New-York tribune., 1896-12-27
THE CORONER PUZZLED.
DR.. MASON AT SEA OVER THE FATAL
ACCIDENT TO MISS HEATING.
AFTER HOLDING AN AUTOPSY. HE SETS THE IN
QUEST FOR WEDNESDAY AND HOLDS THE
NEG2O PORTER WRIGHT.


NEG2o PORTER. WRIGHT.
After tho autopsy yesterday on the body OF Miss
Ella keating, who killed by a wildcat engine on
the Kings County elevated road just after midnight
Christmas morning. Coroner Mason set the in
quest for Wednesday Having Informally examined
of the witnesses. the Coroner said:
This case s puzz.e will keep the negro porter
under arrest pending further developments"
He referred to A. A. Wright. the co.ored porter Of
the Montauk-ave station OF the road who was alone
with the young woman when she down. and
who arrested charge OF homicide
DR.. J. Francis Valentine performed the autopsy
yesterday afternoon. The skull fractured
and there were no indications that Miss Heating had
been assaulted The pe.vs and the right leg were
broken.
Ella was member OF the choir in ST. Maachy's
Church. and was dcvout Christian She left her
home just after the clock indicated the ushering in
of Christmas. She called "A Merry Christmas" to
the members of her family. Her father called back
from tn" tcp OF the steps, "A Merry Christmas, my
dear. 1t will be merry Christmas to some and
sad one TO others" He little knew how prophetic
this was
Before going to the drug store after the accident.
Wright entered Christian Morios saloon at the
same crossing on which the station is situated
Ills face was CHASTITY, ard he exclaimed In
great excitement: "a lady has tainted on
the platform. Give me glass o. whiskey quick"
MS II d inherent statement from of
the several other descriptions of the accident given
by the porte-. Arthur Sutton. of No. los Wyoma-
st. and Christian Bauer and their wives were
walking under the structure after the acct
dent happened. when they heard the groans of
a woman and faint cries for help Sutton and
Bauer ran upstairs and they did so the colored
porter ran downstairs past them When asked
what had happened the negro said: "A woman has
fallen on the platform" They found Miss Heating
lying on the boarded path between the two tracks
They carried her TO the station house
The engineer in charge Of the wildcat engine that
ran the girl down Is Gordon W. Matson Of NO
ss- Somerset Matson does not remember that
the engine struck anybody at that place.
According 10 the more elaborate statemenC that
NrSh' mas made to the police. at the time the
engine was approaching Miss Keating had climbed
down on the south platform across the tracks and
was endeavorng 10 climb up the platform on
me downtown side lie says he ran across the
Intervening tracks and selling her garments at
tempted TO pull her out OF danger The train H.,
says; struck them both and threw them about
ten iect into the middle Of the roadway The police
consider this whole story incredible The engineers
keep such close watch N stations that II Is practl-
cally impossible that an engineer could run down
two peop." and not know IT, Tfen again Wright
WAS stripped by the police and scar or brIlise
OF any kind was found his person Another
ihng that seems suspicious is that Wright neither
attempted TO take the girls body from th. tracks
"herc IL might be again run over by another train
nor did he raise any cry for help from the plat,
form. ~ F'N