witness testimony

Rich testifies: “The trains never blow at this crossing.”

W.H. Raper was struck and killed by a night train near Lucama on 20 March 1897. The plaintiff in Martin Raper, Adm’r W.H. Raper, deceased, vs. The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad argued that the railroad company’s negligent upkeep of the guard rail at the railroad crossing caused or contributed to Raper’s death. Much of the testimony detailed the severe mutilation of Raper’s body, but Isaac Rich testified more generally about the frequency of night trains.

A white witness vouched for Rich’s good character:

Another witness, John H. Hill, testified that he had walked with Raper that night: “I went past the colored church and section house and there told him goodbye and told him to go home by county road.”

Raper’s estate lost at trial and again on appeal.

Wilson [County, North Carolina] Estate Case Files 1854-1959, http://www.familysearch.org.

Back of the house at an oyster saloon.

Julius C. Rhodes and G.M. Smith were partners in Smith & Rhodes, a Goldsboro Street oyster bar, saloon, and billiard parlor. Rhodes died intestate in December 1886, setting off a battle for the equitable distribution of the business’ assets. Rhodes’ estate file contains pages and pages of testimony from employees, associates, and even his physician about Rhodes’ alcoholism, his excessive generosity, and the free withdrawal and commingling of funds that marked Smith & Rhodes’ affairs and offer a rare glimpse into the workings of a late nineteenth-century Wilson social space.

Rhodes lived in rooms at the rear of the store and took his meals in its restaurant. Full board cost $12.50 to $16 a month, but Samuel Farmer paid in firewood. Rhodes kept a private gaming room upstairs, which was not profitable. He gave away shots of whiskey on Sundays to regular customers — many showed up for “treats” after church. He also gave out loans from the cash drawer.

Among the witnesses were cooks Andrew Pearce and Burt Bowser. Pearce testified that Rhodes ate at the store, but only about one small meal day. (His mother often sent him chicken soup and pickles.) Smith did not eat there often, but ate more than Pearce when he did. Smith had a private family residence, and mostly ate at the restaurant during the busy season. [From other testimony, we know that was fall.] Pearce sometimes went to Smith’s house to get vegetables for the restaurant. The lamp oil and coal Rhodes used in his rooms came from the firm’s supplies.

Burt Bowser preceded Pearce as cook. His testimony was brief: he cooked special meals for Rhodes; Smith ate at the restaurant more often than Rhodes; and Smith sometimes supplied vegetables to the restaurant.

Peter Taylor was subpoenaed to testimony, but either did not appear or was not called. Dave Barnes is briefly named as someone who “kept” the gaming room. This may have been Dave Barnes who was later a porter at Briggs Hotel. Hilliard Ellis was named as owing a small debt to the firm. Rhodes’ widow and administrator Louisa Rhodes filed an account in March 1889 that noted a payment of $2.50 to barber Alfred Robinson and $1.50 to blacksmith Charles Battle.

Estate of J.C. Rhodes (1887), Wilson County Probate Estate Case Files, 1954-1959, http://www.familysearch.org.