The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-07-05


Il and standing sideways. / raised her to
n sitting position, and she was apparent
q ly lifeless. Blood was oozing from her
left ear and mouth. She never spoke or
moved, except that there was one rat
Ting sound i'm her throat. l telephoned
at once for the doctor, and he came
shortly and pronounced the woman
: dead.
a Mrs. Goodrich testified in regard to
E the accident, having seen 1t from her
house on Rock street.
Mrs. Jennie M. Krummel was called
and testified in regard to the accident,
, having also seen the lady fall from the
! bus The body was taken TO her house
on Willow street, and DIR. Warner came
and pronounced the woman dead.
Frank Westhoff testified that he as
, sisted in carrying the lady to Mrs. Krum-
mel's place. Nothing new was brought
out in the evidence of theee last three
witnesses.
VIM. Ii. Jones, the driver of the bus
team that ran away with such fatal re-
sults, was the next witness called, and
testified that he has resided in this city
during the past five years, and during
the past sixteen or eighteen months has
worked for N. p. Lee on his bus and
hack line, in the barn and as driver.
Was the driver of the bus yesterday at
the time of the accident. i have driven
the team that ran away on the bus every
day for the last five months. The team
has been driven together for two months
Any ten year old boy can drive them up
to train, but they are always little |
shy when the train frat comes in, but |
| on being spoken to calm down, and i'm |
mediately steady down. The team has
never run away before, though the off
one ran away singly with the baggage |
wagon about three weeks ago from the |
Omaha depot, when he was not hitched. |
Never knew the near horse Ia run away
before, though he usually acts the worse 4
around cars. / always pns the weight
on him. l drove this bus TO the NJ. & st.
l.. depot TO meet the 2:35 p. IN. train, no
one else going with me. backed up as
usual to the steps on the east side of the
platform and fastened the weight TO the
near horse and stayed by its side until
the train had come in and stopped.
/ then went to the. rear end
of the bus and the lady who was
killed came to the bus door. She said
she wanted her trunk transferred to the
Omaha depot rs she wanted To go to
Siblev, Iowa. Lees baggage man was
by my side and gave him the check,
which the lady bad given me. She then
.
o travelling man put their satchels in the
bus and the former started to walk
home. The travelling man gave me a
paper check for his trunk which was In
the baggage car, which was standing 100
Ieet down the track north of the depot.
went there and returned at once. Mr..
Pat Healey, the mail agent, then came
to the bus and stood at the near horses
head, taking hold of the rein, as / re-
quested him to do, as another lady with
a child in her arms was standing on the
platform about ten feet back of the bus.
She seemed to want something and !
went and spoke to her, my back being
toward the bus. She wanted to be
transferred to the Northwestern depot.
l was in the act of taking the child in
my arms when she spoke and said the
team had started. 1t was then about a =
rod away and / could have easily caught
the team, if had not had the child in
my arms. The weight which held the
horses is as large as is usually used. The
weight was dragged MS far as Front
street, hitched to near horses bit, and
here the strap tore. found the weight
here and the horse afterwards stepped
On the strap and broke that off, little
weighs eighteen pounds. There were
number OF people around. The team
mad acted a little uneasy before | called I
Mr.. Healy and / cooled them down. j
They had started foot or eighteen inch a
IS. This was when first noticed the i
ady and child. The team was not acting
BADLY. When l turned Mr.. Healy APP
oeared to be little scared and was
packing of from the team about four
eet from the near horse, as though he
vas getting out of their way. / asked n
him why he let the team go and he said
hat it was because he did not want to be
'un over. Any ten year old boy could
nave held them. Healy probably hung
IN to the he rise for little ways.
The inquest was adjourned until 2:30l
,'clock in order to get the testimony of
Patrick Healy, the mail agent, who
zones in at 2:35 and leavesat sos on the
VI. & st. l.. road 6
When Mr. Patrick II. Heal, arrived he was
worn ana testified that when he got of the
rain the horses were jumping around and the
iriver was standing on the platform talking
o passengers. took the horses by the head
It my own accord, no one asking me to do SO,
ind took the near one by the bit. Mr.. Jones
anne up about that time and relieved me at
he horses heads, striking the near horse
.n me nEse %n ms MANI nanf ana walked
cam gave jump and started off, no !one be-
ng at their heads or in charge of the team
when they started. They started fast ON
Jump Mr. Jones was standing back ON the
PLATFORM. Only the lady was in the bus l
made an effort to catch the team and just as l
ave jump to catch them, the rear forward
Wheel struck me and knocked me sideways SO
couldn't reach them. 1 didn't notice what
DR.. Jones was doing when the team started,
orm. One of the horses was tied to an iron
weight. Should think that Mr.. Jones was
fifty feet from the bus when it started, near
he train Have very frequently ridden be-
lind the team and noticed that they are rest
ess, and have held them before, though never
eQueSted to do SO.
H. r. ElweIl a travelling man from McComb.
illinois, testified that he was five or six feet
'ack OF the bus when the horses started. His
was much similar to that of the last
witness. He saw Healy make a grab tor the
lear horse when they started. Healy did not
atch them. They started on full jump.
iealy was near when they started, but did not
ee the driver, though he might have been
here. Did not see the woman with a child
Until after the team had left. His evidence IN
egard to the accident itself was the same as
ir. Buchholtz's, except that the deceased once
walked TO the rear of the bus, opened the door
nd shut il, went back and sat down, returned
o the door and as some one told her to jump
mt she came out.
J. E. Thornburg, travelling man of La
,rosse, was the next witness, and said he fol-
owed the deceased into the bus at the depot
me driver then went back near the train to
meet a lady with baby in her arms, anu i
topped out to see about some baggage The
river told the mail agent, who was at the
lead of the horses to lOok after the horses and
hen went toward the lady and child The
orses started a moment later, and the mail
gent let go the horses and seemed to wilt
vas in full view of him about scventy-fiye
eet away. told the agent to hDld on but he
eemed to lose all control of himself nor did
e attempt to grab him. Do not think the
Wheel OF the bus struck the agent.
The driver was near the train and called TO
he agent TO hold on TO the team, which did
Tot start off very fast They were going at a
lively Jump wi en- the lady got out A tall
nan in a blue suit called to her several times
o jump The rest of the testimony was SINH.
BIZ to the others.
W. p. Lee was the last witness examined.
nd said that he had given the drivers espec-
al instructions about being careful at the
st. L. depot The jury retired at 4 go D. m