The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-04-12
HATTESBURC MISSISSIPPI FRIDAY AFTERNOON APRIL 12 1912
ACCOUNT OF Death
OF DR.. J. N. LEWIS
Automobile Tragedy In Which Mr..
DaVidson's Brother-ln-Law
Met Death.


Met Death.
Mr.. ]. E. Davidson received a brief
message late last Saturday night
stating that his brother-in-law, DR.. ].
N. Lewis, had been killed in an auto
mobile accident, but up to the time Of
Mr. Davidsons departure for Roanoke,
where the accident occurred, details ,
were not obtainable. The Roanoke
Times of last Sunday has the follow
ing account of the horrible accident:
One of the most shocking accidents
in the history of Roanoke occurred |
about ten o'clock last night on the
Hollins turnpike, about two miles out
of the city, between half and three
quarters of a mile from Casper's brew
cry, when Henry X. McHarg, Jr., lost
control of his ninety horsepower Sim
pleX automobile, in which he and a
party of friends were returning from
a ride toward Hollins, and the machine
was overturned and the occupants
thrown out.
The dead are:
DR.. J. NEWTON LEWIS.
GEORGE BARNARD.
The injured included:
HENRY K. McHARG, JR.
GEORGE RICHARDSON.
Mr.. McHarg and some friends had
spent the evening at a local theatre
and after the show he invited DR..
Lewis and others to join him in a
spin out the Hollins turnpike. They
were returning when the accident took
place.
Where the accident occurred is on
macadam road, which is straight
for at least a mile the other side of
the scene. This stretch is smooth and
level and automobilsts are in the
habit of speeding" on it when re-
turning to the city. Mr.. McHarg evi-
IDENTITY was driving at rapid rate.
Those living along the road say that
the automobile passed their houses
like flash. The crash when the auto.
mobile left the road and smashed into
a fence sounded~so one described it
like he hit a house,
A Horrible Sight.
Lacy Dennis, colored, who lives on
the left side of the road, hurried out
The sight that met his eyes was ap
palling. Gasping out his dying breath
was DR.. ]. N. Lewis, part owner OF
the Lewis-Gale Hospital, and one OF
the best known and most successful
surgeons in the state. Dr. Lewis was
literally bathed in his own blood. He
was lying close to the left bank com
ing in, in pool of blood, his brain:
oozing from his skull, which was
caved in. Subsequent examination
showed that his neck was broken ant
his body horribly mangled. DR.. Levi.
lived about twenty minutes aftel
the accident, but never recovered con
sciousness. From time to time he
groaned and moaned. Finally his
means ceased and those standing by
knew that death had come.
About ten feet further down the
road from the city and on the same
side, was the body of George Barnard
young clerk in the freight depart
ment of the Norfolk & Western. L
was evident that he was instantly
killed. His neck was broken, but hi
tody was not so badly mangled as tina
Of DR.. Lewis.
Machine A Wreck.
The accident occurred almost di
rectly in front of the house of c.
Sisler. The wheel tracks show tha
the. automobile left the road on th
right hand side and plunged into tn
ditch, then crashed into Mr.. Sisler'
wire fence, carrying the fence an
posts with it in its mad rush to de
struction. The posts of the fence wer
set in concrete, but were torn fror
the concrete as though it were S
much clay. Finally the massiv
machine plunged over. turning turtle
, and became a mass of compresse
wreckage, one wheel being fun
over Mr.. Sisters fence.
! The occupants must have bee
} thrown out before the machine turne
: over, else all would have been undt
! the wreck. DR.. Lewis and Mr.. Ba
) nard were sent hurling through Il
s air as though shot from catapu
4 DR.. Lewis was thrown across Il
0 road, forty-six feet toward the fro
q Of the machine. The condition of
s clothing indicated that he alighted
e his face and slid some distance VI