The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-06
ONE IS KILLED IN
STREET CAR WRECK
Car On Belt Line Hits BoyIeS
Car
CROWDED WITH NEGROES
Quite Number Were Bruised, But
All Were Able to Be Taken to
Their Homes Last
Night.
CROWDED WITH NEGROES

One dead, 20 injured and a large num-
Der of others slightly bruised was the
result of the running down of a Boyles
| electric car about o'clock last night by
a Birmingham Belt railroad train at the
Eighth avenue and Thirteenth street
crossing. The negro f1agman at this cross
| ing was placed under arrest shortly aft
erwards by Coroner w. D. Paris, who
will have a hearing of the case this aft
ernoon in his office at the courthouse.
The dead man is Sam L. Spencer, a
negro, who was a teacher in the King
ston negro school.
Three white men were injured-A. w.
Long, motorman, and w. V. Cunningham.
conductor of the electric car. and j. G.
Smith, passenger These three men
were taken to st. vincent's hospital.
where their wounds were dressed. and
they were afterwards removed to their
homes.
Seventeen negroes were hurt, but none
of them seriously. They were taken to
the various hospitals, and after receiving
medical attention all but four were able
to go to their homes.
The wrecked car was No 4O5 and was
bound for Boyles at the time of the acci-
dent. 1t carried a large number of pas
sehgers and had an unusually large
crowd of negroes on board.
1t reached the Thirteth street crossing
and stopped and, according to the motor
man, he was given a signal to go ahead.
Just as the car was midway over the
railroad tracks an Alabama Great South
ern railroad box car pushed by Belt
locomotive came down upon it, throwing
1t over on its side and pinioning the me-
gro Spencer under it. Spencer was either
thrown or jumped out of the car, only to
land under the car as it toppled over
sideways.
The engineer made a vain endeavor to
stop his engine before hitting the cleo
trio car but the distance was too short,
and the locomotive was not brought to a
standstill until the box car hit the electric
car crashing broadside.
Confusion reigned for a few minutes,
Oub tlle COOltf 0eduS WHO Udu received no
injuries quickly regained their senses and
proceeded to help the injured. Ambu-
lances from Shaw & Son, Gaudin & Co.
and the Green Undertaking company an
swered calls and rushed those who ap-
peared to be hurt to the hospitals Spen-
Ger lived but very few moments.
The negro flagman-Felix Lowe-disap-
peared immediately. Coroner Paris ar
rived on the scene few minutes after
the accident occurred and Immediately
started a search for the missing f1agman.
lie was found shortly afterwards at his
home in an intoxicated condition. The
coroner placed him under arrest and
turned him over to Policeman Henderson,
who sent him in to the city Jail.
Quite a number of the injured persons
were rendered partially unconscious and
their injuries were thought to be much
worse than they turned out to be. A half
dozen ambulances removed them to the
hospitals at a rapid pace. The rushing
ambulances attracted great deal of at
tention, and it was but few moments
before wild rumors were flying about the
city as to the accident. Some of these
reports placed the number of dead at a
large figure, and a great crowd of Curl
Gus persons travelled out to the scene Of
the accident