The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-23
LOUISA PERRY'S DEATH
The Jury Heard the Man
Who Was On the Front
Platform.
HIS STORY WAS Unsatisfactory.
So They Told the Coroner to Send
the Case 10 Prosecutor Win
field for Action.


The Coroner's jury in the case of Louisa
Perry. who was killed by horse car at
the Newark avenue crossing, last night
sent the case to the Grand Jury. They
first listened to the statement of the man
who was on the front platform of the car
with the driver. however. and whose testi-
mony was of nature to suggest that he
was trying to shield the driver, William
Ahrens.
1--WE find." said the jury, "that Louisa
Perry came to her death In the Jersey
City Hospital by injuries received by
being run down by car No. So Of the Jer-
sey City aud Bergen Horse Railroad Com
pany, driven by William Ahrens, at the
corner OF Newark avenue and Henderson
street, Jersey City. on the Fifth day OF
October. 1881 and we find that the driver
neglected TO put on the brakes with suf-
nclent force to stop the car"
The details Of the death of Mrs. Perry
have been Published in full in The JER-
sEY LITY NEWS, and the three sessions of
Coroner Parsiow's inquest. preceding
that OF last night. were reported exclu-
sively in The NEWS.
AT the second session, it will be recol-
lected, the jury refused to render YER
dict unless the driver or the man who
was on the front platform with him tes-
titled, and Coroner Parslow agreed with
tue jury that the testimony of one of the
two men was necessary to establish the
responsibility of the driver. He promised
to try to produce at least one Of Them as
witness. Last night he succeeded in hav-
ing boJh men present, although Ahrens
refused to testify.
Two jurymen were absent through
sickness when Coroner Parslow called
his court 10 order in Chapin's Hall. The
Il st witness called was Charles Henry
Way, the much talked of man who was
on the front platform with Anrens.
WAYS STORY.
II was ON West End car" said he.
sand was transferred tv one going down
Newark avenue. When we were going
down the avenue / was standing on the
trout platform. and about one hundred
feet before we came 10 the Pennsylvania
Railroad crossing train came thunder
ing past. want TO say right here,
though, that the horses didn't take fright
al the train passing, but at The woman
crossing the track, aud at the crowd
rushing from the sidewalk. When saw
the woman on the Track | called Hi"
and the driver Immediately put on the
brakes. The car was sliding along the
track when the woman was struck and
went under the front platform. The
horses AZ the time were not going rs fast
as they had been travelling at Grove
street.
Way at first said he had not spoken at
all TO the driver. Later on ne testified
that he remark ed:-"You' re going little
slow. amt you ?" To which the driver
responded,-.'Iv got an engagement
down town."
"The horses didn't make any bad
break" Way continued. The woman
was three or four feet ahead of us and
facing the horses when | saw her. She
teli on the south side OF the track"
CRosS-ExAMINED.
To the foreman OF the jury Way said:-
1.-The driver was standing ut tne time OF
the accident, and as nearly as Know was
looking ahead. was looking toward the
sidewalk just before lsaw her. When |
uid notice her and called she was between
the four crossings, and on the track near
Henderson street. heard some one say
sChecE the horses, and the driver did so
before the woman was under the plat
form, because could hear the wheels
grinding. There was another man on
the platform, but he got off the car just
before the accident occurred"
"How far away from the trestle work
did the accident occurf" asked jury
man.
Il should say between 100 and $50 feet.
! don't believe it was the drivers fault,
gentlemen, and / don't think the car
could have dragged the woman very far,
the left side struck her, and, rs near as 1
can judge, both OF them passed over her,
the bulk of her body beiag between the
tracks when she tell"
''Wouldn't the driver naturally have
seen the woman IL he WAS looking |
ahead?" asked Coroner Parslow.
II don't know )" was the answer.
"How did you say The horses were |
goinga" a juryman queried.
STILL GOING SLOW.
"The horses were gong slow when the
could the driver seef'' continued the |
juryman. Weren't there electric lights |
on four CT rners?"
We'll" said the witness hotly, II never
saw four electric lights on one corner in
my life."
The witness testified that Ahrens fin
ished the trip, and he also swore that |
neither he nor the driver spoke word |
about the accident after it occurred. al |
though he remained on the car until it |
reached Washington street.
"Wnen came back" Way said, Il did |
speak to man in front of the drug store |
where the woman had been carried, ASK |
ing him how badly she had been hurt, /
and he said. On. only her ribs are |
squeezed or broken learned after
Ward that she had been killed, but /
neNer gave 1t a thought"
Did you see it in the papersfn asked
juryman.
~ never give thought to what see in |
the pgpers,' was the answer
THE DRIVER WILLING TO TALK.
William Ahrens. driver of the van, was
caped TO the stand to testify. but by adj |
wee OF Maxamilian I. Rosenberg, repre-
Jenting VredenSergh and Garretson.
Counsel for the railroad company, ne de-
clined to testify. He told The NEWS
his story. though, and said he
would have preferred to tell il to the jury
rather than not. While the jury was out
deiiberating. Ahrens made tine following
to me:-
'sThe woman was coming across the
street from the direction Of the drug store
to Hunts butcher shop. My horses were
frightened at the noise of the train on the
railroad track overhead, and couldn't
stop them. have been driving on the
road for two years, and this is the first
time an accident ever happened to men
Coroner Parslow will hand the evil
dencr, with that of County Physician
Converse showing that every rib on the
left side of the womau's body was
broken. 10 District Attorney Winfield,
ana 1T will be at once submitted TO tbs
Grand Jury.
RATHER CARELESS.