Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-30
THE RIvERDALE TRAGEDY
Further Testimony Heard Yesterday Even
ing by the Coroner's Jury.
The Verdict One of Accidental Death
Funeral Services Over the Re-
mains of the Victims.

The jury Of inquest continued its inves-
tigation Of the killing Of Joseph Waters
Blundon, Guy Brown and Chas. Lynch by
a railway train near Riverdale. on the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, last Satur-
day night, at 8 o'clock yesterday evening
at the depot at Riverdale.
The crews Of express trains Nos. 500
and and local train No. ITO were exam
ined. The first witness was Mr.. ]. H. Rob-
erts, the operator at the block signal sta
ton, near Riverdale. His testimony was
/ to the effect that about @ o'clock Sunday
morning he was informed that three bodies
| were lying near the railroad track nearly
| opposite Mr.. Blundon's residence. He OBJ
tanned a leave of absence and went to the
| scene Of the accident and saw the bodies
of Blundon, Brown and Lynch lying on
the west side of the railroad track. He
telegraphed the news to Camden station
at Baltimore. His hours Of duty at the
signal station were from in the evening
| till in the morning. He heard no un-
| usual whistling last Saturday night. and
| stated that the local train from Wash1ng-
New York express, from Baltimore passed
| at $685.
Question as to the Time.
Mr.. c. J. Miller Of Riverdale was then
| called and testified that he saw two trains
pass each other near Blundon's house at
$40. The north-bound train was slowing
| up. but the south-bound train was not.
Heard what might be considered an I'M
usual amount of whistlng for one train,
where the boys were killed. Mr. Roberts
was recalled and testified that he kept a
record Of the times the trains passed the
| signal station, and produced thu records to
1 t.atv n
| ITO, passed at s:34. and 800 express passed
| at S:35. Could not see where they passed
| each other. The express train, SOY. was due
at Hyattsville at S:25, and passed the
| signal station at S:35 1t would take about
one-half minute for train to go from the
| signal station to Hyattsville Local train
| No. 40 was about four minutes behind
| time. He testified that he heard no I'M
usually long blast. He could have certainly
| head unusual whistling.
Engineers and Firemen Testify.
| c. H. Burch, the engineer of local train
No 40 testified that his train passed River
| dale about s35. Met the express train be-
\ tween Riverdale and signal station. Saw
| nothing on the track. No unusual whis-
| Ting If the engine came in contact with
| a human being it would not feel the jar.
He would not feel three boys with sixty
ton engine. The headlight would cast light
and he said that if two were approach
| ing each other their combined lights would
illuminate the tracks for further distance.
| He whistled when the headlight fell within
| thirty feet of the whistling board.
| j. 7. Reaseau, fireman on the same train,
testified that he knew nothing about the
accident. Heard no unusual whistling.
struck the boys. The headlight illumin-
ated the track for a distance of from one
| telegraph pole to another. He had been
employed by the railroad company seven
1 IN, nfna ho hat
| he could not tell for certain how far the
reflector would throw light
| Samuel Wood, engineer of train No. 500.
testified that he passed Riverdaie at $3.50;
| He was on the lookout for the signal, and
| was also looking at the track. If the boys
were in the light he could not miss them
| while looking at the signal. He said his
| engine was examined. but he saw no evil
dence of having struck anything. He said
| he saw nothing on the track. The lights OF
| two trains meeting would be of no ad-
vantage in distinguishing objects on the
track. He met local train before blowing
his whistle for the block. He always blows
his whistle before he enters the woods. II
| he had seen the boys he could not have
stopped the train in time to save them
He could not stop a train of four or five
| cars running at the rate of fifty miles an
hour within 400 or 500 yards. He had been
| an engineer for nineteen years.
| l.. E. Weaver, fireman of train No. 500
knew nothing ABOUT the accident and heard
no unusual whistling. He had been on the
| railroad fifteen years. 1t rafned all the
| way from Baltimore on the night in ques-
| ton, and 1t was raining when he passed
| Riverdale. He had no occasion to look or
| track He could see about fifteen or twenty
feet ahead He would not have felt a jar
in striking the boys. He was looking on,
the left side of cab of the engine. and the
train was between the target and River.
dale. The smoke from the local train was
bad, and he put his head in the window
| until 1t cleared away. He saw the target
after diSaD-
peared. The engineer blew for the target
Other Testimony.
John Akehurst, engineer of train No. o
following express No. 500, testified that he
saw nothing on the track on the night ir
question. He could see ahead of the engine
about thirty or forty feet; when looking
at the signal he could also have seen OBJ
jects on the track.
George Weckel, fireman, train No. Q, tes
| titled that he saw nothing on the track
| There was no unusual whistling; the trair
only blew for the target.
Rev. Chas. Alexander De Vaughn, a col
ored preacher. stated that he was at the
| after the local train had left for Baltf
more. He heard the train about Riverdale
whistling. and it continued to whistle til
1T was in sight of Hyattsville. 1t did moi
rain till about $50.
Chas. E. Barber, passenger on the
o'clock train from Washington, testified
| that ne heard train near Riverdale doing
| a great deal of whistling. He had beer
around railroads for several years, bu
could not state whether an engine striking
a human being would cause a jar, the
experience of people conversant with this
matter varying considerably.
Engineer Akehurst was recalled an6
| stated that his train passed Riverdalt
about $50 Saturday night, going to Wash
| ington.
Mr.. ]. H. Ketner stated that 1t was moi
raining when he reached Riverdale on the
S:15 train from Washington.
There was considerable cross-examina
ton of the witnesses by the jurors and 6
lawyer named Morrison, who figured as
counsel in the famous Ainsworth case
| There was a large gathering Of people
from the neighborng villages and a corps
of newspaper men from Baltimore an(
| Washington were in attendance. The
Baltimore and Ohio railroad was also vel
represented.
| The Jury's Verdict.
The jury retired at o o'clock, and after ar
hour and a half of elaboration rendered 6
verdict to the effect that they believed tina
J. Waters Blundon, Guy Brown and Chas
E. Lynch were struck by train No. 500 or
the Baltimore ard Ohio railroad, which