New-York tribune., 1891-12-31
HELD RESPONSIBLE
OssMAN, THE TRAIN DISPATCHER MADE
ACCESSORY.
xHE INQUEST INTO THE NEwYoRk CENTRAL
prsAsrER-pEIEyps OF THE FUGITIVE
BRAKEMAN SAY THAT HE WILL
sooN MI sr,pRFNDERrD.

Tarrytown, Dec. 30 (SpeciaD.-The jury which was
lmpanelled by Coroner Edward Mitchell to investigate
the OF the calamity on the New-1orK Setrai
Road near Hastings Christmas Eve. after listen
ng for seven hours - the testimony OF the numerous
witnesses who had been subpoenaed, reachen Tile loi'
lowing agreement this evening:
We the members of the Coroner's Jury DO render ue
following verdict That hold Albert Herrek guilty OF
nansaugher the second degree for the death OF
W. Policy and others in the accdeno on the
Central Hudson River Railroad above Hastings N H.
the night Of December "a 1891 and also hod Augustus
ossman tain dispatcher, as accessory thereto
We censure the NewYork Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company for Dying utterly incompetent men
TO discharge the duties OF responsible positions.
We also easure Station Agent Charles J. Dc Lsnoy,
Of Hastings, n. Y, for finding out the cause Of
Brakeman Hcrrcks appearance at the station with his
danger signals
We also recommend tha. the New.YOrk Central road
adopt some system whereby lives of passengers may
be
The inquest was held n vanderbts undertaking
establishment here and it was about an hour after the
Jurors retired that the verdict was returned. The
verdict in the OF Augustus Ossman was something
Of surprise both he and the division superintendent
in their testimony declared that It the station
master at the Grand Central Station who had charge
OF dspatcng trains from New York, and that II was
not the train dspatchers duty TO notify all the agents
along tine route that a trun had not gone out on
schedule time. A warrant however, will be issued
for his arrest tomorrow.
Mr.. Ossman who one OF the most important
witnesses the inquest after giving his testi-
,nony went 10 New-York and at his desk In the
dIspatchers office when he heard OF the finding OF the
Coroners jury. lie was much surprised and said he
could not imag1 how the jury TO such an agree
.pent
don't intend to crltGse the action Of the Jurors
said Mr. Ossmar "but cannot see how was to blame
for the accident
Division Superintendent Mccoy says the train dis
patcher is entirely bameless for the accident and he
feels certain that indictment will be returned by
any grand Jury against Mr. Ossman.
In addition 10 the finding OF the Coroner's jury and
the arrest of Ossman, another important development
will take place in day or two. Herfck, the much
songhfo brakeman, Will be surrendered to the au
thorties by his friends. Hcrricks father accompanied
by John T. Walsh ian attorney and stenographer
present a the inquest and everything that trans
plred was noted. Before Mr. Herrick and Mr. Walsh
started for NewYork the attorney said to Tribune
correspondent that the missing brakeman would be
surrendered before long.
ave know where he can be found said Mr.. walsh,
and when the proper time comes VIII produce him
1t would not be wise for me to surrender my client
while public feeling is so strong against him. ana until
we are assured that he will have a fair show We
don't propose TO give him up. We wish 10 know for
q certainty too whether or not he will be released on
bail The penalty for manslaughter is from one TO
fifteen years. and do not believe jury could be found
In westcheSter County that would convict Herrc" on
sny such charge / think that 81 500 woul1 be
sufficient to insure Herrcks appearance in court If he
is indicted and wish to be assured that he will not
be held undcr bonds of any figure like $4,000 before
/ advise his friends to give him up l do not say
that know whore Herrck be found, but believe
] could find some Of histfriends who know where he
might be-
DstrlctAttorney william p Plat. his assistant.
David v Planck. and Railroad Commissioners William
L. Rogers of Garr,onS Isaac V. Baker, r, OF COM
stocks and Michael Rickarl, Of Utica, were present
during the taking OF testimony at the Inquest anu
each man uUok part in examining the witnesses after
the coroner had secured statement from them
The fSt witness called was Charles De Lanoy, the
station agent at Hastings. His testimony was sub
stantiay as given in his report TO Division Supern-
tendent Mccoy. Edward L. Aiken, the telegraph op-
orator at Hastings, the next witness. told how Her
rick had acted as the ST. Louis rushed by the
sladon.
Eugene L. Foansbee, a mal-carrier who also met
Uerrck in the Hastings station, was next called. lie
said he had minutes conversation with the brake
man. and asked him what the trouble on the road
"Hcrrck said he did not know" testified the witness
and aferward when out on the station plat
form ! saw his lanterns near the Fairbank scales
They behind the scales, so that they could not
be seen by All engineer going north"
Augustus Ossman tn train-ds spatcher at the Grand
Ger trail station who will be arrested tomorrow and
whD was on duty the night OF the disaster. was In
the witness chair about hour. His testimony con-
sisted in informing the jury how trains are dispatched
and handled. al heard of the wreck at Sing Sing
soon after it occurred" said Mr. Ossman. and at
once ordered out wrecking crew and notified the
station agent at Dobbs Ferry to stop trains there so
as not 10 have too many trains near the wreck
have nothing to do with sending trains out OF the
Central station. They are never held there anyhow
because the block might be out Of the way by the time
tinDe nth dOVD
trains were taken off that night and none were side
tracked along the line The Croton local, which gen
eialy runs before the express was not sent out uh
later that night because the engine and crew were
not ready time
"Did Herrick know that the CrotOn tr'in was MT
running In its usual place2" tie DistrictAttoriey
asked.
y "of course he didn't. He had no means Of knowing
wat changes had taken place IN the road Changes
OF the kind made frequently occur, and all that lierrlcK
was Supposed TO know was that train OF some
kind supposed to follow, and that train was his
duty TO stop.
1T is no. part Of my duty, anyhow. to notify all
the station agents along the line when one train
runs out ahead Of another. Even had known that
the CToOn local went out after the departure OF
the express. instead Of before it, as was customary
j might not have n0tiHed Hastings of the change III
is NV duty to keep inferior trains ont II the way OF
superior trains and tIsinmep lways supposed to
be on the lookout for the SUPERIOR Ierrck. it
he had attended TO his business. would have been on
the lookout for superior trains, which means through
train. instead Of expecting a local"
Mr. Ossman has been In the employ Of the New-fork
Central road for seven years lie is twenty
wears old For several years he was an operator at
the stations along the line. and last February got
place as operator In the dispatchers once on
November ] lie was appointed TO bis present place.
Charles Fairchld. the conductor On the Croton
local train which left the Grand Central station at
@: AT p. m, said that he stopped at Dobbs fei:y
because he received the signal and not aS has beeh
assorted because his engine was disabled "1le
senaphorc signal against us.' said the conductor
and we stopped. ! sent a man back 10 nag the