Fires and Death. . .
Two Fires in Rockingham Last Sunday, and a White Youth Killed by Circus Train
Last Sunday was ushered in by a fire; there was a tragic
killing of a young man by a train shortly after noon, and the day closed with
still another fire—a trinity of unfortunate events.
Fire at Great Falls
The fire alarm sounded at 8:30 Sunday morning, a cottage in
the Great Falls village occupied by C.C. Powell being on fire. The building was
practically destoryed, the family savng about all their effects, however.
Boy Killed by Train
Rarely has a more tragic death occurred in the county than
that of Roland Scarborough at 1:25 Sunday afternoon. He was run over and killed
by the third section of the Ringling circus train, which was going from Raleigh
to Charlotte. The accident was about 300 yards east of the depot; the youth,
who was about 16 years old, was dragged nearly 100 feet, one foot cut off, a
gash in his neck, and he was partly disemboweled.
Coroner A.M. Smith held an inquest shortly afterwards, with
the following jury: R.A. Kendall, F.W. Maurice, J.B. Melton, John Fields, L.B.
Brady, A.B. Allen. The version of the witnesses was that the youth was
apparently running down the track when hit. It is thought he lost his wits when
he discovered the train was near him and instead of getting off the track he
ran down it and of course was overtaken by the oncoming train.
He had just returned on the Shoofly train from Charlotte at
1 o’clock and was walking up the track to his uncle’s at Entwistle Mill when he
met the train and the accident occurred.
The remains were prepared for burial by Watson-King,
undertakers, and Monday shipped to his home at Darlington, S.C., where his
father, Rev. B.A. Scarborough, lives. The youth has an uncle, M.L. Scarborough,
living at Entwistle Mill. The boy had been living in the county only a couple
of weeks or so and had not gone to work.
Hundreds of the morbid and curious visited the scene of the
death Sunday afternoon and viewed the torn-up body.
Fire Sunday Afternoon
The second fire of the day occurred Sunday night at 7:45,
that of the two-story house belonging to and occupied by J.H. Floyd, principal
of the colored school. The flames had enveloped the building before the alarm
was sounded, but the response by the fire truck was especially quick. The water
pressure was good, and by quick work the volunteer fighters saved the adjoining
building and the walls of the Floyd building. Coming just at the church hour,
the big blasé brought out hundreds of spectators.
And right here the Post-Dispatch
will state a fact that is noteworthy in connection with the spirit between the
two races in Rockingham. The efforts of the white fire-fighters Sunday night,
all of them in their best clothes, to save the home of this colored citizen was
just as heroic and hard as though it were the home of the wealthiest white
citizen. When the fire alarm sounds our white people respond quickly and
whole-heartedly, whether it be for white or black. Danger draws no color line
with our people. And this is as it should be.
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