Sandlin Cemetery
In 1814, James Fuller was hunting near the creek north of where the Sandlin Cemetery stands today. A group of the indigenous natives of the area spotted James, chased him up the hill that belonged to Nicholas Sandlin, and scalped him. No community cemetery existed at that early point in Lincoln County history, so Nicholas Sandlin donated 5 acres of land for that purpose at the point where Mr. Fuller was killed. Though Nicholas Sandlin himself is buried in Jasper, Alabama, many Sandlin descendants are buried at Sandlin Cemetery.
Today, there are many unmarked, open spaces among the generations of families buried at Sandlin. Occasionally, plots among these gaps are still marked by the barest of stones. The upkeep of the cemetery has seen periods of decline and of care. In the 1920s, John Lewis "Johnny" Spray and his wife Marilda "Aunt Rildy" battled the overgrowth of weeds and vines and kept the cemetery clean for a number of years. However, after they moved to Alabama, the cemetery again fell into neglect until 1940. In 1940, Mr. Colemon Mullins and Mr. Sam Beard were determined to restore care to the cemetery. They organized an ice cream supper at the Camargo Schoolhouse and raised enough money to hire Mr. "Forty-Four" Hopkins to clean the cemetery. Later, Virgil McAlister, Everett Moore, and Annie Gray accepted the responsibility of maintaining the cemetery. In recent years, Phillip McCown, Joe Roper, Doll Roper, David Roper, Jerry Ables, and Debbie Roper Marshall have held the responsibility for the maintenance of the cemetery.
Mr. Sam Beard and his wife Mary standing behind the new grave at Sandlin of their 14 year old son Boonie. On April 27, 1930, an airplane crashed into a crowd where Boonie was standing. The crash occurred in nearby Fayetteville, Tennessee.
James Beard 1941 to 1945 era picture.
He is the older son of Sam and Mary Bread
This is the grave at Sandlin of 23 year old Hurley Spray. On April 27, 1930, an airplane crashed into a crowd where Hurley was standing. The crash occurred in nearby Fayetteville, Tennessee.
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Fayetteville, Tennessee
Airplane Crash
April 27,1930
AIRPLANE FALLS ON CROWD, EIGHT KILLED.
By The Associated Press
Nashville, Tenn., April 27--Seven persons in a crowd, watching a
stunt flyer at an airfield at Fayetteville, Tenn., were killed and
approximately 20 were injured today when the plane crashed into the
crowd.
The pilot, Milton Cobert, Columbia,
Tenn., was sweeping over a railroad embankment where the crowd stood in
order to land when the plane suddenly dived, falling about 80 feet,
witnesses said. Neither the pilot nor his passengers were hurt.
The Frederick Post, Frederick, MD 28 Apr 1930
PLANE STRIKES CROWD, 8 KILLED, PILOT IS HELD
Sightseeing Ship Hits Spectators Standing On Rail Embankment
Flier Is Exonerated By Sheriff But Held For Safekeeping.
Fayetteville, Tenn., April 28--AP--Eight members of nearby farming
communities who climbed to a railroad embankment to watch a Sunday
airplane exhibition lay dead today, victims of a sight-seeing plane
which crashed into the spectators. More that a dozen others were
injured, four critically.
The pilot, Milton P. Covert, 23,
Columbia Tenn. Who with two companions escaped uninjured, was held in
jail in another county on a technical charge of murder pending a
hearing today. Covert was exonerated of blame by the manager of the
exhibition and Sheriff M. W. Rhea, but the officer said he removed the pilot to a neighboring jail as a precautionary measure against possible violence.
The dead:
BOONE BEARD, 14
KELLY TOWERY, 23.
LAWRENCE SMITH, 28.
MONROE MARBURY, 37.
MARVIN ASHBY, 30.
HURLEY SPRAY, 26.
RUFUS WADE BONNER, 9, Negro.
JASPER HERLSTON, 40.
Flier Landing Plane.
The latter died in a hospital of his injuries several hours after the accident.
Spectators in the crowd of several thousand which had surrounded the
landing field said the plane was heading for a landing at an elevation
of only ten feet when it dropped suddenly on the group gathered on the
embankment. Al Gombert, manager
of the flying organization which sponsored the exhibition with the
American Legion post, said he believed the plane struck a downward
current..
“It was over so quickly I couldn’t tell what happened,” Pilot Covert said.
Victims Decapitated.
He requested a physical examination after the accident and said doctors found him to be in condition to operate a plane.
Covert had
taken up the plane alone three times, he said, to become accustomed to
a brisk wind from the south. He then took up two passengers and it was
on his return from this flight that the crash occurred. He had planned
to follow the passenger trips with a series of stunts.
Four of the victims were decapitated by the propeller of the plane and the others were crushed by its weight.
Gombert said the spectators had been warned several times not to stand near the embankment.
The Lincoln Star, Lincoln, NE 28 Apr 1930
One
of the worst air tragedies of the year occurred yesterday at a flying
circus outside of Fayetteville, Tenn., where a pilot dived into a crowd
gathered on the landing field, his plane killing eight spectators and
injuring 16 others. Three of the injured were not expected to survive.
The flier, Milton Colvert of Columbia, Tenn., was held today on a murder charge.
The Daily Courier, Connellsville, PA 28 Apr 1930
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn., April 28.--
Milton Colvert, flying
circus pilot of Columbia, Tenn., was held on a homicide charge today
after an accident which killed six persons and injured 16 others
yesterday.
Descending on a landing field, which was swarmed with spectators,
Colvert purposely guided his plane low in order to frighten them away
from the ship’s path. Less than 50 feet above the field the plane
suddenly dropped into the crowd, his whirring propeller striking with
deadly effect.
Colvert said the accident was caused by an air pocket, while Felix Campbell, whose wife and child were among the injured, claimed the pilot had flown so low as to strike a telephone wire with his vehicle.
An angry mob formed about the flier and he was taken from the field by
deputy sheriffs and later secretly removed to another county to await a
hearing some time today.
The Daily Courier, Connellsville, PA 28 Apr 1930
Articles transcribed by Audrey. Thank you, Audrey!