New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-20
MANGLED ON THE TRACKS.
saocKINc DEATH OF THE JUDGE"
BUILDING JAN1TOR.

KILLED ON THE SUBURBAN ELEVATED RAILROAD
BUT NO ONE KNOWS HOW HE CAME
TO DE ON THE TRACKS
The shocking death Of Lawrence Richards. the
oolored 1anitor Of THE Judge" building al Fh'h-
ave and Sixteenth-st., was not explained aiter d"
investigation by the Morrisania police yesterday
Richards was a man of considerable means anu
lived In fremont. His duties frequently kept
him downtown until late hours at night. nc was
killed on the Suburban Railroad near the Ohe-
hundred and -forty-third station. al an carry
hour yesterday morning. His BODY was htera"!
ont IN pieces by the wheels Of locomotives ana
cars which passed over 1t. The police THINK tna'
Richards was killed by accident.
The first intimation that anything mad nap.
pened was a slight shock felt by the crew anu
passengers Of the northbound train whch iei'
One hundred and-twenty- nnth-st at lZ4o a. H.
and PASSED One-hundred- nd -forty-thr6-st. elev-
en- minutes later. Charles Schlumbon, the con-
ductor, thinking that an accident had happened
20 tho engine or one Of the cars. held the train
and personally examined the runnins-gear OF
Zach car with a lantern Not satisfied with that
mo switched the train to q siding q rev rous
north of the station and then returned along the
tracks with two guards Eleven feet south OF
the platform he came across Richardss haheieo
body, and Policeman Gunson, OF the Morrisah'a
station was called from the street Wheh 'he
patrol wagon arrived Richards's body was taken
from the track and carried TO the police STATION
Sergeant George f. Titus accompanied the
wagon to the railroad station and found an angry
group OF passengers and citizens from the street
clamorng for the arrest OF the trainmen. ser
reant Titus made a careful investigation OF the
affair and then arrested the engineer. EDWARD
johnson, Of College Point. Long Island, and the
fireman. George Hueltnet Of No. 2.46s Eighth
ave.
In the Morrisania Court Johnson told Magis-
trate Mott that he Was at the lever when the
train reached the station but that he neither
saw Richards nor knew Of his presence on the
track until he felt the jar of the engine as 1t
passed over Richardss body. Even then, ne
said he did not know what had caused 1t until the
conductor found the body. The fireman said that
he also felt the shock but no one on the track
as he was at the furnace
At the One-hundred- and-forty -third-st. sta
ton absolutely nothing was known OF Richards'
Meehan the guard who goes out on the pat
form upon the arrival Of each train, says that
Richards did not get off any train at the
station. nor did he pass through the waiting
room to the platform IT.,
name and address, and at a. m Mrs Rlch-
ards went to the police station and ldentheo
the body by means Of the papers and two gold
rings on the little finger Of the left hand She
told Sergeant lesser. who was at the desk, that
her husband left home at o'clock on Weuhes-
day morning. and that she expected MIN nome
at midnight 1t was his habit, she SAID, 10
come home by the Third-ave. elevated road
change cars at ed-and-twenty-nlnth-
ST and ride to the Wendover-ave. station OF
the Suburban, only two blocks distant from ms
home She said that he was prosperous ana
apparently happy. and that there could nave
been no motive for suicide. 1t was learned that
Richards sometimes drank freely. and II is
thought, In spite of the statement OF Meehan.
the guard to the contrary, that he got OH
his train by mistake, and being sleepy or un-
steady from liquor fell to the tracks and, prob
ably stunned by the fall, lay unconscious across
the tracks In that case, neither the engineer
nor the fireman would have been likely 10 see
Richards, owing to the poor lights at the sta
ton. ..,.. o..
Sergeant Titus extended his investigation to
the transfer station at One-hundred-and-tweh
ty-ninth-st, but there failed to find any trace
of a. person Of Rchards's description.
Magistrate Mott examined the engineer, i1re-
man and conductor carefully. and had their
statements. with that of Sergeant Titus. taken
by the court stenographer. In the absence OF
any evidence discriminating the prisoners, ne
discharged them