Paint Lick, KY Circus Train Accident, Sep 1882

RAILWAY DISASTER.

THE DEAD CIRCUS MEN -- FREIGHT CARS WRECKED.

Louisville, Sept. 26 -- A Coroner's inquest was held to-day on the dead bodies of the victims of the wreck of SELLS Brothers' circus train on Sunday, near Point Lick, and the following additional particulars were developed:
The train, which consisted of 21 cars, was coming down a grade of 72 feet to the mile from Morgan's Summit, and there being only four brakes it became unmanageable and went at a terrific rate of speed, which either caused the track to spread or the draw-head was pulled out and fell on the track, throwing the third car from the engine over the embankment, the other cars following. It was shown, however, that several brakes had been removed by SELLS, in order to facilitate the loading of wagons upon the cars. The cars were the property of the railroad company. The following is the verdict of the Coroner's jury: "We find that BEN CASE, JACK CARTER, and WILLIS UNDERWOOD came to their death by thw wrecking of a train, caused by an unusual rate of speed."
Three men were instantly killed and 14 wounded, two of them, if not three, being fatally injured. All were attaches of the circus except UNDERWOOD, a boy 18 years of age, who lived in Mount Vernon and who was stealing a ride. The following is the list of the sufferers:
Killed -- BENJAMIN CASE, Pittsburg, Penn.; JACK CARTER, property man, residence unknown, and WILLIS G. UNDERWOOD, Mount Vernon, Ky.
Wounded -- JOHN TURNER, Lagrange Furnace, internal injuries; ABRAHAM SMITAH, (colored) Memphis, slight bruises; GREEN MITCHELL, (colored), Memphis, slight bruises; WILLIS BEAUFORD, Denver, Col., fracture of the fibula, a compound dislocation, probably fatal; HENRY McAFEE, Dallas, Texas, slight bruises; BENJAMIN YOUNG, Haywood, Tenn., slight injuries; ROBERT MILLER, Blufftown, Wis., chest bruises; CHARLES MASON (colored) Tennessee, left wrist badly sprained; JOHN DYKES, Cave Springs, scalp wound, and GEORGE MEAKER, Denver, Col., slight chest bruises.

The New York Times New York 1882-09-27
(Note: Town is called both 'Paint Lick' and 'Point Lick')
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!