The Monroe News-Star - Roby Child Killed, 3 Other Family Members Injured by Train Date: Dec. 1999 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** *********************************************** The Monroe News-Star Tuesday, November 8, 1910 Page 1, Column 1 & Page 5, Column 4 CHILD KILLED BY CHAUFEUR THREE OTHERS MORE OR LESS SERIOUSLY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT. DISREGARDED SIGNAL Chauffeur Ran Automobile Upon Railroad Track in Shreveport and Fled, Leaving Helpless Victims to Their Fate When He Saw Train-Charged With Manslaughter. Shreveport, Nov. 8.-The Times today says: The dead: Virgil Roby, aged 12 years, of Cotton Valley, La. The injured: Greer Roby, aged 30 years, probably fatally, Mira, La.; Mrs. James Roby, aged 40, dangerously hurt, Cotton Valley, La.; Alvin Roby, 8 years old, painfully hurt, Cotton Valley, La. The foregoing is the result of the failure of William Lowe, a chauffeur of a public hire automobile, plying between the city and Fair grounds, to observe the danger signal displayed by Flagman R.W. Horn at the Kansas City Southern crossing with Texas avenue, West End, at 1:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. A switch engine of the Kansas City Southern, backing a string of cars over the crossing struck the automobile in which five passengers and the chauffeur were, crushed it to a mass of debris and rolled and shoved it down the track for seventy-five feet, almost instantly killing little Virgil Roby, crushing one limb from the body of Greer Roby, and crushing Mrs. James Roby as it moved along. When the car was brought to a stop it required the combined efforts of about fifteen men to raise the wreck of the automobile and extract Mrs. James Roby and the mangled body of her 12-year-old son. Forty feet from the point of the collision, Greer Roby, rolled from under the freight car, one foot ground to a pulp, the limb crushed nearly to the hip, and the body crushed and bruised. Little Virgil Roby was taken into the Trichel Drug store, about 100 feet away from the accident, and expired without knowing what had happened to him, his last feeble words being, when he called his brother and asked: "What is the matter with me?" Without one exception all of the witnesses to the accident lay the entire blame upon William Lowe, the chauffeur. From interviews with them and from statements made by them to the police and officers, they are unanimous in the statement that Flagman Horn waved a red flag at Lowe the other side of the crossing and when he saw it was not observed he called and yelled at him and waved violently with both hands. According to their statement, Lowe drove onto the track, shut down the card (sic) and leaped to safety. In the flash of an interval between the first realization of their horrible predicament, and the crash which followed, Mr. Roby seized little Alvin Roby and threw him to the pavement. The child hardly struck before the crash sounded and the automobile with its human freight was smashed to splinters and pushed along ahead of the car. From the statements of those who witnessed the accident it seems that a switch engine was preparing to cross the crossing, backing a string of freight cars. Flagman Horn saw the crossing was clear and gave the engineer a signal to go ahead. The train was in motion and Flagman Horn displayed the red flag to all other traffic. At this time Lowe's automobile, filled with the passengers who were here for the purpose of enjoying the Fair, came into view on the north side of the crossing, en route to the Fair Grounds. According to the witnesses, Flagman horn held the red danger signal exposed in plain view. As stated Mr. Roby pitched the youngest child to the pavement where it was painfully hurt by bruises, and J.B. Roby made a successful leap, but the other three, Greer Roby, Virgil Roby and Mrs. James Roby were caught. Seeing the impending accident, some turned their backs and ran. The automobile immediately gave way at the collision, and was crushed into a tangled mass of wheels, rods, twisted steel and upholstering. The crash was heard for two blocks either way, and mingled with the screams of those caught in it, the wrecked car still holding its victims fast, was pushed along ahead for seventy-five feet. Greer Roby, coming out from under (the) car after the first wheels had passed over his limb, crushing it to a pulp. As soon as the engineer could, he brought the engine to a stop. When pulled from the wrecked auto, Mrs. Roby's head was lying upon the rail, covered with blood and grease from the wheels. Little Virgil Roby was bleeding from numerous wounds on his head and body. Virgil Roby, who was too badly injured to live long enough to reach a sanitarium, had the left side of his head crushed in. The groin was torn open, the main artery being severed so that he would have bled to death if he had not been crushed about the head. One finger was cut off and his body was bruised and crushed in many places. He gasped several times, muttered a few words, and died. The left leg of Greer Roby's body was crushed almost up to the hip so that it had to be amputated close up. He was crushed about the body elsewhere, and no hopes are entertained for his recovery. As a matter of fact it was not expected last night that he would live through the night. Mrs. Roby sustained a bad laceration of the scalp, a broken shoulder and internal injuries about the breast, which makes her recovery uncertain. The physicians stated last night her condition was grave. Little Alvin Roby was painfully, but not seriously hurt. The fact that he was trown (sic) to the pavement saved his life. Patrolman Dockery placed William Lowe under arrest at the scene of the accident, and took him to police headquarters, where he was booked on a charge of manslaughter. District Attorney Foster issued the warrant against him immediately upon hearing of the accident. Judge Bell fixed his bond at $500 which he gave and was released. Considerable comment was made about the streets last night upon the small amount of the bond. Flagman Horn stated to a Times reporter shortly after the accident that he could not understand why Lowe did not see his flag. "I tried my best to flag him," he said, "I don't see why he didn't see it. I flagged him some distance the other side of the crossing." A witness, who gave his name as Hall, stated to a Times reporter that the flagman used every effort to stop Lowe, flagging him and waving both arms, yelling at him and doing all in his power to stop him. Other witnesses, in their statements to the newspaper men and the police, bore this assertion out and it was commented upon that the negro driver who was approaching with Lowe, saw the signal and heeded it. District Attorney J.M. Foster announced last night that Lowe would be vigorously prosecuted for manslaughter. He said he had seventy-five witnesses that would be or could be used against Lowe to prove him guilty of the charge of manslaughter that the State has brought against him. Coroner Alexander stated that upon being informed by District Attorney Foster that the State was in possession of sufficient witnesses to prosecute Lowe and needed no more, it was decided it was not necessary to hold an inquest. He viewed the body and certified to the cause of death. William Lowe got into trouble at the last State Fair by trying to run over a signal to stop. Complaint was made by a gate watchman that Lowe was running past him through the gate and would not stop. He complained to President Bolinger of the Fair Association and stated that Lowe would not be reasonable and he would be forced to use violence if he did not stop running through the (gate). # # #