Mexico Missouri message., 1906-12-06
PRESIDENT SPENCER OF SOUTH.
ERIN RY. KILLED ON HIS
OWN ROAD.
He WAS SLUMBERING
six Others Killed, Three Of Whom
Were His Guests on a Hunting
Trip, When Engine Crashed
Into His Car.

men IN lnG u6NelOpulenl OF l0e SOuJn-
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 we're
on their way to North Carolina on
hunting trip. Phillip Schuyler, a re-
tired capitalist of New York, was
among the killed, together with other
guests of Mr.. Spencer. OF those on
Mr.. Spencer's private secretary, E. A.
Merrill, of New York and one of three
porters survived the accident.
The Dead.
PRESIDENT SAMUEL SPENCER,
New York
CHARLES d. FISHER, Baltimore.
PHILLIP SCHUYLER, New York.
FRANCIS T. REDWOOD, Balti-
more.
d. w. DAVIS, Alexandria, Va, prl-
Yate dispatcher to President Spencer.
J. w. SHAW, colored, Spencer, N. G.
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
flagman could get back to give warn
ing.
Dispatcher Davis Death.
Dispatcher Davis was alive when
taken from the wreck. He was crushed
about the lower part of his body and
was conscious to the end. He stated
to his rescuer that he knew he was
dying.
place your finger on my mouth"
he said; lit 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 southbound. 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-
dent Spencer's body was burned al.
most beyond recognition, as was that
OF Mr.. Fisher. The body of Mr.
Schuyler was recovered before it was
burned very much. President Spen-
GERS car was attached to the rear OF
the Jacksonville train, which was
standing still when struck.
Spencer's Corpse Under Locomotive.
President Spencer'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 off, the bodies
could not be removed. The combina-
ton car of the rear train crashed into
the express car ahead of it. Forty
feet of it was splintered, leaving the
best of the car strewn with tons OF
baggage and colored passengers who
were damned back by the express car
How the negro passengers in the Jim
Crow part of the train escaped death
is beyond explanation.
ohouis at Work.
Several cases were reported in
which persons ransacked the wrecked
cars for plumber. Some of the pas
ssengers are said to have participated
in this, and a large amount of val
-uables and money scattered about the
debris was taken. Mr.. F. M. Curtis,
of jamestown, N. Y, says he saw
lporter search a woman's grip, throw
away things OF no value to him, and
take those things he wanted. Mr.. Cur
els 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 a 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 clear block without
noticing whether the rear end mark
ers were visible before he did so. In
the absence of an official statement.
except that the operator at Rangoon
was at fault, this explanation is be-
jug accepted here.
1t Is probable that the Rangoon OPP
orator let the Atlanta train into the
block on an order from Lawyers that
the block was clear, the operator there
thinking the trainless engine cleared
the block, and that the rear train was
past Rangoon before II could be
stopped when the mistake was dis
covered Should investigation show
that the Lawyers operator gave al
clear track without noticing the alb
Bence Of rearend markers, then the