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.
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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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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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George Delaughter | April 30, 1861 | at the Hamburg Passenger Depot, Edgefield County, SC | train |
upon there oaths do say the said George Delaughter came to his death from falling of the Rail Road cars |
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George Dillard | February 2, 1885 | at Taylormill, Laurens County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that George Dillard in manner and form aforesaid came to his death by accidentally falling into the fire... |
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George F. Farmer | December 3, 1886 | at Thicketty Station, Spartanburg County, SC | train |
upon their oaths do say taht the said George F. Farmer came to his death by jumping from the cars while they were crossing the Trestle over Big Thickety Creek near Thickety Station and by falling on timbers below ... the said fall caused by accident on the part of the deceased being the result of drunkenness |
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George Fisher | March 14, 1826 | on the bank of the Broad River, Fairfield County, SC |
[upon their oaths] do say that the said George Fisher going into a certain River] called Broad River to fish traps for fish of his own will at a late hour of the night it happened that accidentally, casually, and misfortunate [he] was in the water of the said river then suffocated and drowned...and there instantly died |
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George Gardner | January 22, 1935 | in Chesterfield County, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say that George Gardner received . . . mortal wound by Rifle Shot in the hand of Rance Cue some being unavoidable accident |
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George Grant | January 16, 1894 | at Laurens County Court House, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Geo Grant came to his death from the effects of a gun shot wound accidently inflicted by the hands of Edward Martin. |
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George Hammond | June 24, 1871 | at Provosts Mill Pond, Anderson County, SC |
do say that the said . . .by accidental drowning |
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George Keerison | November 22, 1856 | at Alston Depot, G & C.[?] R. Road, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say,- that according to the testimony given, the said George Keerison was crossing Broad River on the G & 6 R.R. Bridge at Alston in a state of intoxication on the 4th instant, and accidentally fell off said Bridge, which was the cause of his death |
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George Lindsay | May 7, 1945 | at Chesterfield, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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George Low | col | June 6, 1869 | at Sand Bar Ferry, Edgefield County, SC | stems of yellow jasmine |
upon their oaths do say That they find that the said George Low came to his death through drinking a tea made of the stems of the yellow Jessamine having mistaken the same for the cross Vine of which he intended to make tea |
George Martin | November 30, 1880 | at Greenville, Greenville County, SC | train |
upon their oaths do say that. . . the said George W. Martin was accidentally struck and killed by passenger train No 42 of the Atlanta and Charlotte [?] Line Rail Road |
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George Mitchel | June 21, 1881 | at J. R Corleys, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their Oaths do say George Mitchel and his Daughter Rachiel Mitchel Came to their Deaths. . .by a Burn Caused from the Explosion of Kerosene oil |
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George Ratcliff | May 1, 1874 | at C. A. Mores, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: That the Said George Ratcliff Maggie Ratcliff & Luis Ratcliff came to there deaths by being accidently Burnt |
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George Roseman | January 30, 1883 | at T. J. Sullivan's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say he came to his death by the accidental falling of a log across his breast. |
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George W. Moose | June 7, 1882 | at Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that said J. W. Moore ... came to his death from heart disease or from a fall consequent upon disease of the heart |
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George Washington Crowder | October 19, 1866 | at Grannetville, Edgefield County, SC |
by there oaths do say that the said George Washington Crowder came to his death became entangled in the bands[?] carried the factory at Grannetville in the state aforesaid and was drawn up by a board of the of the shaff[?]. . . by Misfortan or accident |
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George Watts | December 2, 1811 | Kershaw County, SC | ferry |
[do say] the said George Watts came to his death . . .by falling out of the flat of Camden Ferry. . . on the evening of Friday, the twenty-second day of November last past while intoxicated |
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George West | August 26, 1855 | at the plantation of William Jesse Taylor, Kershaw County, SC | elephant |
do say that the aforesaid George West came to his death by wounds inflicted by the tusks of an Elephant |
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George Wilkins | January 7, 1886 | Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say taht George Wilkins came to his death by misfortune or accident from a gun shot in the hands of Jack Lewis |
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George Williams | August 23, 1802 | at Jeremiah Conants, Laurens County, SC |
do say upon their oaths, that said George Williams came to his death by being Dashed against a Tree from his house. |
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Georgia Brower | December 27, 1879 | at A. E. Evans, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do Say that the said Georgia Brown came to her death by being accidentally burned by fire on this October 27th 1879 |
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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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Georgianna Watts | October 11, 1891 | at R.O. Hairstons, Laurens County, SC |
by their oaths do say, that she came to her death, By being burnt in the house, it being burnt on her By Accident. |
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Gertrude | infant child | December 1, 1891 | at Edgfield Court house, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say. . .that the infant received burns which caused death |
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Gilbert Grissett | December 20, 1867 | at Snow Hill, Horry County, SC | boat |
upon there oaths do Say. That he the Said Grissett came to his death on the 20.th day of December A. D. 1867 by accidental drowning |
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Glasco Ferly | at the house of Glasco Ferly, Fairfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say: That the said colored Ferly came to his death by a gunshot wound accidentily inflicted upon himself |
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Glenn Strong | August 31, 1941 | at Cheraw, Chesterfield County, SC | train |
upon their oaths do say that Glenn Strong received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by apparently stuck by North Bound Seaboard Air Line Train |
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Grafton Mims | December 14, 1936 | [no location given], Chesterfield County, SC | automobile |
[No official declaration] |
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Green Kerley | December 31, 1869 | at Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC |
We find that the said Green Kerley came to his death by a fall from a third story window in the Hotel to the pavemen, while laboring under a fit of delerum [?]. |
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Griffin | Infant Childe | December 26, 1860 | at Andy [?], Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say the child come it death by accident or mischance by smuthering or some way unknown |
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Gus Sexton | August 11, 1894 | at Tildy Austin's, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Gus Sexton came to his death by a gun shot wound inflicted by his own hand. |
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H. C. Rudisail | December 31, 1881 | at Campobello, Spartanburg County, SC |
upon their oaths do say taht the said H. C. Rudisail deceased came to his death by apoplexy caused from over work by violent exertion of the body |
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H. L.[?] Davis | Fairfield County, SC |
[No official declaration] |
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H. M. Smith | September 23, 1940 | at Pageland, Chesterfield County, SC | motorcycle |
upon their oaths do say that H. M. Smith received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by motorcycle collision with tree in the hands of own hands accidently |
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H. Martin Brown | at Blair's, Fairfield County, SC | train |
upon their oaths do say that H. Martin Brown in manner and form aforsaid came to his death by attempting to cross between the cars while standing still on the public crossing at Blairs and crushed to death as it started[?] off by the wheels |
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H. McKnight | April 14, 1842 | at the house of Thomas Tegues, Esq in the Town of Camden ... upon the view of the dead body of Henry McKnight who was found dead in the Wateree River near the bank of said river & raised by means of a hoop, Kershaw County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that the said Henry McKnight came to his death by the visitation of God having fallen into the river supposed to have been in a fit and alone |
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H. R. McLeod | June 7, 1932 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC | automobile |
upon their oaths aforesaid, do say, that the aforesaid H.R. McLeod came to his death by means of an accident unavoidable |
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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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Hampton Reynolds | July 30, 1892 | at J.W. Reynolds Plantation, Edgefield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say Hampton Reynolds Came to his death from burns received by Explostion from Engine |
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Hampton Stokes | October 13, 1941 | at McBee, Chesterfield County, SC | automobile |
upon their oaths do say that Hampton Stokes received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by being hit by automobile accidently in the hands of Mrs. Grace M. Stetzel |
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Hampton Weaver | colored | July 17, 1869 | at the house of and on the farm of James T Outz, Edgefield County, SC | shotgun |
the said Hampton Weaver came to his death do say . . .by the accidental discharge of a single barreled shot gun held in his own hands inflicting a mortal wound under his right Jaw |
Hanah | infant Child | November 2, 1861 | at Cooperville, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say . . .the child was found dead . . .from bieng overlaid by its parents or some other unknown means to them in bed |
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Handy Papley | November 3, 1889 | on the plantation of Thos L Badgett, Laurens County, SC |
upon their oaths do say - that the said Handy Papley came to his death "by the Explosion of an Engine boiler." |
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Hannah Lee | March 7, 1893 | at Moor Church, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths, do say: that the deceased came to her death from natural causes |
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Hannah White | December 25, 1870 | near William Pitts' dwelling house, Chesterfield County, SC |
upon their oaths do say, That Hannah White in manner and form aforesaid came to her death, by being accidently burnt |
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Harcolas | slave, negro man | November 18, 1842 | at an old house Standing in the plantation of Mrs. Susannah Turners, Union County, SC |
upon their oaths do say that . . .they do believe that from Exposure age and a burn which he had received some days previous was the cause of his death |
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Hardy Lindsay | February 16, 1937 | at Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC | automobile |
upon their oaths do say that Hardy Lindsay received in Chesterfield County a mortal wound by Motor Vehicle in the hands of parties unknown |
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Harris Hotchkiss | March 12, 1821 | at Thomas Hugh's, Union County, SC | |||
Harry | negro boy | September 9, 1858 | at the residence of the Rev. J. L. Brooks, Edgefield County, SC |
say upon their oaths, that. . .the said boy name Harry. . .while in the business of driving the mules to work the machinery of the Cotton gin by some careless action of his own he was caught by wheel or wheels of the machinery and crushed to death |