The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-06
THE ANDERSON INQUEST
Several Witnesses Testify as to
the Probable Cause of Death.
WHEELS CAUGHT HIS FOOT
The Evidence Produced at the Hearing
Showed That Anderson Was Not in
the Wagon at the Time the
Horses Started to Run.

An inquest vas held yesterday morn
ing on the body of John p. Anderson,
who died a few days ago from the ef-
fects Of injuries received in a runaway
accident. The jury in the investigation
was as follows: Thomas Boland. r. ID.
C~rosswhite. Michael Shea. Dan Rice, j.
H.. Collins. Ben w. Rollins. The YER
dict of the jury was that the deceased
came to his death through accidental
causes.
Joe Stafferson. a rancher of Lost
Creek, was the first witness. He tes-
titled thai he. together with some other
men. were driving from Anaconda.
When they reached a point just below
Carroll, they saw an empty whiskey
barrel lying in the road. They picked
this up. A little further a broken pack
age of coffee was found. A quarter of a
mile further a number of cans Of toma-
toes had been lost. A quarter OF a mile
beyond the point where the a
were found Anderson was seen in the
road. He was walking around his
wagon and seemed to be tying on the
goods.
The witness turned off the main road
about 800 yards from where Anderson
was with his team. They watched the
proceedings, however. and saw him
walk arou the vehicle three or four
time. The witness saw the team start,
but Anderson was not in the wagon.
The distance was too great to permit
him to see wha had become of Ander-
son. The horses ran two or three hun
dred yards and then stopped. The wit
ness thought the man vas intoxicated
at the time and had left his team, and
the horses started. He did not know
hat he had been hurt.
Il. Stafferson was the next witness.
He came along i'm a cart shortly after
the accident occurred. He came to a
big box which had evidently been
thrown of the wagon and a little dis
lance beyond the box he saw a nan ly-
ing in the road. He got out of his cart
and ran to him.. The man was lying
on his face and seemed TO be in great
agony. He was %groaning and the, blood
was running from his nose. He did not
make any response to the witness ques-
tions. and was apparently unable to
speak.
Ten or Is feet to the rear of where
Anderson lay in the road one of the
dead mans overshoes was found. The
other shoe was on his foot. The wit
ness came to the conclusion from this
fact that Anderson had been working
around the wagon, and when the horses
started his foot became e%ntangled in
the wheel or some part of the wagon
gear and he was dragged "A consider
able distance.
The witness went after help n in a
short time obtained a conveyance inc
brought Anderson to the city, where he
was placed in the hospital.
Mrs. j. M. Emmons testified substan-
TALLY the same as the previous witness.
She saw a two-quart demijohn in the
wagon, which contained some liquid,
but she could not say whether IL was
whiskey or not. A gentleman who had
come to her house day before yesterday
had told her that Anderson was not
drunk when he left Anaconda.
Adolphus Rivers, Will Linkenfelder
and B.. c. Barrett were three other wit
nesses. but they added no further de-
tails than those testified to by the two
Sta ffersons.