The sun., 1894-11-26
wHETTEMORE OR BASLEY! !
DoUBTs B1PRESSED as TO WHICH
WAS THE sUI6IDE.

| EnHtne-Ihetr Y ounpnniOssn NJ the Stsuon'
Exactly what took place At the Cortlandt
| street station OF the sixth avenue elevated rail
| road IN saturday evening just before George VI.
! Basley Of 3OS West Goth street and Dr. Francis
| = Whettemoreo OF sandwich Mass, were crushed
| Ia death by n train. may never be known unless
| the third man ~ the party. who disappeared inn
msdisteiy after the accident, saying he didn't
want 10 be mixed up IN the affair, comes forward
| and makes II known. As the matter stands
now, Basleys friends, who will not believe IL
possible that he would commit suicide, think that
he may have had an attack Of vertigo and that
Dr. Nhettemore was trying to keep him from
falling or the platform when both fell.
The engineer Of the train and the fireman de-
clare that Hasley plainly enough threw himself
Off. The ticket chopper says the men were sky
larkinp on the platform. that the Doctor had
hold Of Basley. and that Baslcy was trying
and did pull loose, but lost his balance.
The police advance the idea that Dr. Whette-
more was the one who was trying TO commit
suicide and that Baslcy lost his life in trying to
prevent II. The third man Of the party is the
only one WHO can strnighten out the tanEle
The police, possibly to save trouble. say that
there was no third man in the party. The ticket
chopper, however, IN positive that there was,
and he remembers that it was the third man
who bought the tickets for the party and
dropped them in tho box. lie remembers that
all three walked together almost 20 the south
end Of the platform aud stopped about opposite
the first opening IN the guard rail.
Tho police think that II either man tried TO
kill himself IL was the Doctor and not Basley.
They base their theory Oh he supposed fact that
Dr. Whettemore was In hard luck and had no
money He owed bill at the Park Avenue Ho.
tel. they say. and his trunks were held for 1t.
There appears to have been no motive to actu-
n..I 10 IL
statement is based on what he saw. and 50 is
that ~ the fireman On the other hand, Basley
had but five cents In his pocket, and only an
hour or so before he had his weeks wages
and perhaps more. IL would be interesting TO
knoS what became Of this money. Basley's place
OF business was at III Hudson street. with +. G..
Hazard 4 Co., which Is near North Moore street.
That is not far from the Franklin street station
Of the sixth avenue road. Basley usually took
the train at that station. His trip down town OH
Saturday night may have had something to do
with the loss of his money. Where Bssley met
the Doctor and the unidentified third man is
not known.
The position in which the men were when
their danger was FIRST noticed is not disputed.
The Doctor was standing nearest the emo of the
facing him and nd With lis back i to ihs "8 ticket
chopper. They were sideways tn the opening in
were standing IL about three feet wide. and
there are two steps 10 the main PLATFORM There
is barely room for any sort of Il struggle without
on the une side or down the steps to the main
platform on the other side. The men were
nearer the track than they wer" 10 the steps.
The peopl" ON the platform who saw them
thought they were only only g io9ilng and paid no at.
turn his back TO them tn attend 10 his ticket
box when the traia was fifty feet from the end
of the plat atform.
Engineer Auryansen and his fireman. the only
persons who saw them distinctly after the ea-
rine was within forty-iivc or hfty feet Of the
rla hat h.sfn fall linz Ilns
swung around nearer the track edge of the
raised plat form and made the Doctor lose his
gne aud was run over. Tine Doctor tried to re-
cover his balance and then toppled over just as
the engine passed him, and he fell between II
and TIE III I car. the car platform oatching him
and squoezing tee life ont Of him in moment.
the third man vas standing on the main plat
form below the two. lie was looking ut them,
but did nGi appear to b. excited and did n9t take
the accident happened and did not move until
the train IN, st,%pged Then he he rSn with the people
was wedGed. Nobody paid any particular at
tention to him. and til" tick chopper is the
accident lie. remembers that the man went OH
before the police came
Yesterday morning by nn undertaken sent by Il.
I. McKeever, his brother in-law. Mr. McKeGver
sp"nt the day N his sisters home in l?9th
teet. He was seen there by SuN reporter.
-, There can oe no question Of suicide SO far as
a happyi home and a Wife az and i"% two chiidren
whom he worshipped; lie had good place
with Hazard u 90; He had been there seven
months and got fairly good salary. lIs salary
was 10 have been increased on Jan /. Wien he
lett homeo Saturday morning he told his wife
he was going 10 take them to Central Park To
the animals to-day. He was not in debt, aud
hirnsplf. H. drank occasionally,' 6nt never yer
knew him TO get drunk; Neither his wife nor !
knew he had a friend OF that name, aud never
heard him mention II name anything like it,"
What do you suppose became OF his weeks
Il haven't any idea. hardly see how he
could have spent the money, in the short
last night thought was the third OF |
R WITH n Basss o Mr. NsM sags
waited, but when Mr.. 'Baslcy did not appear he |
II We could only ind, the third man the mys-
terry would be cleared up"
'Besley, With four Others, Was PLAYING pool
ana rnad GlSrfs idn nm sa'unS ateF"roH at tne
Walter Southw1ck left the place few moments !
before the other three. who we're Dr. WheIe /
more, w. =. Pollock, and IA Mr.. Traverse. The |
first two mentioned were on the platform Of the |
station but few minutes when Southwick said !
will all KO up town together" Basley at the |
time was looking down the track to see II there |
lie turned around To face his friends his |
back being towsrd the track, and AT the same !
lllblncnl lT. W ntIHulOTt rAtlhlHctls lltlD, ]
here are Basley and SOuthworth,' advancing |
toward Basley, whom he slapped on the shoulder, |
saying You see we are here, and all hands will !
20 up together. The Harlem train was then |
within nifty feet of the plat form"
An eye witness, who related the above to Mr.. |
Mckeyer, said that IL Was the doctor who lost |
his balance and that Bssley, in endeavorinR 10 !
save Dr. whettemors from falling on the track |
In front OF the fast approaching tram, lost his
own balance and fell when the train was but "a |
few feet away from the opening where they had |
stood.
DIR. Whettemore's body, which was taken !
directly from the COrtlandt street station 10 the
Morgue, WAS identified there yesterday |
by Henry A. Borne Of brooklyn. Mr.. |
horne was Classmate OF his in the Harvard |
Medical school lie said; The Doctor and !
used 10 be Cluse friends, hut had not seen him |
for several months until fuur days ago | /
met him by accident in the street, and We |
diued together. lie told me that he didn't like |
the prospect he hal had In sandwich, and |
had come tn New York. and he had almost made |
up his mind Ia settle here. lie was not nian |
who would be satisfied long in a place" Mr.. |
horne told the police. " II did not tell me that |
he was In financial need. in fact he led me 10 /
believe that lie was in fairly good ciTcum- !