The morning times., 1896-10-11
WALKER WAS TOO CARELESS
Inquest Held Over the Columbia
Tneater Victim.
Brother WOrkmen Testified That
His Recklessness Caused
- His Death.

An inquest at Lees undertaking estab-
ishment over the body OF Harry Walker,
the young man who was killed by fall
at the new Columbia Theater yesterday
afternoon, resulted in a verdict thai he
came to an accidental death through his
own carelesSness.
I'VE believe" said the jury, 1.-The death
we cannot hold anybody Responsible
rr Coroner Hammett selected the following
jurors: Alfred S.. Wilson, James NJ. Lowe,
Fred NJ. Dardew, Harry E. Martin, Robert
N. Whiteseil, and James A. Thrift But
six witnesses were examined and 1t took
about as many minutes as there Were
witnesses for the jury to shape its verdict.
DR.. Glazcbrook, the deputy coroner, testi-
fled concerning the results Of the autopsy
that he had perforne ed earlier in the day.
He found that Walker had been a man of
powerful physique, and apparently healthy
in every way. His death resulted from
hemorrhage. His skull was fractured both
at tie right side and at the base of the
brain. The collar bone was fractured and
So also were tie fist, third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth ribs. One of the ribs had pcne
trated the lung, and this alone would
have produced death had 1T not been for
the fractures of the skull.
This is the man who was killed in the
falling building on the Avenue, is it not?"
asked n juror ut this point.
''Oh, no. answered DR.. Hammett. 81
don't think it will take quite so long in
this inquest"
The next visit was DR.. J. Il. Metzerott,
brother of the proprietor OF the new therater,
and who attended tile dying man i'm
mediately after the fall. His testimony
corresponded with that of DR.. Glazebrook,
though his examination of the injured man
was necessarily more limited.
Lemuel Luccock, an employe at the build
ing, vas Immediately under the falling man
at the time of the accident Walker was at
work near the edge OF the fly galleries, the
| witness said, and fell a sheer twenty-eight
feet 1T was purely an accidental fall, he
believed.
That Walker was unusually careless was
proven by the next witness, Joseph Delaney,
a workman, who was in the flies with
| him when he fell, and not more than TWO
| feet away from him. Walker sawed away
| the end OF the board, the witness testified,
as il projected beyond an iron girdcr. he
stood on the board as he sawed, and when
| be had finished lie walked to the other
end. and the plank tipped up with him
He caught At a projecting timber, but
| could not save himself.
The mans attention had been frequent,
| called 10 his carelessneSs. He would fire.
| quen,ly slide down the ropes from the flies
| q feat that no other workman would do.
| Arthur H. Wrenn. the superintendent o
construction in the building. brought plan
of the theater with him that he laid befor'
the Jurors to show the place OF Walkers
| fall. Thomas Welsh. u colored laborcr
saw the man tumble down aud thought i
was purely accidental On this testiInon
the jurors brought in the verdict alrcad
| mentioned.
Walker had no relatives in this city
| His father lives i'll Massa saciusetts but h
has not yet been heard from. The dcat
| man was a member OF tie order Of Recha
bites, and the funeral services viii prob
ably be held under The auspices of :ha
| organization.