The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-11-15
WORK OF FIEND'
An 0pea Switch Causes Wreck OF Pas
senger Train at Swansea
ENGINEER Was KILLED

Train Wrecker Causes Passenger To
Crash Into Box Cars, Causing the
= Engine to Turn Over, Crushing the
Life of the Engineer and Hurting
Others.
Lawrence Robinson, colored was
arrested Monday, charged with the
breaking of the switch which caused
the wreck of Seaboard passenger
train No. 43, at Swansea, early Mon
day morning, when Engineer W. Ed
ward Pritchard lost his life and Fire
man. Prince Davis, Express Messen-
ger H. G. Freeman, and Mail Clerk
T. W. Moore were injured. No. 43
ran into an open switch and crashed
irto eight empty box cars standing on
the siding, overturling the engine,
express and mail cars, and tearing up
the track for a considerable distance.
Evidence showed that the switch
had been tampered with and blood
hounds of Penitentiary Guard John
Robbins were put on the trail and
followed it to the house of Lawrence
Robinson, colored in the town of
Swansea. Robinson was away from
htsme, having gone on a wagon to a
mill. The officers soon found him
and put him under arrest. He was
carried back to Columbia and taken
This afternoon to Lexington and lodg-
ed in Jail. Robinson denies the
charge and protests his innocence.
He admitted, however, that he had
served three years sentence on the
Lexington chain gang, beginning in
1903, for attempting to tamper with
switch at Dixianna, on this same
read, pleading guilty on the charge
when arraigned in Court. He is a
negro of medium height and the only
distinguishing mark about him is his
lips, which are all covered with sores
Constable Tod Martin, of Swansea
took him to Lexington and turned
him over to Sheriff Miller.
Engineer Pritchard was pinned
under the engine and killed before
he could be rescued. Fireman Prince
Davis, colored, escaped, although he
was badly bruised and shaken up
Express Messenger freeman received
deep cut in the back ~of his head
eight inches long, and his right
shoulder sprained. Several of the
passengers were shaken up, but fortu'
nate1y the day coaches and the sleep.
ers stuck to the rails. Mr.. Ed Prit
chard, the engineer, who was killed
in the wreck was a resident of Sa
vsnnah, Ca, and his body was ship
ped there. He leaves a wife who re
sides there.
The wreck occurred between / anc
o'clock Monday morning. \ freight
conductor, who went to the scene o1
the wreck and who talked to the Co.
lumbia representative Of the News
and Courier, said it was plainly seer
that some miscreant had broken the
lock of the switch and caused the
wreck of the train. The switch lock
showed that some heavy instrument
had been used in battering it lose
and this gentleman said he found the
switch lock all broken and hammered
up, about ten feet away in the weeds
Bloodhounds were taken from Co.
lumbia by officers, in an attempt tc
follow the trail of the miscreant, who
is thought to be responsible for the
wreck.
The man in describing the wreck
said that one box car was thrown
lcross the main track by the force Of
he contact He said that the hotel
keeper at Swansea stated that the ho-
tel shook from the effects Of the con-
tact of the train with the stationary
box cars. He said that the box cars
brown upon the embankment by the
force of the contact, caused some
lumber nearby to be thrown over the
main track, thereby adding to the
ueuris. A considerable amount OF
damage resulted from the wreck, al
though the wrecking crew soon clear-
ed the main line and allowed the
trains to get through.
Mr.. Pritchard had been in the en-
ploy of the Seaboard for some time
and was highly esteemed by the Off
cials and men. AS stated, Engineer
Pritchard was pinned under the en-
CINE at the time of the wreck. A leg
was cut off and there was a severe
cut on the chin, besides other bruises
on the body. Express Messenger
Freeman, who was injured by cash
n the head and his right shoulder
sprained, is a new man on this run,
this being the second time he made
it. He is native Of Jacksonville,
Fla.
The colored fireman, Prince Davis,
also resides at Savannah, and has
been on this run for several years. He
was able to walk off the train when
brought back this morning, with the
assistance of those attending him. He
is at local hospital. Swansea is a
little over twenty-one miles from Co.
lumbia, and the wreck occurred Just
five hundred yards from that place.
Whoever it was that tampered with
the switch and broke the lock did his
work we'll.
The body of engineer Pritchard
will be taken from Savannah to the
home of his mother, at Augusta, Mrs.
E E. Pritchard. The dead Engineer
was thirty-fve years old. 1t was
stated that the engineer who was kill
ed in the wreck was taking the run
of another man, and The engineer
whose run he took was in charge Of