Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-06-13
STATE OF KANSAS, ! 9
County of Barton,


County of Barton, "
An Inquisition held and taken for
the people of Kansas in the town of
Ellinwood in said County, began on
the 10Th day of May, 1877, before me,
B. S. Lewis, Coroner in and for said
County, upon the view of the body of
Elmore Miller then and there lying
dead, upon the oaths of T. +. Mahan,
Geo. Barngroyer, w. Wintermantle,
A. II. Hockensmith, III. Koenig, and
a. Mohs, good and lawful men of
said county, who, being duly sworn
to enquire on the part Of said people
into all the circumstances attending
the death of said Elmore Miller, by
whom the same was produced and
when and where he came to his death,
do say upon their oaths aforesaid
that the said Elmore Miller was found
dead in the wreck of train on May
the 18th, 1877, that the said Miller
was about % years age, and the jurors
aforesaid upon their oaths do say that
he came to his death by reason OF
said accident to said train, which oc-
Cured May Is, 1877, near Ellinwood
| in said county, and that he was in
stantly killed in said wreck, that the
said accident was caused by wash
out in the track of the A. I. Il S. f.,
r.. r. and which was produced by
heavy rain fall. And we further find
that A. j. Nelson was killed and Sher.
man ii. Bailey died on the evening OF
the 10Th day OF May, 1877, from
wounds received in said wreck, and
: we further find that there have beer
Inc other deaths occurred by reason
of said accident up to this date May
> Doth, 1877. And We further find tina
the general arrangement Of the Roae
i has been good and we further fine
f by the evidence given, that the tract
at o'clock on the evening of said &C
y cident, where said train was ditchet
l. was in an unsafe condition for train
;. to pass over. And we further flint
that if the section Foreman, John W
Conroy, and the Station Agent, M
Dick, had performed the duties as i'm
n posed on them by their employers
k the A. 7. & S. +. r. r. as shown b
. the evidence given, could have pre-
d vented said accident. We do furthe
5, find that at I o'clock of said day tn
section master, j. w. Conroy, wit
70 his employees passed over The trac
where the accident occurred an
De found the same in an unsafe cond
ton, and that necessary steps wei
d. not taken by them before the arriv,
he of the train to stop it, or notify it {
- the danger, and that said ConrOy We
- guilty of great negligence and erre
ii- in Judgment, and his conduct clearl
he censurable in the premises, and ful
n. Their, that he had ample time to pa
over the washout and go beyond fs
W, enough to stop the train and HAY
A. prevented said accident. And "
NV further find, that the station agent, \
Dick, delayed more time than nece
"' sary in taking his meals and had /
been at his post at the time he WI
ID, looked for, he could have prevente
" the accident by telegraphing to ST.
ton east of this, and that we censul
him in the premises. And we furtht
find that the conduct Of the Officer
and train men on said train at IL
time of and subsequent to the acc
n dent was commcndable in all respect
And VIC further find, that Il
prompt attention Of the officers an
managers Of the II. r. Company give
to the dead and wounded after the a
gs cident, has been all that could be r.
9 quired or expected of them and is d
serving Of the highest praise.
Ia In testimony, whereof we hal
herennto set our hands this goth df
he OF May. A. ID. 1877.
M I. +. MAnAN, Foreman.
GEO. w. BARNGRovER.
eh VIM. WINTERMANTLE.
Or A. II. HocKENsMITH.
7. II. koENIG.
>. A. Mons.
VI Attest: B. S. Lewis, Coroner.
Ia true copy.
on l. d. RONsTADT Clerk