The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-27
HALL INQUEST BEGUN.
Testimony Given By the Dead Mans
Son and Others Who Saw The
Accident.

AIGIuCute
Coroner Parslow last night, in the
lower part of Bergen Hall. began the in
quest touching the death of John Hall.
of New York. who was killed lat Sun
day by a coal train at the Washington
street crossing of the PHILADELPHIA and
Reading Railroad. Ex- Mayor Collins
| was present in the interests OF the rail-
road company, and Nelson Zabriskie, a
New York lawyer, represented the rela-
tfves OF the deceased. The first witness
called was William j. Hall, sou of the
dead mau. He testified -
1T live ut No. 6 Goentis Slip. New York
City. was with my father last Sunday
morning when he received his injuries.
yard to see his ~tugboat. / met Mr..
Leavy near the LehiEh Valley
freight station. He is the agent
for my fathers tughoat. Father came
up the roadway aud I met him. He
asked me how the mechanics were ges-
ting along on tue boat. I didn't nave
time to answer his question There was
a coal train standing still there at the
time, on The pressing. He was three or
four feet ahead of me, and, rs ne stepped
over the rail Of the track. the train start
ed back awards, striking him in the siue
and throwing him on the ground. Be-
fore he had time TO help himself the train
passed over him.. Iput my hand against
the car to save myself. ] saw another
train coming, 30 / Jumped back against
the building. When the train had passed
/ went to his assistance and helped
take him off the tracks. They
took him to the atation on a
when l left him. ] went for some NOR
phine TO relieve his sutferings and u my
absence he died. When the train back ed
no warning wa given whatever and |
saw no one around at the Time. | think
that where The, accident occurred
was a public street. On the other side
of the canal it is called washington
street. My father was about hfty-six
years old. and an active man for MS age.
When / found out that he was dead l
went 10 New York to notify my folks.
His left arm aud leg were severed. The
car was flush with the p~lanking."
Thomas Leayy. OF No. Z Smith street.
New York, o tug boats agent, was the
next witness examined. His story of the
accident was substantially The same as
Halls. He testified that after Mr.. Hall
was killed he helped pull him off the
tracks aud carry him to the station on a
srretcher. Mr.: Hall spoke q few words
TO him. He asked him to rub his hands
as they were cold and to get him a drink.
lie brought him some liqu OF, and then he
wanted TO get up. He said he knew the
witness and called him by name.
He lived a half hour and then died. Mr..
Hall was a careful a and not a hard
drinker.
MIR. Collins wanted,to know If Mr.. Hall
had to turn around the train to cross the
track and witness said no. NeXt
Frand Rundio. the agent in charge of
the station, was called. He said that he
was In the office when q man came rush
Ing in and told him that he thou ght
someone was injured at the crossing.
II looked ut the clock, and saw that it
was half-past eleven A. NJ. The invent
outside and found Mr.. Hall lying along
side the track. He was in the arms of
his son and Mr.. Leavy. I returned to
the Office and %telephoned for a doctor and
to police headquarters for an ambula nee.
! requested some employees to get out our
stretcher aud carry Mr.. Hall into the of
flee. DR.. J. d. McGill arrived. aud the
ambulance came ar the same time. At
i've minutes to twelve both the ambu-
lance surgeon and the doctor pronounced
Mr.. Hall dead. Ididn'tsee the accident
at all"
He then told the results of the investi-
cation which be ordered aud which was
the same as The testimony OF the former
witnesses. The rest Of his testimony went
to prove whether or not Washington
street at that point is a ~thoroughfare or
not. No wagons ever passed that way
and not q dozen people q day, outside of
the railroad employees use it. The place
Is n general shifting ground n they
were shifting cars at the time OF the accj-
dent. The yard master in charge at the
time was Mr.. James Lamb. The engine
in charge of tine train at the time was
No. AT.
James Lamb was the next witness. He
is the yardmaster at that point. He lives
at &c sussex street. He was standing sc
the Washington street crossing at the
time Of the accident, experimenting the
shifting OF the cars. 1t was between IL
and 10 O'Clock. He gave the enginiueer
orders to make up a train on Nc. / dock
track. the one Mr.. Hail was killed on.
Mr.. Hall came along while they were
shifting cars. Due car stood OF the boarti
walk at the Washington street
crossing. It extended over the
walk about ten OF fifteen feet. These
they're shifting.' They took no heed TO
what 1 said. I turned to give more
orders and heard the cars bump up OIL
No. / track. / turned around just In
time to see the accident, but too late TO
warn the them again. [ jumped TO the
side and saw Mr. Leayy, who looked az
though he was trying to remove him.. l
told him to get out of There and told the
men to stop The train. / helped pull Mr..
Hall out and lay him alongside the track
The train thai ran over Nj. Hail had a
capacity OF over 40, 900. have been in
the employ OF the company for three
years."
Lamb finished his Testimony at half
past eleven O'Clock n when he was
through testifyfng the inqueJt was al
iourped until Monday night