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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Miles Pryor | July 6, 1878 | at Hobby's Mill, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say he caused his death by accident, the accidental discharging of a gun, emptying its contents in the head |
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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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Willie Williams | Fairfield County, SC |
NO OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH STATEMENT |
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Henry | slave | December 25, 1830 | on public highway from Pendleton to Pickensville [modern-day Easley], Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Henry did come to his death?on the night of the 24th instant, by intoxication, or being intoxicated and lying out in the wet died of expsoure or?.came to his death by misfortune by the act of God. |
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Della Jenkins | February 13, 1904 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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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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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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John Shumport[?] | November 7, 1851 | at John Shumports[?], Edgefield County, SC |
Upon their oaths do say, that John Shumport . . .did come to his death by misfortune or accident |
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Martin Wheeler | November 3, 1889 | on the plantation of Thos L Badgett, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say "that he came to his death from the Explosion of Mr Badgetts Boiler." |
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Charly Washington | boy | November 22, 1891 | at the house of George Washington near Bauknights ferry, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the Said Charley Washington Came to his death by the accidental discharge of a pistol ball from the hands of James Bobo[?] |
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Robert Brownlee | July 26, 1883 | at Seneca River, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said Robert Brownlee came to his death by drowning accidentally while swimming in Seneca River. |
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Lousay | November 25, 1860 | at Doct John E. Padgett, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said Loosey came to here death by accidnetal Burning |
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Edmond | May 5, 1828 | on the premises of David Higgins, Laurens County, SC |
After hearing the evidence we believe the aforesaid negro Edmond did voluntarily go into the water in a State of intoxication and by accident of mischance did drown. |
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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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Unknown infant | December 28, 1880 | at Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the Said Infant child came to his death by being accidently smothered |
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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 |
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Willie Sizemore | August 7, 1882 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the said Willie Sizemore ... came to his death by misfortune or accident |
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John Benjamin | October 16, 1893 | at a mill in Cross Hill, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that John Benjamin did come to his death by misfortune or accident. |
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Dick Keith | January 6, 1877 | at George Lound's, Greenville County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Dick Keith came to his death by freezing to his death from exposure to the cold |
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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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Mattie Woods | at Jim[?] Sawyer's, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oath do say That from the evidence of Dr J E Douglass we conclude the deceased came to its death by a blow on full[?] on its head, caused by the carelessness of children left to attend to it who are not legally reponsible. |
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Isaac Oliphant | November 9, 1882 | at Ritch Thomson, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say the said Isaac Oliphant Came to his death by a Gun Shot Wound unfortunately or accidentally in his own hands |
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Thomas J. Geer | November 23, 1860 | Thomas J. Geer's residence, Anderson County, SC |
do say the said Thomas Green did . . . in the fore noon of the same day came to his death by fits and accidental drowning |
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Wade Harper | September 3, 1924 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
Wade Harper, about 17 years old, son of J. F. Harper, of Cheraw S.C. came to his death at Anderson's Mill, Cheraw, by mischance, without blame on the part of another person |
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Crafford Brantley | November 4, 1927 | at House in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon there oathes do Say that Crafford Brantley came to His Death By accidental gun shot wound on Nov 4th at about 11 am 1927 |
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Emanuel | slave | March 12, 1856 | at Matthew McGraw's plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say-that Emanuel was Killed by the fall of a tree |
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Evans Campbell | March 14, 1892 | at Rhett Copelands, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Evans Campbell came to his death by Accident or Misfortune, By the burning of the house he was in |
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John | April 23, 1859 | at the Residence of Dr. D A Richardson, Laurens County, SC |
upon there oaths do say. That the said slave John at the Residence of Daniel A Richardson on the 12th day of April in the afternoon came to his death, By accident the result of a fall producing a dislocation of the neck |
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infant | June 8, 1828 | house of Jessee Husk, Kershaw County, SC |
do say upon their oaths. . . that after carefully examining the dead body of the s'd male child of the s'd Martha Gibson ... are all agreed that the s'd child died by the visitation of God but by the blood being [?]led in large spots to be seen through the skin all on his left side from his face to his foot they thought it was probable s'd child might have eat some poisonous herbs or berries of the woods as s'd Husk had settled in the woods |
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Louisa McKeown | May 5, 1860 | at Boykin's Mill, Kershaw County, SC | |||
Austin Putnam | July 14, 1867 | at Spencer Mills, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Austin Putnam came to his death by drowning, by mischance or accident, on said Spencer's Mill - pond about 4 oclock P.M. |
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Robert Willingham | October 6, 1876 | at the residence of Mrs. L.E. Kirkland, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Robert Willingham in manner [?] from aforesaid, came to his death by Smothering in a bank of dried[or seed?] cotton |
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James L. Hill | January 10, 1867 | at James L Hills, Edgefield County, SC |
upon there oaths do say that the said James L Hill came to his death by Mischance or accident |
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Older son of Joe Cunningham | Older son of Joe Cunningham | March 26, 1908 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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Chas McQueen | February 5, 1895 | at Chas. McQueen's place, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That Chas McQueen came to his death from some bodily ailment unknown to us and by exposure in the cold |
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Peter Chambers | March 19, 1886 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: That Peter Chambers . . . in Thompsons Creek near Lunch's Bridge . . . came to his death by drowning good in our opinion by misfortune or accident. |
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William Hutchins | December 9, 1840 | at Equilla Burns's[?], Spartanburg County, SC |
on oath that we believe that said child comes to his death by accident of falling or slipping in [the Maple Swamp] creek and being drowned near Wm. Smith's mill |
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Benjamin Cockroft | March 18, 1847 | in the woods near the house of Beryman[?] Bledsoe, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oats do say that the said Benjamin Cockroft came to his death from the effects of being dissipation and lying on the cold ground |
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Tip Jackson | November 29, 1885 | near New Prospect, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Tip Jackson came to his death by accidentally falling down a steep bank about fourteen feet, his neck falling across a log causing suffocation new New Prospect on the Mills Gap Road about midnight |
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Willis Cumings | child | October 10, 1890 | at C. M. Lanhams, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Willis Cumings came to his death by a gun shot Wound in the hands of John Cumings by accident |
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Joseph Shaw | July 26, 1858 | at the residence of John H Shaw near Edgefield C.H., Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that Joseph Shaw bathing in the Mill pond of Col H. H. Pickens. . .came to his death by accidental drowing |
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Henry Castleberry | January 7, 1815 | at the house of James Hannah, Laurens County, SC |
Do say upon their Oaths, that the Deceased came to his Death by misfortune upon the fall of a horse on the Public road near the house of James Hannah. |
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Adam Davis | February 5, 1841 | at or near John B. Bailey's, Union County, SC |
uppon our oaths do say that we think the said Adam Davis came to his death by accidently falling into the fire when intoxicated |
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James McCants | December 8, 1836 | at the residence of the deceased, Fairfield County, SC |
do say upon their oaths, that he came to his death by the fall of a dead tree on fire, in his New Ground, about 12 oclock Meridian. |
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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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Mary Harrison | September 10, 1894 | at Dornville, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, that the said Mary Harris, aforesaid, came to her death. . .by accidental scalding with hot Water |
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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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Joseph B. Hughes | August 6, 1869 | at the late residence of Joseph B. Hughes in Flat Rock Township, Flat Rock, S.C., Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Joseph B. Hughes came to his death ... from a wound in the back of the right shoulder ... by a falling tree |
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Rachail Langley | December 30, 1878 | in Spartanburg Co., Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say ... the said Rachail Langley came to her death from indigestion caused by eating too much heartily of unwholesome diet |
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Delila Tucker | July 31, 1835 | at the house of Isaac M Caffertys, Union County, SC |
do say upon their oaths that the said Delila Tucker came to her death by [?] from the wounds probably caused by a fall from a fence |