Terrible
Wreck Kills Six Glendale Young People
Story furnished by Clarence
Crocker
Glendale Residents
Four
Dead;
Two
Dying;
Two injured
When Auto Is
Wrecked - Buick Automobile driven by S.F. Sutton,
filled with Glendale people falls into railroad cut at
Mayo.
The above emblazoned
headlines which appeared in the Spartanburg papers the
first week of August, 1920 summarizes the stories of a
tragic wreck which happened on Sunday afternoon August
1, 1920 in Mayo, South Carolina. Taking the lives of
six Glendale residents, it was classified as one of
the worst accidents that had ever happened in
Spartanburg County. Stories appeared in both papers,
The Spartanburg Herald and the Spartanburg
Journal/Carolina Spartan. After picking up every copy
of articles covering the wreck and funerals of the
victims that I could find at the Spartanburg County
Library, I have sought to glean and condense excerpts
from them to compile this story for preservation in
the history files of the historic village of Glendale,
South Carolina.
Mr. S. F.
(Frank) Sutton, a foreman of the chain-gangs of the
Spartanburg County Roads department was driver of the
car. (Mr. Sutton was this writer’s great uncle). Being a
very prominent resident of the Glendale community, he
had taken a group of seven young people on a motoring
trip to the northern part of the state in his new seven
passenger Buick car. The report stated that they were
returning home when the accident happened, taking the
lives of four of Glendale’s most promising youth,
leaving two more in a dying state, one seriously injured
and one with broken bones and bruises.
Map of Wreck Site
While some suggested
that speed was a factor, it was believed that Mr. Sutton
for unknown reasons, failed to negotiate the curve
approaching the narrow two lane bridge which crossed the
Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio railroad tracks on the
crest of a hill in Mayo. Losing control of the car, they
crashed through the railing and plunged upside down some
thirty feet to the tracks below. It was reported by
those who witnessed the accident that all passengers
fell or were thrown out of the car and that the car fell
on top of them. One was mangled beyond recognition.
Dr. Painter, from
Cherokee Springs and Dr. Chapman from Whitney, were
reported to be the first to arrive on the scene to
render first aid to the survivors. Reports were that all
victims of the wreck were unconscious when the rescuers
arrived with the exception of Miss Lottie Gilmer. It was
she that identified the mangled body of Mr. John W.
Morris. Obviously, he had been killed instantly. Custer
Hunter died within minutes after being pulled from
beneath the wreckage. It was believed that Miss Lottie
Gilmer who had only a broken arm and bruises, had been
protected from the impact of the car falling upon her by
the bodies of Mr. Sutton and Mr. Morris, between whom
she lay on the tracks.
An ambulance from
Floyd’s in Spartanburg, S. C. driven by Mr. Romaine
Dreyer arrived on the scene and carried the two, Ila
Gilmer and Samuel L. Clark, which appeared to be the
most seriously injured survivors, back to the
Spartanburg City Hospital. Reports were that Samuel H.
Clark died within thirty minutes of arrival at the
hospital. It was determined that he had major chest and
back injuries. Ila Gilmer had major head and body
injuries and died about 9 the next morning. (Monday).
The CC&O
train came upon the scene within minutes after the wreck
and the other surviving injured, Ellen Rogers, Callie
Reel, Lottie Gilmer and S.F. Sutton were placed in the
baggage car of the train and were transported to the
depot where Mr. Dreyer met them and transferred them by
ambulance to the City Hospital.
Drs. Sam O. and Hugh
H. Black were the first to attend the victims in the
hospital. Mary Ellen Rogers and Callie Reel were so
seriously injured, death was expected at any moment and
it was determined that it would be useless to operate.
They had suffered major head and internal
injuries.
At 8:30 Monday night,
Dr. Hugh H. Black issued a statement saying that;
“Misses Mary Ellen Rogers and Callie Reel were possibly
holding their own and that the condition of Mr. Sutton,
who had suffered a brain concussion and other body
injuries, was unchanged.” Miss Lottie Gilmer, the 14
year old daughter of Franklin Herbert and Sallie Lee
Gilmer who had suffered only a fractured arm, bruises
and brazes, had been able to return home.
A release on Wednesday
stated that the two young ladies, Callie Reel & Mary
Ellen Rogers who had not been expected to recover, were
living and that Miss Reel showed improvement while Miss
Rogers was holding her own, being no worst. It also
stated that Mr. Sutton had greatly improved and that
full recovery was expected barring some unforeseen
complications.
The Glendale Community
Cemetery
The first funeral for
the wreck victims was conducted on Monday evening August
2, 1920 in the Glendale
Community Cemetery. It was a joint service for
John Wilton Morris and Custer Hunter. Morris was the 28
year old son of Mr. Gus M. and Jane Lockman Morris and a
distant cousin of this writer. Since Mr. Morris was a
member of the Woodman of the World, a Woodman spokesman
had charge of his part of the service. Hunter was the 26 year old son of
John Holden and Sue Emma Hunter. Being a Mason,
the Honorable S. T. Lanham served as the spokesman for
the Masonic Order in Hunter’s part of the service. It
was said that the floral tributes were magnificent. The
newspaper articles stated that attendance for the
service was in the thousands.
Custer Hunter's and John
Morris' Tombstones
Morris and Hunter had
been friends for many years. John Morris was born
October 11, 1892. Custer Hunter was born October 15,
1894. They both lived at Glendale. They entered the Army
together. They both were members of the American
Expeditionary Forces in WW1 and fought together in
France where Hunter was seriously wounded. They were
discharged and returned home to Glendale together. They
were the first to die in the wreck, only minutes apart.
They were buried in connecting grave plots at the same
hour. Mr. Morris is buried in the Morris Square at the
head of Mr. Hunter’s grave which is in the Hunter
Square.
Mr. Hunter having been
severely wounded in battle, was undergoing special
vocational training at Cecil’s business college in
Spartanburg, S. C. at the time of his untimely death.
Mr. Cecil, principal of the school stated that Mr.
Hunter was an excellent student and was one of the most
popular students to attend the school.
Ila Gilmer's
Tombstone
The Funeral service
for Miss Ila Gilmer who had died early Monday morning
was held on Tuesday afternoon August 3, 1920 in the
Glendale Methodist Church with interment following in
the Gilmer Square, which is located just one square from
the Morris and Hunter Squares in the Glendale Community
Cemetery. Ila was the 16 year old daughter of Franklin
Herbert and Sallie Lee Gilmer and the sister of Miss
Lottie Gilmer who had also been injured in the wreck.
Mr. Samuel H. Clark
regained consciousness shortly after being removed from
beneath the wreckage. Recognizing a friend who had come
upon the scene, J. M. Parris of Mayo, he asked of him a
cigarette which he smoked while waiting to be carried to
the hospital. After arriving in the hospital, he engaged
once more in conversation with Mr. Parris who also had
arrived at the hospital and again asked for a cigarette,
also a drink of water. He told Mr. Parris that his back
was broken and that he knew he was dying. It was
reported that he also recognized his father who arrived
at the hospital shortly before he died.
Samuel Clark's
Tombstone
Funeral service
for Mr. Clark, the 19 year old son of Mr. W. H. and
Clara Clark was held on Wednesday afternoon August 4,
1920, place not given. Interment followed in the Clark
Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery. His mother
who had been ill for some time, became gravely ill
following the shock of the loss of her only son. Samuel
was a very popular young man in the community and was
employed by the D.E. Converse Mill in Glendale.
Mr. Sutton, 61 years
of age, did recover and returned to his home and farm on
the Sutton Springs Road in Glendale, directly across the
river from the mill where he lived for another five
years. He died on August 22, 1925. Click on Sutton Family for more
information.
Unfortunately, I have
been unable to find any records regarding the life or
death of Miss Reel and Miss Rogers. Miss Callie Reel was
identified as being the sister of Judson Reel, a
resident of Glendale and a postal carrier with the
Spartanburg Post office. Miss Mary Ellen Rogers was
identified as the niece of Senator W. S. Rogers. I have
been unable to identify the parents of either.
It was reported that
the young ladies were considered to be among the most
attractive of the Glendale community. The young men were
also well known and very popular in the area.
Miss Lottie Gilmer
fully recovered and married Lawrence Carter becoming the
mother of two children, Jean and Don Carter. Mr. Carter
died in February of 1938. Some years later, Lottie
married Mr. Troy Freeman of Glendale. Her published
obituary shows that she died at the age of 90 in June,
2003.
*********
Footnotes;
The
car
shown
above is believed to be the model purchased and driven
by Mr. Sutton. According to Buick information which I
pulled up on the web, this seven passenger model was
built in 1919 through 1923 with slight modifications.
Incidentally, I found two or three of this model Buick
which had been restored for sale on the web. Going
prices ranged from $18,000 to $28,000.
The
overpass
today is four lane, the curve on the north side of the
bridge has been reduced, the bridge has been lowered
some but remains on the crest of the hill in the center
of the curve going south.
Pictures
of
City Hospital and it’s staff courtesy of the Spartanburg
Medical Society. The City hospital was privately owned
by stockholders with the Drs. Hugh and Sam Black being
major stockholders.
This web site has been started
as a public service to share the story of Glendale. See
more information about Mary and her Glendale connection
at Mary McKinney Teaster.
