Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-25
The INQUEST.

Alter the remains had been identified they
were removed by friendly hands to the under
taking establishment conducted by Guthunz Il
Rockstrah, No. 155 East Seventh street; and
just here word may be said of the urgent
necessity for table or slab at the morgue,
which, owing to the impoverished manner of
doing business, is entirely destitute of any,
thing save the bare floor upon which to lay the
remains of the dead.
The remains were mutilated in such a man
ner rs to make an immediate inquest impossi-
BILE, and the forenoon was consumed by Coro-
ner Stein in making tho same half way pre-
sentable.
The inquest was held at $3.50 o'clock, the
jury being composed of the following named
citizens M. j. O'Connor foreman, W, G.
Morrison, 81 L. Young. John Shafer Charles
Passavant and Alderman O'Connor.
MIR. j. Is. Rice, assistant superintendent of
the st. Paul. MINNEAPOLIS and Manitoba rail.
road company, was first sworn, testifying to
having been sent for after the accident and to
having summoned the coroner. Deceased, when
found, was lying in the culvert q few feet from
the track. Witness here identified several COINS
pocket-knife and few matches which had
been found on the person of deceased after the
accident. The engine by which deceased had
evidently been struck was on its way north
from the levee to the round house.
The company had no Waterman at the Lafav-
cite avenue crossing after nightfall. The
Waterman usually quit work after travel was
over. between and o'clock in the evening.
Shortly after leaving the stand witness pro-
duced dispatch from tho conductor of the
freight train, which passed the crossing imre-
diately before the accident, calling attention
to the accident having been witnessed by a
brakeman on the rear car of the train.
Following is copy of the dispatch furnished
SAuK RAPIDS, Oct. A.-Assistant superin-
tendent: My brakeman says he saw the man
step on to the track, when the engine was about
ten feet from him; saw the enpine when 81
struck; he was coming down Saltwater street
Lafayette avenue) looking up at my train: nv
engineer knows nothing about the oircum-
stances. O'NE1L. Conductor.
TIE ENGINEER.
Mr.W. T. Alexander, engineer on locomotive
No. 2, which ran over the deceased, was next
sworn, and testified to having been in charge
of the engine at the time of the accident
Witness had just come in with the passenger
train from Minneapolis, and was taking the
engine from the levee to the round house when
the accident took place. The fireman was
ringing the bell, and the engine was running at
the rate of from five to six miles an hour, The
speed at which they were allowed to run by
crossings was not regulated. The Northern
Pacific freight train had just passed the cross
ing, and No engine was about fifty feet in
Hold on, we've struck a man." At the time
ut the accident witness was looking out from
he other side of the road from which deceased
approached the track. There was no watch-
man at the crossing at the time.
THE FIREMAN.
Dennis Casey the fireman of engine M.
was then called, and testified to the
train leaving the levee, the testimony
agreeing with that of the preceding witness.
Witness was ringing the bell and looking
from the cab window. Saw a man walkins
along the sidewalk about twenty-five or thirt1
feet from the Lafayette avenue CROSSING. Sud
denly the man left the sidewalk and turned
towards the track. Witness had halloed and
told the engineer to reverse the engine. inn
mediately after which the accident occurred.
The freight train had just passed engine No. Q
on parallel track. Couldn't tell the exact
distance between the engine and train. De-
ceased had stepped on tie track just before
they had reached tho crossing. Witness had
rang the bell from the Seventh street bridge
mp. They were going north on the east aide Of
the track, and when first seen deceased was an
preaching from the sidewalk.
WILLIAM aRAY's EVIDENCE.
A colored porter named William Gray, who
was riding on the tender when the accident
took place, was next called, but as be knew
nothing of the affair until it was over this
evidence was mostly irrevelant. The only