The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-03-16
TUESDAY, MARCH Is, 1909
Grade Crossing Accident.

Following merry night at the home OF
friends In Lenols, Saturday night, Charles
II. Jones, well-known and prosperous
farmer of near Fellowship, was driving
home with his wife and 14-year-old son.
Harvey, when Pennsylvania Railroad
train struck their carriage at an unguarded
crossing. Mrs. Jones was killed instantly
and Mr.. Jones terribly injured. He is
In Cooper Hospital, Camden, and has a
chance for recovery. The lad, though
hurled many feet into ditch, escaped
with few scratches. The valuable horse
was decapitated, the carriage demolished
and such was the force of the impact that
the steps Of the passenger coaches were
ripped off. 1t is declared positively that
neither bell nor whistle was sounded for
the deadly crossing where several other
accidents of serious nature have occurred
in recent years. It is also alleged that
having the rain curtain up and not being
able to see, Jones drove squarely into the
train, getting caught between the tender
and the first car.
The Joneses, who were widely known
Burlington county residents, occupied a
large plantation near Fellowship, and were.
Saturday night, In Lenols, the guests of
Mrs. Isaac Collius at a surprise party in
honor of her husbands birthday at their
home, Green Acre Farm. Guests were
present from the prominent Friends
families for miles around. Having a con-
siderable distance to drive Jones departed
before the other guests soon after II
o'clock. About q half mile from the
Collins home is Lenola station, at which
point the party was compelled to cross the
tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad. a
crossing unguarded by either gates OF
bell.
The night was foggy and it is thought
that Jones, who Is somewhat deaf, either
did not hear the approaching express, OF
else mistook the headlight of the locomo-
tive for one Of the electric lamps visible
from along the road. In an instant the
train bore down upon them.
Mrs. Jones' skull was crushed, her brains
scattered over the curtains of the carriage
and her body buried under the wreckage.
Jones was dragged about 20 feet, with his
collar bone, both arms and four ribs
broken.
The boys lusty and tsrrorizing cries of
murder" aroused William Claypoole and
Lewis O'Donnell, who live nearby, and
thinking someone was being murderously
attacked they jumped from their beds
and. half-clad. ran to the scene of the
tragedy. With the train crew they got
Mrs. Jones body from the wreckage and
helped to put Jones aboard the baggage
Car, and he was sent to the hospital, while
the boy was taken to the Collins farm. as
was Mrs. Jones body.
Harvey, the son. who miraculously es
capped serious injury, says he and his
mother were both looking for the train,
for fear his father, who is deaf, would
neither hear nor see it. when their carriage
was struck and demolished. He says that
none of them saw the headlight and that
the engineer did not blow the whistle
Fate seems to have dealt rather hard
with the Jones family during the past
year. Nathan Jones, brother of Charles,
of Mount Holly, was stricken with diph-
iberia less than year ago and died. in
few days. Mrs. Harry Jones. a brothers
wife, attended the funeral and in two
weeks she, too, died of the same disease
Following close upon this, Edward, who
married sister, accidentally killed himself
while shooting crows one morning on his
farm near Burlington. During the same
summer, Allen Jones, another brother, of
Mount Holly. was nearly killed by an
Infatuated farm laborer, who beat him
over the head with heavy hoe handle
because he was refused raise In wages
Barclay Jones, the father, was stricken
with paralysis last fall, few months after
he and his wife had celebrated their
fiftisth wedding anniversary, and is now
very Ill.