Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-01
Gitp ano County 9ntelIioente.
Coroner's Inquest the Body of the Late
Major Allen.

Major Allen.
The coroner's jury summoned by Gen. Day
to hold an inques. on the body of the late Ma
jor Alvan Allen consisted of the following gen
tlemen:-
John B. Dexter, Foreman Calvin w. Angler,
Brigham Balcom, Henry Ii. Harrington, Henry 5.
Prentice, and E. D. Mcfarland
The inquest was held Tuesday morning,
and we present the following abstract of the
testimony =
John Killips, engineer on the freight train
engine testified that he first heard of the acct
| dent when he returned to the engine house, at-
ter switching off the freight cars to the curve
track for Boston. Saw the engine Of tho
steamboat train approaching, when the engine
! had proceeded one rod south of Mechanic
street, when he stopped. 1t was very dark,
and he saw no one passing. Flag boy with
lantern was at the Mechanic street crossing.
1t was his custom to be there. Rung the bell
when crossing the street. The switch man,
John Mack, who was between the place where
he stood and Front street, first gave the
alarm to stop his engine. The place where
first stopped after being notified Oftbe approach
OF the steamboat train engine, was very near
| the spot where the body was found. Saw
where the body lay, and passed over the spot
i'll backing to the engine house. 1t was ten
| or twelve inches from the bottom of the en-
| CINE to the ground.
| John Mack.-Switchman on the Norwich
and Worcester Railroad, between Front and
Mechanic streets; was at the gate when the
| engineer passed on to the curve with the coal
cars was in sight of it; turned the switch af-
| ter the steamboat engine passed down. The
engine was then near Mechanic street. Saw
| no one on the track; stood at the Front street
crossing three or four minutes before the steam
| boat engine arrived, and saw no one pass in
from Front street. informed the engineer of
the steamboat engine OF the accident The
f1ag-boy with the lantern got on to the switch
engine saw the boy with the lantern at the
crossing heard nothing of the accident before
he found the body. There was no delay on
the part of opening the gate or turning the
switch; spoke to Owen Flood first about the
accident. There were no signs of life in the
body; it was lying across the track between
the rails informed the engineer of the switch
ing engine that the other engine was crossing.
Owen Flood brakeman on the N. and w.
Railroad, was coming home to his residence on
Mechanic street, when he met the switching
engine half way across the Common; overlook
John Mack and both went together from the
gate to the SWITCH where they found the body.
Gave notice at the watchhouse, and went
back to the body with the City Marshal, j. B.
Dexter, Jr., and Mr.. Clapp. The body was
across the track, the head lying east and close
to the rail. Had a lantern
Charles S. Turner, agent of Norwich and
Worcester Railroad-Was at the scene of the
accident quarter before six o'clock. 1t was
nothing unusual for engines or trains to be
pcssing as they had been that evening. The
engineer had been two years or more in that
service, and some seven or eight years or more
in the employ OF the corporation. 1t was
tp no bnI md
also before starting, at any other place. The
cars were detached three or four rods north
of the crossing. Was customary for the flag
boy to ride on the engine, except at short dis
tances between streets and i'll crossing streets.
A person cannot go from Mechanic to Front
street at that point without passing over land
belonging to the railroad companies.
VIM. S. Lincoln, City Marshal-Was in his
office a few minutes before six o'clock Tues
day evening, when man with lantern came
in and said a man lay dead upon the Norwich
Railroad track. Called officer Clapp, and, ac-
companed by j. B. Dexter, Jr., went with the
man to the spot. Found the dead body of the
then unknown man lying within the rails of
what is called the Nashua track between Me-
chanic and Front streets, nearly opposite the
switch house. The body was lying on its
back, the head under the shoulders in part,
face against the guard" and extended dag
onally between the rails, the feet to the north.
Did not recognize the body. 1t was much
mangled about the head face and one arm.
In moment took the lantern from the man
who bad called me, and proceeded to examine
the ground north of the body. There was
blood upon the east rail for fifteen or twenty
feet, and twenty or twenty-five feet from the
body was hat, lying inside OF the track. A
few feet north found a bunch ofkeys outside of
east rail, and near by a small card of matches.
A few feet north of the keys, under the flange
of the east rail, lay wig. AT the frog on the
west rail of this track, little north of the wig,
l discovered marks Of dirt, as if something had
been dragged along. This mark was close to
the rail, fresh and distinct across one sleeper
to the next, and less distinct for two more
sleepers. Fresh dirt lay lightly OH each side
of this mark, and upon two of the sleepers.
Returned and found Mr.. Dexter at the body
From examination ofpapers and articles about
the person, found it to be that of Alvin Allen.
The watch of deceased lay upon the ground
near the head, the cases open, and jammed, the
glass broken, and hands fixed at ten minutes
to six o'clock, and stopped.
Silas Clapp policeman, corroborated the
testimony of City Marshal Lincoln.
William Coburn, flag boy on the Norwich
and Worcester railroad, stood with lantern
at the Mechanic street crossing near six
U
CINE when John Mack called to engineer to
stop, because the boat train engine was COM
ing. Saw Mack at the switch, with a light,
turning it. Knew nothing of the accident till
quarter before seven o'clock that evening,
although he went with engine to engine house.
The engine stopped half way between Mechan-
ic street crossing and the switch house. Was
twice the length of the engine from the en-
CINE, with lantern, when engine stopped.
Hiram Ii. Billings, clerk for Stephen Taft s.
Son, grocers, testified that deceased left that
. store a little before six o'clock, but a short
time before they heard of his being killed, on
the railroad. 1t was custom of deceased, oc-
casionally, in coming up street from his resi-
dence on Trumbull street, after tea, to cross
over from Front by the railroad crossing to
Mechanic street.
The jury returned the following verdict:
That Mr.. Alvan Allen came to his death on
| the evening of Nov. 29th, 1859, about six
O'clock while walking upon the Norwich &
Worcester Railroad track, between Front and
Mechanic streets, by being struck by the ten
| der attached to a locomotive engine called
"Boston," used as Switching engine :" and
being so struck and thrown down, was carried
a distance of forty feet and was killed and the
jurors further say, that according to the evi.
dence adduced the Superintendent, resident
| in this city, Mr.. Charles S. Turner, and the
employees of the Norwich & Worcester Rail-
road Corporation, who at the time of the acct
| dent had charge of the switches and crossings
and engines, then and there upon the track,
are exonerated from all blame.
Guard Against Sad Accidents.
MeSSrs. Editors The very sad accident on
| tbo IL