The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-11
Lakeland Boy
In Wreck Near
Nashville, But
Escaped Unhurt

Bile wreck on the N. G. & st. L. rail.
way near Nashville, in which 80 per-
sons were killed outright and over
"a injured, and thought little of il
except in passing way. regrettins
that such things must happen How
ever, its importance increases when
it is known that a Lakeland boy, Wal
ton Wilson, the 12-year-old son of Mr.
and Mrs. B. F. Wilson, was a pas
senger on the southbound train. A
wire received Immediately after the
wreck by Mr.. Wilson and a letter
from the boy this morning brought
the good news that he escaped with
out a scratch, crawling out through a
window to safety, as did his brother
in-law, Captain Self who was accom-
panying him to Nashville to put him
en- the train for Jacksonville.
1t is needless to say that Mr., Will
son and family are overjoyed and
deeply thankful to the Hand that rules
over us all, for protecting their loved
ones, when so many were crushed to
death and horribly mangled. Six
coaches filled with passengers, piled
up like so much kindling wood, and
two burned before water could be Sc,
cured. Mr.. wilson's young son
stopped over for day in Jacksonville
with relatives, and will arrive home
tomorrow He wrote his father, how.
ever, that he had seen the most ter
rible and heart-rending sights that the
mind could picture-so many persons
being killed outright. All Lakeland
will rejoice with Mr.. Wilson and fam
i]v that he escaped unhurt, as die
Capt. Self, who is the husband Of Mr.
Wilson's daughter, who spent a large
part of the winter here, Capt. Self al
SO coming down to accompany hei
home.
OF the wreck, dispatch says:
An official compilation today of cas-
ualties resulting from the wreck Of
the Nashville, Chattanooga and ST.
Louis railway near here Tuesday
gave the number of killed as eighty
nine and the number Of injured as
seventy-nine.
OF the Dead 81 We're Whites
The injured, except possibly three
or four, are expected to recover.
The track was cleared at 10 O'CLOCK
Tuesday night and trains Wednesday
were running through the piles of thu
wreckage.
Stories of incidents of the wreck arr
today filling the newspaper. A strlK
ing one concerns a soldier. This sol
ldier was riding in the combination cal
IN No. a which was telescoped by
heavy baggage car. WheN the cars
were cut into, lacked up and the res
cue crew finally got inside amid hean'
NJ dead and mangled human forms
/ IL
there was that soldier, pinned in TN
vreckage. Some one started to Gu
him out Immediately.
Friend" said the soldier, "ther'
are other poor devils dying right her'
beside me and they need help worst
than I do. Get them out first and le
mo alone. am all right. He Ia!
tbere for three hours and when TN
last injured man had been removed
tho workmen cut away the tlmber'
that were pinning him down.
The body of an unidentified bah!
was found in the wreckage. A bod
supposed to be the mother was near
by. .-
A large family Bible was foun'
among the wreckage which had no
received so much as scratch upo'
its heavy leather back.
Every energy was being put fort'
70 alleviate the suffering of the IN
ipred and the distress of afflicted rel
atives. The civilian relief OF the Re'
Cross was especially active.