The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-11-03
MARROW ESCAPE
James Deaart chloroformed and
Robbed at Old Town.
HIS STRANGE STORY

Laid Unconscious on the Railroad
Track and Was Nearly Run Dove
by Train-Taken to Savannah,
Where He Regained Consciousness
and Was Sent Home.
A dispatch from Newberry to The
News and Courier says Mr.. James
DeHart, of Saluda county, and son
Of Mr.. Dan J. DeHart, of this county,
had most remarkable experience on
Saturday, October II. Mr.. DeHayt
sold cotton at Chappelrs, and was
given check on -enwood and he
took the morning train for Green
wood to get his check cashed so that
he might pay back note which he
owed at Ninety-Six.
After getting his money, he came
to Ninety-Six, and finding the bank
closed, he says, as it was after bank
hours, therefore could not pay his
note. He then boarded the night
train at Ninety-Six to return to his
home In Saluda county. He left the
train at Old Town, and here begins
his remarkable experiences and nav
row escapes, and the loss of his mon
ey and clothes.
It seems that that night there was
| a freight train following the passen-
ger train and the engineer, as he
approached Old Town, observed
something ahead Of bis engine across
the track. His engine carried
brilliant headlight, and he was thus
enabled to stop Lis train befofe the
engine struck the object across the
track. The engineer, whose name
has not been learned, got down from
his engine to examine this object
on the track. He found 1t to be a
white man.
The body was square across the
track with the foot resting on one
rail, and the head, face downward.
on the other There was a cloth un-
der the mans nose saturated with
chloroform. His hat, coat and shoss
were missing, so our informantiop
goes, and the man was unconscious.
There was on his finger, however,
a knight of Pythias ring, and the
engineer, being a knight of Pythias,
recognizing his obligation to care
for brother in distress, put the
body on board his engine, and car
ried it on to Columbia, but did not
call physician, or secure medical
aid of any kind.
The story is that the engineers
home is in Savannah and, as soon as
he got off his run in Columbia, he
boarded a Southern train for So
vannah, carrying the unconscious
form of his brother Pythian with
him. OF all this Mr.. DeHart knows
nothing. When he gained conscious
ness he was in Savannah, and it was
Sunday, and he discovered that his
money was gone.
The last thing that he remembers
from the time he got of the train at
Old Town on Saturday night until
he came to himself on Sunday in Sa-
vannah is that as he got of the train
at Old Town some one unknown to
him put an arm around his neck and
held a cloth under his nose. He
remembers having the money for his
check when he got off the train, and
not having 1t when he reached Sa-
vvannah, or rather when he found
himself In Savannah.
Mr.. DeHart was given ticket or
pass by his engineer friend In Savan-
nah back to Newberry, when it was
discovered who he was and where
his home was. Mr.. DeHart says he
came back to Columbia and spent
monday night there, coming on to
Newberry on Tuesday.
Mr. G. NJ. p. Epting sent him out
to Mr.. D. J. DeHart's Tuesday, after
his arrival in Newberry. In the
meantime his wife had become
alarmed at his not returning home
and his father, Mr.. Dan DeHart, had
gone to SaInda, where they were
searching for the lost boy, and It
was q relief to them all when he
turned up alive.
There seems to be no doubt that
Mr.. DeHart was chlOroformed by
some one who knew in some way thar
he had this money and that the mon
ey was taken away from him.