Obituaries:  Darrell Lewis, Sabine Parish       L-200
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., Sep 26, 1974
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net


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Darrell Lewis

  Two Shreveport youths, later identified as runaways, were killed
by the 5:15 a.m. Kansas City Southern train, one mile south of
Zwolle on Friday, Sept. 20.

  According to Sabine Parish Sheriff, George R. Cook, the youths
were sleeping lengthwise in the tracks shortly before dawn.
Sheriff Cook identified the youths as Darrel Lewis, 13, son of
Mr. and Mrs. James N. Lewis of Shreveport, and James LaCaze, 13,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy LaCaze of Shreveport. Neither of the
boys had been reported missing, according to authorities.

  The KCS tracks where the boys were sleeping, are located in a
heavily wooded area.

  The conductor stated to authorities that he saw something in the
tracks, but thought it was a large piece of paper. As the train
traveled closer to the boys, the conductor saw one of the boys
raise his head, prior to being hit.

  The LaCaze boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Lewis
boy died at the Fraser Hospital a short time later.

  According to authorities, the only part of the bodies that were
mutilated were their heads. A positive identification of one of
the boys was made by a card in his billfold. In order to identify
the other youth, authorities had to go through the Caddo
Sheriff's Dept.

  Among the first at the scene of the accident were Zwolle Marshal
Quinton Brandon, and Sheriff's Deputies, Guffy Lynn Pattison, and
Donald Bridges.

  "I don't have any idea why the boys were sleeping on the tracks,
or in Sabine Parish for that matter," Sheriff Cook said.
"Apparently they had walked most of the way from Shreveport, and
they decided that sleeping on the tracks was the safest place for
them."