The Pageland Journal

Conductor Horton Killed and Burned in Wreck near Monroe.

Monroe, Feb. 9.—Seaboard freight train No. 85, running extra, was wrecked within two miles of Monroe this morning at 5 o'clock. The conductor, A. M. Horton, was instantly killed and his body burned beneath the coach in which he was riding. Flagman A. A. Ellwanger, of Fairmount, N. C., is also badly bruised about the face, with lacerations on his neck and head. He was also pinned beneath the car, and the engineer, Roy Blair, rescued him before the fire reached him. Blair was uninjured. Richard Hope, a negro brakeman, suffered minor bruises.

Conductor Horton had orders to side-track his cars at Wingate six miles east of Monroe, as there were no tracks to accommodate them in Monroe. He did this but placed an empty oil tank and his coach, which was being used as a caboose, in front of the engine to come to Monroe, this being the only means of getting them here.

On the freight yards in Monroe were 16 cars, loaded with freight, that for some unaccountable reason, were not locked with the brakes. It being downgrade toward Wingate the cars broke loose and when they reached Horton's train, had gained a speed of some 30 miles an hour, crashing into the train and splintering the first cars into thousands of pieces. The stove in the conductor's coach set fire to it and also the box cars that were crushed and loaded with cotton sheeting.

Gus Horton was the son of Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Horton, of this city, and beside them, he leaves a wife and two small children, one girl and one boy. He was just 27 years old and had been with the Seaboard since he was 16 years of age. He married Miss Lessie Garland and lived on West Crowell street.

Funeral services will be held at 11 o'clock tomorrow and the interment will be in the Monroe Cemetery.

The unfortunate ending of this young man has cast a gloom over the entire city.