Buffalo Bill, who actually lived his role before going on the road with his “Wild West Show,” may never have shed a tear until he was an old man. But on the day of his train wreck near Lexington, he did.

Sixty years later, Bob Cloaninger, a Lexington free-lance writer, wrote the story for The Salisbury Post:

“A collision of two trains about 4 miles west of here (Lexington) on a dark night in April of 1902 is credited with starting the financial ruin of the famous hunter, Indian fighter and showman Buffalo Bill Cody, and with almost bringing financial ruin to Southern Railway Co.

“On that night, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was traveling through North Carolina en route to Danville, Va. The show was traveling in two sections, with most of the performers and Cody riding in the first section, and the stock and equipment in the second section, under the care of some Indians and roustabouts.

“Robert L. Pierce, engineer of the first section, pulled into Lexington and reportedly signaled Frank Lynch, engineer on a freight train that had pulled into a siding for the show train to clear, that the second section was following.

“Apparently there was a mixup in the signals. When the first section of the show train cleared the siding, Lynch pulled his train onto the main line and began moving west.

“About 4 miles out of Lexington, a mile east of Linwood, Lynch spotted the fast-approaching headlight of the second section of the show train. Both trains were traveling too fast to stop. Lynch and his fireman jumped from the engine into a swamp on the north side of the track, and Bud Rollins, engineer on the show train, and his fireman also managed to jump from the engine before the two trains collided.

“Oscar Sisk of Salisbury, a retired railroad man, said he was sent by Southern Railway Co. to help clear up wreckage shortly after the accident. Sisk reported the two engines seemed to have tried to devour each other. One had run halfway inside the other and then they reared up on the tracks like two giant beasts in deadly combat.

“Sisk said all the cars on both trains were made of wood and had shattered into thousands of pieces upon impact. He said horses, cattle and buffalo were lying in the wreckage with timbers run through them like knives. Some of the cars spilled over into a swamp on the north side of the track.

“Several members of the show were injured, but none killed.

“Swearing Creek runs along the south side of the track, and other cars were reported to have been knocked into the creek.

“Willie Cox, 72, of Linwood, said that as a boy of 12, he visited the wreck scene the following morning. Cox reported that saddles, bridles, costumes and other show equipment washed down the creek and were gathered up and carried away by residents of the area.

“Cox said when he arrived at the wreck scene, cowboys and Indians were methodically shooting some of the stock that had been severely injured. Their work was soon halted by railroad insurance officials, and some of the stock was turned over to local people, Cox said.

“Killed in the wreck was Cody’s horse, which was found mangled in the tender. Cody also lost a pair of stallions that had been given him by the queen of England. When Cody arrived at the crash site, he was reported to have sat down and cried.

“Cody’s first concern was for the show people, Cox reported. He asked a storekeeper in Linwood to estimate the value of his entire stock, then purchased it and turned it over to the cowboys and Indians in the show.

“Cox recalled it was quite a show for the people of Linwood. Indians and cowboys camped in a pasture near the Linwood railroad station and walked back and forth to the store carrying goods to the camp. Buffalo, horses and cattle that survived the wreck were pastured near Linwood for several weeks.

“With most of the stock and equipment lost, the show was out of business. For over a year, Cody’s accident claims were tied up in court proceedings. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were involved in the suit and for a while it looked as if the final payoff would be more than the young railroad could muster.

“However, the railroad managed to pay damages and continue its growth until it became one of the leading railroads in the nation.

“Things didn’t go as well for Cody. In a little over a year, his show was back on the road, but it never reached the spectacular proportions it enjoyed before the wreck. For almost 20 years, Cody struggled to get the show back on its feet, but several unwise investments drained him of capital, and in 1913 the show he organized in 1883 was turned over to creditors. It later regained some of its original splendor as the 101 Ranch Show.”