Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-13
RUN OVER BY A CAR.
JOSEPH BROWN THE SECOND VIC IN
OF THE ELECTRIC LINE.
The Coroner's Jury Erouerates the "o'"''
Han and Lays the Blame on
the Brakes.
Ascend man has met his death by

death on the electric road. He was KlIieu
(by his own carelessness) near Brook ave
nue. on Clay street one night in the latter
part of 1888.
YESTERDAYS ACCIDENT.
A little before o'clock yesterday. morn
ing Joseph Brown (colored), who hvea IN
/ New Kent county near Tunstalls statioh,
on the York-River railroad, was run INTO DIV
Electrician No. 80 near the corner OF
/ Eighteenth and Franklin streets.
Car 80 runs on the Observation-Disclosures
branch. II left tho car-sheds about
! o'clock with Mr.. james S. Burke, motor
| man, and Il. ID. McCurdy. conductor. AS
II was going down the grade on Franklin
! street from Twenty-frst TO Seventeenth
streets there was crowd standing around
n fish-cart, which was in front OF tTlroiamls
bakery. Joe Brown. who was IN the crowd,
seeing the car approaching. attempted 10
cross the track in front Of the car, when
| he was struck and knocked down. lie
! fell lengthwise on the rail and the front
! wheel Of the truck passed over him. lis
| body becoming wedged in between the
! front wheel and the motor was dragged
| about fifteen or twenty feet before the, car
I could be stopped. leaving a bloody tran on
/ the track. Policeman Werner, coming up
about this time, called for assistance TO
/ get the man from under the car. In order
| to do this the car had TO be lifted of the
| track, and the manplcd body was gotten
| out. sBrown, who was found 20 be alive
! but unconscious. was taken 10 the FIRST
| pOliCe-statiOn, and medical assistance was
| summoned.
| FATAL ISJUHIEs.
Drs. Hess, Hinchman. and Kuyk respond-
| ed. They made an examination and dis
! covered that tho wheels had passed over
| the left side of Browns head and face.
J crushing il INTO Jelly and destroying the
! eve the right forearm and left leg were
! fractured. and various other cuts and
! bruises about the face and body. The doc
| tors pronounced 1t a hopeless case, and
suggested that Brown be removed at once
| to the City Hospital.
The officer in charge Of the station
| 'phOued to tho almshouse for the alnbu-
lance. He received reply that 1t was
positively against the rulef for the anbu-
| lance to answer any calls before o'clock,
| and the man, ~ consequence of those rules.
! had TO remain at the police-staton until
after o'clock, when the ambulance ar
rived, and he was taken to the City Hospi-
| tai
His suiferings were here relieved az far
| as possible. and were ended at Has, when
! death ensued.
IN COURT.
Burke, tho motor-man, was arrested and
! taken before the Police Justice, charged
| with running over Joe Brown and seriously
| iniuring HIM.
Justice Crutchfeld decided not TO go
| into the examination, stating that he
would have 20 await the result Of the mans
! injuries. The case was continued until
next Tuesday. No bail was allowed.
! After the Police Justice had adjourned
| his court be received a message from the
| physician at the almshOuse STATING that
| Brown was dead. He Immediately issued q
| ~ .le.r = inn
with murder.
WOULD NOT TALK.
| About half-past o'clock n representative
of the Dispatch called Gt the jail and re-
quested Burke to give bis side of the case
! IN order hat far and impartial account
| of the accident might be published. This
lie refused to do, acting under the advice
! of his friends
As the IHspa'ch man left. Mr.. Wyndham
! II. Meredith. counsel for the Electric road,
drove up. He was to represent Burke,
but said he had not yet seen him.
THE INQUEST.
| At half-past o'clock Yesterday after
noon Coroner Taylor held an inquest at
| the city almshouSe.
The Jury was taken into tho dead-house,
whore the body las. md there sworn in.
! The Coroner explained the nature of the
| wounds, stating that death resulted from
ininry done the brain.
The Jury then proceeded to the chapel,
where the taking Of testimony was pro-
| ceeded with.
Air. Wyndham r. Meredith, counsel for
! the company and prisoner, was present.
| Burke was brought out and heard q por-
| ton of the testimony, but for prudential
| reasons it was thought best not 20 put him
! on the stand.
| Only few witnesses for the Common
wealth were examined, tho time III which
! to summons them being necessarily short
| The following Is the Iull text OF the EVIL
| dence:
MAssENA T. GARY
| am clerk OF the First market md reside
! at SIC north Eighteenth street. This morn
| ING few minutes before O'Clock | was on
( Franklin street near Eighteenth. | saw
| cart standing near the middle of Franklin
| street betw O. Seventeenth aud eighteenth.
| When | got lhere / saw two OF three men
| looking at a load of FISH in the cart. My
| Oblcct was TO move the cart to one side aNd
/ collect the market-taX. just NJ that time
| ] noticed that an electric car was approach
| ing on the track near which | was stand
| ing. 10 was near BOssleuXs stable. My
attention was attracted to tho car by hear
| ing the bell ring between the stable and
/ the crossing. The car was running tOle-
! raDly rapid. and saw the car wOuld.s.rike
! the cart before the man could turn his
/ mule around, 60 called TO the moter-man
| TO hold up. Some one else did the same.
! | noticed particularly that the motor
J man was pulling on the brake with all the
! power ne had. l was not excited. Up TO
/ that time bad not seen deceased on the
! track. He may have been hidden from
view bv his cart. | jumped around to keep
/ from being struck by the cart, and then /
saw the man 60 down before the electric
| car and roll under the centre of IT.. lie
was between the front and hind wheels
! when it stopped. The car did not seem 10
! slack I'D under the pressure of the brakes.
! After the occurrence the gentleman who
| took charge of the car said that the brakes
( were hard on and had as many wraps as
| anv man could put on them.
The motor-man did all he could do 10
| stop the car. l don't think the car struck
/ the cart.
!. W. WOODWARD.
! 1.-Two at sO7 north Twenty-ffth street.
About a quarter TO o'clock this morning.
| Mr.. Signaigo, Mr.. Bull, and myself were
| standing ON Franklin street between
Seventeenth and Eighteenth. We went
ont and stopped cart 10 look at load OF
! FISH. The owner had Just united the cart
! when saw man coming at angle across
| the street towards the cart. l don't know
| if il was the deceased. Just as | was look
inc in the cart l heard some one halloa
Stop" and saw the car. The man who
was struck was between the horses head
( and the cart-wheel. The car missed the
wagon by about a hands breadth. The
man was nearest the horses head. The
car was going west. / saw the man tumble
| over. The motor-man had hold OF the
| brakes, or handle of some kind. The car
had a pretty good head of speed on 1t,
| faster than they generally run along there.
Ny impression is that the motor-man
was trying to stop the car. but for some
/ reason he could not.
H. sIGSAIGc.
| live at 1G north Eighteenth street.
| About quarter 70 this morning MIR.
Woodward, Mr. Bull, and myself were
standing on the north side OF Franz KIN
street between Seventeenth and Elgn-
t6enth. Mr. Darby came around Eiga-
teenth street into Franklin with cart
load Of fish about that time. All three Oh
Us went over to the cart and stopped MN:
We were in the rear of the cart looking al
tue FISH. Mr.. Bull said to Mr.. Darby that
\ he had better move his cart, as the car was
coming down and it might strike his cart.
| | looked at tha wheel 10 SEQ how near the