
r. Eauls, colored, Waynesboro. Va,
badly broken up and bruised; Cora
Logan, colOred, Shelby, N. c., both
lpgs broken; Sam Cox, rolorpd. port
or on the private car, of GIL First
Street, S. W, Was ,inyton. ID. c.. leg
broken; Cruptte, address unknown,
the supreme organizer Of the Hepta-
sophs, back badly wrenched; Son
Hoglan, colored, Charlotte, N. c.,
badly bruised leg; E. A. Merrill, New
York City, private secretary to Presi-
dent Spencer, head and arms badly
burned; will recover.
DEATH CAME UPON THEM ASLEEP.
President Spencer and his entire
party, as far as is known. were sleep
ing when the collision happened, and
the probabilities are that all of them,
excepting Dispatcher Davis, were
killed instantly. 1t is certain that
fife was extinct before the flames
touched them. President Spencer's
body was burned almost beyond rec
Ognition, as WIS that of Mr. Fisher.
The body of Mr.. Schuyler was taken
from under the train before it was
burned very much, having been singed
only slightly.
President Spencer was lying directly
under the big locomotive of the rear
train. SO great was the force of the
impact that the forward train was
gent at least ! 80 feet ahead, the rear
locomotive going over and upon the
body of Mr.. Spencer Until after the
debris burned itself out and the en-
gine cooled OFF, the bodies could not
be removed.
A steamer in the local fire depart
ment was taken to the wreck, and the
fire was extinguished by it. The i'm
pact drove the combination car for
ward, and the express car lifted up
to"eti:or with its truck, and crushed
the car forty feet, leaving the re