The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-16
THE TRAGEDY AT STRATFORD
dRREST OF VTLLT4M KELLEY ON
CHARGE OF PERJURY.
Now Admits That He Lied When He
Testified He Was ON the Car-Testi-
ner's Inquest.


ner's Inquest.
Bridgeport, Aug. 15.-When the cor
| oner's jury, which is investigating the
! causes of the trolley disaster on the
| Shelton Street Railway Co.'S bridge re.
| convened to-day William Kelley, who
| testified before the jury last week was
| brought into the court room under arrest
charged with perjury. In his testimony
last week Kelley testified that he was a
passenger on the car at the time of the
accident, and described in detail the
scenes just before the car fell, and the
| efforts of the motorman to stop the car
and also his sensations when he fell
from the car into the mud in the bed of
| the pond.
Patrick j. Clark, however, testified
| last week that Kelley was not on the
car at all, and in court this morning Mr..
| Clark and his son John H. Clark, told
substantially the same story to the eff
feet that Kelley was sitting in car
riage on the highway at the time Of the
accident and that the mud on his
clothing came there from his wading
through the soft pond bed to the wreck
ed car some minutes after it had fallen.
Kelley was then put on the stand and
admitted that he was not on the car
at the time of the accident and that he
did not fall from the bridge. He said,
however, that he was sitting where he
could see nearly every movement that
was made when the car ran down the
incline, and on to the bridge and top
pied over, and that he could judge accu-
rately as to the speed at which the car
was moving. He offered as an excuse
for his story before the coroner's jury
that he was greatly excited. Kelley
had not been arraigned on the charge of
perjury up to the close Of the morning
session. but was held prisoner at po-
lice headquarters.
w. Harvey Merwin, the young man
who was seen to remove a fuse from the
wrecked car the day after the accident
occurred, was called and admitted that
he took the fuse. He said that he was
an employee at the works of the Bridge
port Traction company in this city and
that when he was on the scene OF the
accident on Monday he saw the fuse in
the car and, thinking that some person
might remove it, he decided to take It,
It might be of use to his employers, he
said, in proving that the car was in
good condition, and that the absence of
fuse was not responsible for the ina
bility of the motorpan to stop the car.
The fuse was produced, and, after an
examination by an electrician, was pro-
nounced to be in good condition.
After hearing the testimony of several
other witnesses the jury decided that
the conditions of the ties and rails on
the approach to the bridge at p. m. on
the day of the disaster had been estab-
lished and no further testimony on that
line was needed.
William p. Hay Of Bridgeport, former
ly track construction foreman on the
New England railroad, testified that
bridge and tracks, in his opinion, were
constructed, and that the |
guard rails were the. same as used ev- |
erywhere else, and that no guard rail |
would be efficacious If the car struck |
it at right angles or nearly so.
President Radel was the concluding |
witness of the morning session. He
said that the Syndicate Construction
company of New Jersey had the con-
tract for the four bridges ON the road,
which they sublet TO the Berlin Iron
Bridge company. The contract price
was $4,000. The bridges, however, had
1ot yet been accepted by the street rail-
way company,
The morning session was concluded
ust before 1 p. M, and an adjournment
vas taken until O'clock.
William Dryden, motorman en-
'loyed by the Bridgeport Traction COM
'any, was the first witness called after
he jury had resumed their session He
ould give no information Of value
however, and was allowed to CO. George
'alzinger an electrician employed by
he same company, also was unable to
contribute anything to the evidence al
eady heard and was dismissed These
wo men are among the number who in
ormed the jury, by letter, that they
ad information which would be of con-
iderable value in arriving at a just
erdict in this case. The evidence,
owever, did not materialze.
Charles r. Richards, a mechanical en-
ineer, testified regarding guard rails.
LIS tCotlillcHy was SUBSTANTIALLY the |
anne as that given by Mr.. Beach at
ne forenoon session. One new fact,
owever was brought out by Mr..
He said that on Sunday, 4
-ugust 6, he went to Shelton on car,
bout two hours before the accident oc-
urred. AS the car went on the bridge,
e said, there was a jolt which thor
ughly alarmed him. 1t was enough to
tighten man if 1T had happened on
vel ground, witness said, but on a
ridge it was even more so.
David T. Booth, who had testified
reviousy before the jury, was re-
allied. Mr.. Booth said that great
eal Of the earth which had been about
lie ties at the time Of the accident had r
cen worn and worked away by the
eople who scrambled up and down the
He said that the com
any, at the time the approach was be- d
6 built, insisted that no roots or any
ling except earth and stone be used .
it's construction. Shortly after r
clock the jury went into secret ses-
on The hearing will be continued to- e
orrow morning.
} PUSH CHARGE AGAINST KEEL
LEY. 4