The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-07
LIEBERMAN'S DEATH.
Witnesses Testify That the
Guards are Negligent.

At Coyle's Hall In Hoboken last night
Coroner Parslow aud a jury began the
inquest into the death OF Leon Lieber-
man, the young man who was mangled
to death at the Newark avenue crossing
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad. Lie ber-
mans folks. who are in German y, have
not yet been notified OF his DEATH
Henry Eucker. a car driver OF the North
Hudson County Railroad, testified that
be reached the railroad track on his trip
from the Z. X. X. ferry about half-past
seven on the morning OF January 23. He
saw young man rush across the tracks.
Tne next thing be saw was the mans
body under tine locomotive. A train had
just passed before tue locomotive struck
the man.
Edwin A Gaper. the conductor on the
car which Encher drives, told the story
Of the accident In a thrilling way. He
testified:-"We left the Pennsylvania
Railroad ferry at twenty-five minutes
past seven. We reached the Newark ave-
nue. crossing about half-past seven
o'clock. We were stopped BY train Of
cars moving westward. As soon as the
train had passed a locomotive backed
down towards the depot The next thing
heard was heartrendfng scream and
saw a mans head looking out from be-
meath the wheels of the locomotive
After the locomotive passed the poor fel-
low screamed terribly and held
ing ing some S' ons ' to O. help BE- Ri1n Rim.
Then he rolled himself between
the two tracks. Before we left the am
bulance came and took the man away
At the time Of the accident / could only
see two haRmen. Another man and my
self got the people of the tracks just in
time 70 prevent another horror BY pas
ratu fnf inf he.
depot. IL there had been gates or even
ropes at the crossing do not think that
this accident could have happened"
G. 9. Wilson an agent of No. go Sixth
street. this city, testified:-.I was on my
may TO business on the morning of Janu-
AIRY %. / reached the crossing at Newark
avenue about half past seven O'Clock. A
train had just moved westward. While /
was standing young man rushed by me
and the next thing | saw he was under
the wheels OF a locomotive that was back
ing down There was no attempt made
TO stop the young man BY any of the
hagmen. / have never seen an attempt
made TO stop any one. IL gates mad
been there the accident could not have
happened"
Joseph Smitcher, of No. 26s Sixth street.
testified that he was not Two feet away
from Lieberman when be was killed.
After the locomotive had run over him
LlcOeFudu SuTlekeQ anu ciuLCneQ at the
air with his hands and was in terrible
agony.
Mr. Brinbann gave damaging testi-
money 20 the railroad. He said that he
was compelled to pass the Newark avenue
crossing q half dozen times a day, and
that most of the time the hagmen were
fooling. 1t is only recently he said, that
he saved hagman's life by showing him
out of the way of an incoming passenger
train. On another occasion he said ne
took one of the fiagmen TO task for being
careless when the hagman turned around
and said:-"D- It, can't
look after everybody" On another
occasion he said he had seen
one fiagman signal To 20 ahead and an
other signal TO stop.
George Van Arsdale, the engineer, tes-
titled that his engine was backing down
10 the depot. A train of cars had Just
passed the crossing when the locomotive
backed down and something struck the
tank of the engine. The engine stopped
at Henderson street and he helped to
carry the wounded man off the track.
II. NJ. Van Arsdale, the fireman. testi-
fed that he had hold of the lever and was
backing the engine down the yard. As
the last car of the train going
westward had cleared the crossing some
thing clashed against the tank of her en-
gine. He said it looked like a suit of
clothes. He could only get glimpse of
it. He thought that the young man was
running at high rate of speed.
AT this juncture the inquest was post
poned until next Friday night.