Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-08
MK. BURGERS DEATH.
The Cor"ner'- Jury Decide That Railroad
Fmpioves Were Not to- Blame.

The Coronsr'- Jury Decide That Railroad
Fmpioves Were Not to Blame.
The earthly RENAME Of the late William II.
Burger. Who killed At University station
Sunday morning. Published In yesterday
STsE- we're Kept IN the morgae yesterday until
after Coroner Patterson held the inquest One
leg had been severed from the body By the
trsin and the right arm was broken in three
places. BesIde.. other injuries had been in
fictsd. such a. crushed ribs and a terribly Inc
Grated BODY. Dr. Patterson held the inquest at
the -ixth precinct police station at 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon
The FIRST witness examined was George ".
Sha-ps. an inmate u the Soldiers Home He
testified that there a freight train on the
we-t-bound track that had just passed the gates
The express train vas coming toward the city.
lie thought the freight train had gone about
rirctv feet eyoni the crossing. giving the Il
press engineer about $50 feet in which to see
NJ. Burger crossing. Witness said that the
gates ~ere down The express train gave sew
srsI blA-;s Of its whistle at the station. which s
- least $50 feet above the crossing lie heard
fllly eight or ten blasts Of the whistle.
Did Won Mr.. Burger at that time?'
asket the coroner.
''Ys-. -ir. replied the witness
1t seems to me. then. that he could have got
ten ont Of the way. added the coroner. 1T
must have been near you"
He Was about siNtv-ivs feet from me. said
witness. II was standing rear the gatemsn
and he walked around the south end OF the
gate
We're the gates down before Mr. Burger
rrsrhrd there
Yes. SIT They had been lowered TO let the
freight 60 by.
But were tAsy raised again before Mr.. Bur
ger started ACROSS"
No. sir They we're neither raised nor
moved
SEEMED HCCH BEwILDERED-
Witness. continuing said that Mr.. Burger
seemed very much bewildered or paralyzed.
When he started over the gatemau called to
him 10 stop. but he crossed one track and had
his foot Ga the O-Eer when he struck
The unfortunate man. he said, carried
fully l25 feet and he thought the train go
ing ~ the rate Of between thirty and forty
miles a. hour.
What kind Of a crossing is there there?'
asksd the coroner
"A surface crossing" answered witness
You mean a grade crossing suppose"
YES. SIR. replied witness, although there
- an incline on the west side of the track"
Witness did rot think that Mr. Burger heard
the gateEan call TO him as the trains we're max
iEg 50 much noise.
STATION KEEPER WHITES TESTIMONY.
". II. White, resident Of Brooklaud and
station keeper at the place Of the fatal accident
gave similar testimony. He said that when he
called Sir. Burger the latter started to run and
had crossed the west-bound track just IN time
20 get struck- Witness also heard the brake
the train call TO Mr. Burger.
Your calling" said the coroner "only had
the effect of making him hasten his steps,
Well, replied witness. IF he had stopped
vhsn ! called the accident never would have
happened" Mr.. Burger, he said. started across
after the freight train had passed. The
press train, he said. was late, and he thought
Was running between forty five and fifty miles
an hour.
THE ESGISEEE-
Benjamin VermiIlion, engineer on the ex-
press train. testified that he opened his whistle
ana kept 10 open while passing the freight
train When witness Mr.. Burger pass in
the of the freight train witness gave
several short whistles and he saw Mr.. Burger
look up. The engine then hid him from view
and the fireman said, ''iOI struck him" Wit
ness said that II Mr.. Burger had stood still
when be gave the first danger signal the train
would not have struck him. His train was
going no faster than Usual Witness put on his
brakes when he hrss discovered the danger.
The train Was on a down grade and ran about
800 yards before IL stopped.
Sergeant slsttery said he passed the
ground Yesterday morning and he found il was
i,o03 PAGES. Mr.. Burgers leg was found
where the train stopped
Ae5uhAAA.b. saA4 tnat Tram
vAs made up Of six cars and was running about
forty miles an hour at the time of the accident
A Il. Cine, conductor on the train, did no.
witness the accident. but he heard the danger
signals given by the engineer.
THE VERDICT.
This closed the testimony and the jury re-
turned . verdict Of accidental death, attaching
no blame to the employees Of the railroad.
The funeral took place this afternoon from
q Nhgr. b. oh al.
and z streets northwest. The deceased was
stxty-four years old and leaves wife and
several children.