Accident
Accidents were the leading cause of death in the CSI:D sample, and drowning was the leading cause of death among mortal accidents. There are myriad reasons why. Broad swaths of the American public did not know how to swim. Primary modes of transportation, especially early in the century, involved river routes. Mill ponds were prevalent. Children played outside—generally a good thing but occasionally a sad one. Perhaps the saddest of these incidents involved a mass May Day drowning at Boykin Mill Pond in 1860. Twenty-eight teenagers set off on a raft that hit a snag and more than twenty-five drowned, including all five children from one family. Sadder still may be the case of Noah Wesley Dawkins. In mid-June 1888, Dawkins and his friends, all African Americans, set off for a local watering hole where they ran into three white boys, one of whom offered Dawkins fifty cents if he would walk into a particular area in the creek, assuring him it wasn’t deep. It was deep, and Dawkins drowned. It is tempting to classify this as a homicide, but it is clear from testimony that the white children thought they were playing a cruel trick, not a deadly one.
Alcohol was such a critical indirect cause in so many of the accidental drownings, shootings, fires, and falls in CSI:D that it really ought to be regarded the deadliest force in nineteenth century South Carolina. In addition to these indirect roles, alcohol was the direct cause of accidental death in more than sixty cases. It was probably also a direct cause in many of the ‘exposure’ cases—bodies that were discovered outside and were thought to have died from exposure to the elements.
Nineteenth century law enforcement had no recourse to blood-alcohol tests. Even today, determining precise BACs postmortem, and working back from those to levels of inebriation at time of death, is fraught with difficulty. This meant that nineteenth-century coroners had to rely exclusively on witness testimony and the known habits of the deceased to determine alcohol’s role in producing death. Standing around a dead man, jurors found themselves passing judgment on just how drunk he had been the night before. According to witnesses, John Goodlett “seemed to be drunk.” John Agner was “sorry he was drunk.” Abe Waganan was “very funny & lively”—very drunk as [was] his custom.” Is ‘very drunk’ drop-dead drunk? It is hard to know. On the night of January 15, 1816, Angus McQueen drank more than half a gallon of spirits. “The dec’d was very much intoxicated,” noted one witness, “and fell down four times during which time he vomited upon the carpet.” Because McQueen kept getting up and falling down, the jurors determined that the falls (and the winter cold) contributed to his demise, though it is equally possible that McQueen died of alcohol poisoning. Juries were more likely to fix upon ‘intemperance’ as a clear cause of death if the deceased was a notorious addict. In December 1842, H. P. Church was discovered by his land-lady sprawled half on and half off of his bed. A “habitual drunkard” who had been continuously drinking for two weeks, she did not even bother to try and shake him awake. The inquest did not hesitate in finding that Church had died of intoxication.
The third leading cause of accidental deaths were ‘vehicular’ accidents, a catch-all category that includes drunken falls from a train and sober buckings from a horse. Further complicating this picture is the fact that many of the drownings probably belong in this category. There is little difference between falling unwitnessed off of a train and off of a boat, except that in one case you land on tracks and are quickly found where in the other you wash downstream, far from the site of the accident.
Bartholomew Darby was thrown from the saddle and hit his head on a stump, his wagon then “running over his head ... & breaking his neck & deeply cutting him under the right ear.” Steve Yeldell fell out of his cart and broke his neck.
All such accidents pale in comparison to the staggering mortality brought to South Carolina by train. Richard Springs was “run over by a train.” Fannie Ford was “run over by a train.”A slave named Sam was “Run over by [a] train.” Almost as soon as trains arrived in these counties, there were sots to fall off of them, laborers to be crushed by them, and depressives to jump in front of them. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a technological innovation responsible for a sharper uptick in the per capita death rate. It is also clear that coroners and inquest juries were unprepared for the level of bodily violence meted out by train. The body of a slave named Berry was “very much mashed and limbs and bones severed.” William Abbott’s body was “mangled, bruised, cut and crushed.” Even so coroners and their juries were often at pains to absolve the railroad itself of any wrong-doing. Hosea Jackson “came to his death by his own carelessness and from no carelessness whatever on the part of the engineer.” The crushing of William Roberts was likewise “not caused by any dereliction of duty on the part of the rail-road employees.” With train accidents we see for the first time the question of corporate responsibility, and potential corporate liability, creeping into the inquest process.
The larger point, however, is a physical one. Moving the body at a faster speed than the body was designed to go is an enormous convenience that has to be paid for. Today vehicular accidents (car, motorcycle, and all-terrain-vehicle) are the fourth-leading cause of death among Americans after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The nineteenth century was not particularly different, except that families moved by horse, wagon, and train—and died less often of cancer.
The fourth leading cause of accidental death in the CSI:D sample involved the discharge of firearms. Some were simple cases of men who were cleaning or handling weapons that suddenly went off. The vast majority of cases, however, involve an unfortunate bystander. In 1849, Tilman Attaway was mistaken for a turkey by his hunting buddy. In 1808, James Spradley was leaning in to watch two dogs fight over a dead deer. Fourteen-year old George Nettles sought to break up the dogs by bashing one of them with the butt of his gun. Instead the gun discharged into Spradley’s face. As this case attests, guns and children made as disastrous a pairing then as they do now. In 1820 ten-year old Mancel King accidentally shot and killed his brother. In 1899 ten-year old John McManus shot and killed his friend. “I was fooling with the pistol and it went off,” he told the inquest.
Undoubtedly some of these gun-related ‘accidents’ were not accidents at all. A dead man alone in a room might have been cleaning his gun, or he might have harbored hidden miseries. Similarly some of the accidental misfires on bystanders were probably intentional homicides. Unless new evidence emerges at this late date, however, such cases will have to remain categorized as accidents.
The fifth leading cause of death by accident in the CSI:D sample was death by suffocation—another category that speaks more to what a coroner was called to investigate than to what people actually died from. A majority of the ‘smothering’ deaths were probably SIDS victims. In white households such cases would not have been investigated—infant mortality was relatively high in the period and a white family’s ‘dear pledges’ were often ‘recalled to God.’ But in a society where every enslaved child was as potentially valuable as a Lexus, infant death in the quarter was more rigorously investigated. Coupled with deep prejudices against enslaved mothers, inquests typically found that an unnamed “negro Child” was “negligently Smothered” by its mother, or that the enslaved child Lora was “accidentally smothered” in the family bed, or that the enslaved children Henry and Alcy were crushed in the night, having being “overlaid” by their parents. It is possible that such ‘negligence’ did occur among overworked and overtired slaves, and such findings were far preferable to those cases where enslaved parents were charged with infanticide.
The sixth leading cause of death by accident in the CSI:D sample was death by fire. Most homes in the period were made of wood. Most had fireplaces. None had a fire extinguisher. Fire was light and life, but it was also occasionally death. In 1866 a freedman named Sloan was burnt to death in a gin house. In 1890 a child named Julia Hightower wandered too close to the family fireplace. Her younger sister tried to dowse her with water to no avail.
These six types of accidental death—drowning, alcohol abuse, transportation mishaps, gun miscues, suffocations, and fires—account for 75% of the accidental deaths in the CSI:D sample. Other relatively common accidents involved falling trees and limbs, industrial accidents, and poisonings and overdoses. Rounding out the sample were accidents that were more unique. Home alone, Medora Williams had an epileptic seizure and fell into her own fireplace. Traveling with the Bailey & Company circus, George West was gored by his own elephant. (Some might not consider this an ‘accident’ since the elephant had ‘cause’; and acted with ‘intent.’)
NEXT: Natural Causes
Accident Inquests
Name | Deceased Description | Date | Inquest Location | Death Method | Inquest Finding |
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Lucy Ellen Jane Rivers | November 9, 1882 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say That the Said Lucy Ellen Jane Rivers came to her death by accidental burning Nov 9th 1882 |
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H. T.[?] Davis | at Alston, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Said H T[?] Davis came to his death by having his back broken in some unknown manner to the Jury[.] |
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Infant of Sarah McQueen | Infant of Sarah McQueen | November 16, 1887 | at Chesterfield C. H., Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the said infants came to their deaths by being accidentally burned on the 15th day of November A.D. 1887 |
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Absalom McAbee | January 6, 1883 | at Almarine Willis, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say he came to his death by mischange by being partially paralised and falling into water and strangled or drowned being a man of 80 years or more and very feeble |
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Enoch McLean | August 27, 1840 | at Wm C. Brown's, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . .came to his death by misfortune or accident |
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Robert McCants | January 27, 1817 | at the house of Samuel Alston, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Robert McCants came to his death at sometime about Half a Mile from his own House by intoxication and exposure to the cold. |
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Samuel Harrison | February 18, 1881 | at [inelligible - faded], Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say they Believe that . . .Samme Harison Came to his death by the Carlesnes of his Mother Milley Worthington |
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Georgiana Fowler | July 28, 1885 | at Laurens Court House, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the aforesaid Georgiana Fowler came to her death by a dislocation of the cervical vertebra from a fall in a fainting fit |
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James Jenkins | May 30, 1875 | at Robert Spence's [?] Mill, Anderson County, SC |
It appears that deceased came to his death by mischance or misfortune or accidental drowning in the mill pond at Robert Spences |
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Wilson Campbell | December 26, 1880 | at Henry Sorrels, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say it appears that the deceased came to his death by mischance by freezing to death the finding shall conclude That that Wilson Campbell, in manner and form aforesaid came to his death by misfortune or accident |
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William LeGrand | May 5, 1860 | at Boykin's Mill, Kershaw County, SC | |||
James Gage | April 12, 1865 | at the house of R.T. Yarboroughs house, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say. That according to the evidence of witnesses, in above case, James Gage came to his death by the accidental falling upon his head, a large and heavy Well Bucket, filled by him with water and mud, while he was cleaning out Mr. R.T. Yarborough's well-Said accident having occured, by the slipping loose of a knot in the end of the rope, which said James Gage, himself, had tied and affixed to the well Bucket. |
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Edward Huntly | December 31, 1907 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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Hattie Brown | March 30, 1880 | on plantation of Mrs. Frances Yongue, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the same Hattie & Mattie Brown in manner and form aforesaid came to their deaths by misfortune, the assistance of fire on March 29th, 1880. |
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Adam | negro man Slave, boy | August 3, 1850 | at Vaucluse Factory, Edgefield County, SC |
Upon their Oaths do say, he came to his death by his own voluntary act in attempting to cross the mill pond when became drowned |
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infant | infant | January 24, 1893 | at Clintonwards, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Infant of Millie Hamond came to its death by a cause unknown |
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William Hampton | July 3, 1877 | at T. J. [?], Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Wm A Hampton came to his death by the accidental discharge of his gun in his own hands |
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Mitilda Gilbert | September 26, 1876 | at Isaac Gilbert's, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that she came to her death . . . being found lying at length in said spring being there drowned by misfortune or accident |
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George Darby | April 20, 1823 | at Lores-ford on broad River, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that . . .the said George Dary came to his death by drowning while in a state of intoxication & making an effort to cross broad River at Lore's ford to some of the Islands |
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M. N. Chapman | February 20, 1840 | at or near Mt. Zion, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that he was drowned by accidentally falling into the waters of Wilson's Creek while in the act of fishing |
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Elenora Yongue | near Struther[?], Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: That the said Elenora Yongue came to her death by accidental burning. |
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Polly | December 25, 1866 | at Darlings Lake, Horry County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that She came to her death by accident or mischance |
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Infant of Adeline Teague | Infant of Adeline Teague | August 18, 1894 | at Laurens County Court House, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that it Died in Laurens Co. on the 17th day of Aug. AD. 1894 from accidental suffocation. |
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Elizabeth Belk | April 20, 1828 | near the Door house, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that in traveling to a neighboring house she fell down and being old & infirm was unable to rise & so perished |
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Zechariah Tottey | December 4, 1806 | at the Mill River, Union County, SC |
do say on their oaths that the said Totty Came to his Death we Belive By toxication[?] in [?] and [?] By haggs[?] in a [?] |
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Ned | December 12, 1835 | at Joel Dendys, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths the deceased came to his death by the Effects of Cold and other causes not Known. |
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Lusindy Gainey | November 15, 1893 | at Spring Hill, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oath do say that Lusindy Gainey deceast Come to his deth By Being in Sane and getting lost in the Swamp and getting wet in the cold and come to death |
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Elmira Jackson | May 18, 1884 | at George Holingsworths House, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that Elmira Jackson Come to her death from accidental Burning |
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Janie Watts | October 11, 1891 | at R O Hairston, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Janie Watts Died in Laurens County on the 11th day of Oct. 1891 by being burnt to death in a house that was burnt by accident when the Mother was away. |
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Thomas Dalton | February 8, 1882 | at Williamston, Anderson County, SC |
do say that in their opinion the said Thos Dalton by abcess on the[?] part of the head which was accidentally[?] effected and caused his death. |
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Dora Woods | May 3, 1885 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: "By accident or mishap by a fall from the banister or shelf of the piazza while playing there." |
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Henry Henderson | March 19, 1850 | at Henry Hendersons, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oathes Do Say that the Said Henry Henderson came to his Death by accidentally fawling in to a Branch near his house while under mental Derangement on the 17th day of March about ten oclock at Knight [sic] and that Henry Henderson in manner and form aforesaid came to his death by Misfortune or accidental Drowning. |
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Hetty McRa | December 26, 1869 | at L.B. Stephen's plantation, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Hetty McRa came to her death ... from a wound in the left side inflicted by a [?] fired from a gun in the hands of Moses Stephens |
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Thomas Thompson | at Capt. Manus' place, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Thomas Thompson came to his death from the affect of a burn caused by falling in the fire[.] |
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Charles | negro boy | March 7, 1857 | at Archy Clark residence, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say. . .he came to his death by lying down and going to sleep on the wet and cold ground and the Rain and water running over him |
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Munroe Rabb | January 10, 1880 | at Spartanburg C.H., Spartanburg County, SC | |||
Henry | male infant slave | November 23, 1860 | at Berry Shells House, Union County, SC |
uppon their oaths do say that the Decest Came to his death by accidental overlaying of his Mother & smothering to death |
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infant | January 28, 1863 | at Cannon's Old Grave yard, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said deceased child came to its or her death by carelessness or mismanagement or misfortune at the house of Jefferson Saterfield |
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Seware[?] Stuart | November 4, 1893 | at J.[?] E. Griffiths, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Seware Stuart Came to his death by the accidental discharge of a 38 caliber Pistol, in the hands of William Griffith, holding by the brick[?] and seware Stuart carelessly playing with it, and said Pistol fired. . .it was intirely accidental |
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John Whitlock | boy | September 8, 1869 | at Grainteville, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the deceased came to his death by an act of Providence being subject to fits |
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Ida Suber | at Lyles Ford, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Ida Suber and Sallie Belle Suber came to their deaths by accidently burning to death from[?] carelessness of their mother. |
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Sarah Ratcliff | January 3, 1873 | at Mr. Isaac Smith's, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the deceased came to her death by accedental burning on the plantation of Mr Isaac Smith on Tusday the 31t day of December 1872 |
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James C. Wise | May 13, 1847 | at Camden, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he came to his death by accidental drowning |
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William Vaugh | August 28, 1842 | at the dweling house of Patrick Williams, Union County, SC |
adduced that William Vaughn came to his death by the fawling of a certain oak tree a part of which was found [?] his mangled limbs which had [?] shattered his Skull |
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Charles | negro boy | November 14, 1842 | On Mr Thos Oliver's Plantation, at or near Said Oliver's residence, Edgefield County, SC |
Upon their oaths do say, that the boy Charles . . .came to his death by being burnt to death in an old house, accidently caught fire in some unknown or misterious way to us |
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W. W. Miller Sr. | white man | July 10, 1891 | at J M. Mays place, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Deceased came to his death from Heart failure and Exposure |
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James Crooks | March 29, 1807 | at little River Near Laurens Court house, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oath here insert that in Crossing a log he fell in & was Drowned. |
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Martha Hubbard | January 1, 1912 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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Ally Pollard | February 5, 1868 | on the farm of J.G. Mabury, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that he froze to death while intoxicated in the public road near J.G. Mabury's |
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Simon | slave | December 24, 1830 | at the house of Mrs. Mary Moore, Spartanburg County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that. . .he was burnt to death by accident in one of the the Negro houses of Mrs. Mary Moore |