The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-08-21

the officers of the passenger-train,
which IS said to have been on fine
and had the right of the track.
Judge Beckwlth, attorney of the
railroad company has sworn out war
rants, charging conductor Beane and
engineer Pufenger, of the coal train,
with manslaughter. Puffenger is
confined in Chicago jail. and a
large number of men are ID pursuit
Of Became. ass Eas. 81 E55 49,
In an editorial on the accident the
Chicago Tribune says 1T is i'm
porrant to fix as accurately as posi-
Die the responsibility of the railroad
managers for an accident like that
which occurred near Lemont. In
this case the immediate blame at
taches to the conductor and engineer
of the coal train. who violated exist
ing rules, and, by, what appears to
have been deliberate and perverse
action, insured the hazard of a col
liolon with reckIessness that is alto
gether unparalleled. No excuse has
yet been offered on the part of the
conductor who took his coal train
from Lemont contrary to orders, and
also contrary to custom, with the
full knowledge that he must meet the
regular passenger train going south,
unless there was some unusual deten-
ton. The engineer is reported as
saying that he was misled by his
watch, which was fifty minutes
slow. If this is true, tits no excuse
for him, as railroad trains are moi
run by engineers watches. But the
story has the appearance Of having
been invented to shield him from
blame. He accounts for the watch
being so much behind time because
the hands had caught. When the
hands of a watch catcIl, one of two
things occur: Either the watch
stops, in which case the engineer
would have known it, or the watch
gains time by means of the minute
hand carrying the hour-hand for
ward. In no case can the hands go
backward. The engineers story is
hardly entitled to credence in view of
the terrible responsibility from whihc
it Is intende to relieve him. He
must have known the danger which
the conductor was mourning, and it
was his duty to refuse to run the
train. Whatever may be shown to
have been the shortcomings of the
Railroad Company, it does not now
look as though the conductor and en-
gineer can escape conviction of GRIM
inal recklessness, which should be
severely punished for the common
good Of humanity. This cannot ex-
cuse or extenuate the errors in the
management Of the Chicago & Alton
Road, which are primarily response
bic, and the only possible justifca-
ton for which is to be found in the
circumstance that they are common
to the management Of nearly all the
railroads in this country
The following is a complete list of til c
killed: ~~
Capt. John w. Smith, Warden of the
Illinois State Penitentiary.
j. W. FIeury, Purchasing Agent Of the
Illinois State Penitentiary. Illrsr 4.
Capt. William Lettle, Springfield Ill.
Roger j. Brass, Chicago. tt./
Thomas Morton, Chicago.
James O'Neill, Joliet, merchant.
Theodore Steng, Texas. -. .,
Jacob Cundet, Oshkosh, Wis
George Trendel. Chicago. ...
George Reuter-, Chicago.
n. Diyelbliss. Springfield, Ill.
Conrad Webber, Chicago. 81
Jacob Lauser, Joliet, Ill.
( William Davis, fireman of coal train.
Joseph B. Niche, Jackson, Tenn.
John Metzler, Joliet, brakeman of coal
train.
Man lying at the Morgue, supposed TO
be Thomas e. Pollard, from papers found
on him.