Wreck Was Big News In the Old Days
Recalls First Car
Vi reck In Martin
County ^ ears A20
r
Alfred ^ . Roberson Suffer
ed Broken Ribs and Sev
eral Painful Bruises
They are so frequent now that
the general public has grown cal
lous if not indifferent to them, hut
in the early days of the current
century, an automobile accident
ty; in fact, the first wreck on rec- j
ord in the county bordered 011 the
sensational.
The date can't be definitely fix
ed, but along about 1910, Messrs.'
Frank Barnes. A W. Roberson and '
Surry. Parker were traveling in
to the Sand Point just off the
Hamilton Road at Mill Branch and j
about three miles from Williams
ton. Mr. Roberson and Mr. Barnes!
were interested in timber, and ]
Mr. Parker was driving them out'
mobile, the make and model hav
ing escaped Mr. Barnes' memory.
He recalls it was a two-seater,
slow-traveling when measured
against prese"nt-clay speeds but
plenty fast for that day, and with
open top. *
Enjoying something"
tively new in the way of trans
portation as far as this s^ctfoW^^l
concerned and at the same time j
traveling on a business mission,
the party tune d off the main j
road ?md was running down a
small path when the car struck !
assmall stump Mr. Parker lost 1
\m
control of the machine, and Mr.
Roberson was thrown out. Mr.
Barnes stating that he passed by
him literally. sailing with the
greatest of ease and landed some
feet away. He suffered one or
two broken ribs and several pain
ful bruises.
^^?Wtoite-Mr Roberson was going
one way. ittr-ssrs. Park'el- .and,,
Barnes were holding to the car
and going another way. The ma
chine crashed through a fence
and plowed into the porch of a
small tenant house.on the farmj
No great damage was done to the j
car
Seeing his first automobile anil
under such unusual circum
stances, Jim Nicholson, colored
tenant, could not move from his
seat on the door steps, lie was 1 it -
jerally frozen in his seat, accord
img to Mr. Barnes' version of the
c rash. Nicholson was eating a I
praT he I
1 i!?nrgapped his
mouth, and then it crashed
through the fence and started al
most directly toward him he just
simply opened his mouth wider
and wider. Barnes declaring it
was the biggest mouth ever huiig
on a human being.
After the first smoke of the
crash had cleared, a messenger
was dispatched to the home of the
late W Jot4 Whitaker to have him '
telephone for a doctor. Greatly !
excited, Mr. Whitaker contacted J
Warren Biggs at the old Biggs
Drug St^g^ahd yelled, "Send a|
doctor out heio. An automobile"!'
has run away and one man is hurl ?
and dying Wait a minute," Mr. !
Whitaker commanded. Apparent
ly conversing with the messen-j
ger. Mr Whitaker was then quot- !
ed a.stay ing. "No. don't send one
doctor, send two doctors, one man
is dying up a tree and another j
POPULAR COUNTY SUPPLY MERCHANTS
Forming an able and close link between town and farm. Messrs. Stephen .Manning, left; Fan i
dy (iriffin, center, and Kddie Trahey. right, are recognized among the leading supply merchants
in this section of the State. Mr. (iriffin is an active partner in the Farmers Supply Company,
and Messrs. Manning and Trahey are the active operators of the Martin Supply Company on j
Washington Street, just a short distance from the tobacco marketing center.
Book On Civil War
Is \\ e 11 Received
Reprinted from The Enterprise
November 14. 1902.
We are deeply indebted to Col.
Dennison Wgrthington for the
gift t?f a copy of his novel. "The
Broken Sword." A pictorial page
in 'reconstruction. Tin1 author is n
thorough Southerner and follow
ed the flag of the Confederacy
through those dark days of '61-'05
and he has dedicated his work to
4-ho- Daughters-of "the?Confeder
acy Gen. Julian S. Carr says:
"Its diction is strikingly beauti
ful. refined in sentiment, and pa
triotic in spirit. 'The Broken
Sword' ought to find a place in
every home in the South."
T. B. Kingsbury, L.L.I)., in an
editorial review: "It is an intense,
graphic, picturesque and vitaliz
ed description of olir darkest days.
We trust that the unborn genera
tarns of the South will read this
hook. It should hi* in every South
ern home."
Col Worthington is writing an
other book which he will publish
within the next year, and its ap
pearance is awaited with inter
est
\V;v - f'ridly "h"UTt trying to knock
ono of piv ton a n t houses off its
foundation." -
Tile wreck occasioned much ex
citement in the village at the time
and people crowded in horse
drawn vehicles to visit the scene
of the accident, others walking the
few miles to see:Bye sights
YOU CAN FIND IT HERE
Stock All Necessities For Home and Farm
TRACTORS
MOLINE, ILL. '
THE TRADE MARK OF QUALITY
MADE FAMOUS BY GOOO IMPLEMENTS
FARM IMPLEMENTS
We buy and sell country produce.
If vou are not in the habit of trad
ing with us come around to see us.
You can buy most all your items
under one roof. Low prices, yes,
and the best service in town.
We sell most everything from a mouse
trap- to a traetor. We have in stock
thousands ol staple items used every
day around the home and farm. We
also feature an unusually large stoek
of staple and fancy groceries.
TOBACCO FARMERS
Sell With The
WILLIAMSTON
WAREHOUSEMEN