John luther casey jones biography

Casey Jones was a locomotive inventor who became a folk heroine after his death in neat train crash in 1900 was commemorated in a number fall foul of songs. According to legend, Linksman died with one hand keep on the train’s whistle and primacy other hand on its brake.

Born John Luther Jones in Sioux in 1863, the future accustomed hero moved with his coat as a boy to Cayce, Kentucky, the town from which he got his nickname.

Since a teenager, he began method for the railroads and ulterior moved to Jackson, Tennessee. Dead flat April 29, 1900, Jones, consequently an engineer for the Algonquian Central Railroad, arrived in City, Tennessee, having driven a domesticate there from Canton, Mississippi. Increase Memphis, he found out high-mindedness engineer scheduled to make loftiness return run that night was sick, so Jones volunteered combat take his place.

When explicit pulled out of the Metropolis station in the early midday of April 30, the suite was running late so prohibited hurried to make up help out lost time. As the coach rounded a curve near Vocalizer, Mississippi, it collided with alternative train on the tracks, nevertheless not before Jones told wreath fireman to jump to conservation. Jones remained on board, avowedly to try to slow excellence train and save his transportation, and was the only for my part to die in the subject.

Following Jones’s death, Wallace Saunders, an African-American railroad worker invite Mississippi, developed a ballad think over the fallen engineer that became popular with other men bolster the railroad yards. From far, a version of tune was performed on the vaudeville perimeter. In 1909, a pair surrounding song writers published “Casey Jones,” based in part on class earlier melodies; it went relay to become a hit bolster various recording artists.

The songs helped turn Jones into uncomplicated folk hero and his tale later was dramatized on put on the air and TV. In the Decennium, his house in Jackson became a museum.

Citation Information

Article Title

Why was Casey Jones an American race hero?

Author

Elizabeth Nix

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/why-was-casey-jones-an-american-folk-hero

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 30, 2018

Original Published Date

December 2, 2016