Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-09
STRUCK BY STHE TROLLEY.
A Reckless Driver and His Friend Hav'
 a Narrow Escape.

A Reckless Driver and His Friend Have
 a Narrow Escape.
 Bernard Matthews of Southbury, a farm CT, and Thaddeus Fitzgerald, came near losing their lives just below City Corners about o'clock last night. Mir Matthews came to town to dispose of some cider and in the afternoon he struck in with Mir Fitzgerald, with whom he is personally &C., quainted. Both rode about town in the wagon and in the evening they started down South Main street to deliver his one remaining barrel of cider to a customer in Simonsville. He had reached a few hun feet below City Corners when a trolley car came along and the road being narrow at the place the driver attempted to cross from the west side of the street almost in in front of the moving car. The trolley struck the wagon at the forward wheels cutting it away from the horse. bursting the barrel of cider and throwing the occupants ono the road. The shock produced by the collision and the cries of one of the injured men attracted the at- tention of a large throng of people and in less than five minutes the whole neighbor- hood was on the ground. Officer Byrnes and reporter of the DEMOCRAT reached the scene shortly after the accident. Mir Matthews wac walking up and down the road, his face eSovered with blood while his companion lay on the roadside surrounded by an excited crowd of people who were puzzled to know what to do for him. He bled profusely from a scalp wound and hIs condition as he besought the bystanders to assist him home was pitiable in the ex- treme. His friends. were notified and he was taken home pretty badly shaken up. Matthews hobbled of the ground and no one could tell where he went. The horse was uniDjured and was cared for at Kur- tens stable. The wagon was smashed into kindling wood and the gaping throng had to step over little pools of cider in the roadway. Roadmaster Stark was early at the scene. but the injured men disappeared and there was nothing for him to do. The trolley car that ran into the wagon was in charge of Motornan Jo. seph Buckley and Conductor B. F. Gran. dall. It was an open car. coming from Naugatuck. and was well filed with pass. engers. most of them being fashionably dressed young women. When the crash came some of them almost turned somer saults in their seats, all screamed and jumped into the street and turned theil heads away from the place thinking that horses and men were killed. One of them told a reporter that she had a criek in hel neck from the sudden jerk and that hel limbs were scratched from being bumped against the forward seat.
 Mir Matthews is spoken of as a hustle when at home, but once he puts his foo inside the territorial limits of Waterbur, he loses all control of himself. Some tim ago he lost a valuable horse on North Mail street which was injured by strikin against an electric light pole. The roy tell all sorts of stories about th games played upon him by th young fellows around town. It is state that on one occasion a couple of brigh boys drove his wagon out East Main stree and disposed of two pigs at a fair price while MT Matthews was closing a bargai for them with man on Mill street, It nothing uncommon for the young fellow to steal bag of potatoes from him an sell them in some of the stores and the call around to one of the saloons an drink to the health of Barney" Matthews | the Southbury farmer