Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-05-11
DEATHS CAUSED RY ACCIDENT
Verdicts in the Cases of John
Mason and William Green.
INQUEST HELD MONDAY EVENING
Over the Two Men Run Down
at Edge Moor.
A Discrepancy in the Testimony Given by a
Companion of the Victims aud That Given
by the Trainmen-Tbc Couple AliGhteu IN
Front of IN Approaching Train.

Verdicts of accidental death were
rendered at Coroner Vandever's inquest |
Monday night on the bodies of John
Mason, colored, who was instantly
killed, ,and William Green, also colored,
whose death resulted from injuries
received, at Edge Moor last Monday
night. Tho juries comprised Walter
NJ. Watson, foreman; John Moreland,
j. G. Thatcher, II. f. Christopher, l.
r. johnson, Isaac p. Carly and Allen
G. Medford, Deputy Coroner Ferris
Giles acting as secretary.
The interesting question in the minds
OF the jury was whether Mason and
Green had been forced from the train
while it was in motion. After John
Morgan, the conductor, and Michael
keegan, the fiagman, of the north
bound freight, known as Nj, d. with
engine 35, had testified, neither Of
whom saw the men at or near the time
OF the accident, M. M. Mcknight, the
middle brakeman of the train, was
put on his oath. He said that the first
he saw Of these men was at the west
Fard when the train, which had come
rom Baltimore, stopped to do some
work. He told the men to leave the
train. He next noticed them when the
train was going into Edge Moor and
told them to get off and stay off. After
the train was checked up there, witness
gave the signal to go ahead, and at
that time saw the men climbing over
the cars; black and white men were
among them. He got up to the top of
the train and told them to get off,
and saw them get down between the
cars, and paid no more attention to
L. tls... -k.1 a.. ~
brakeman what work was to be done
aud started back to the rear end of
the train and came upon five colored
men between two cars and told them to
get of. Mcknight said he saw one of
them start to jump off and the rest
followed suit. He did not know any
more about them until the following
night when he was notified of the acct
dent, it being supposed that the south
bound train had hit two men who got
off the northbound train.
At this point, the statement of Ed
ward jackson, colored, was read. Jack
son was with the two men at the time
OF the accident, but was unhurt. His
statement had been taken to enable
him to leave here. According to his
statement the men were told but once
TO get off. He told the brakeman that
the train was going too fast, to which
he declared that the brakeman re-
sponded with an oath that he would
make them get down and put his hand
at his hip pocket; jackson could not
say whether or not the brakeman had a
weapon. Mason and Green jumped off
in front of train.
Brakeman Mcknight declared that
the statement was lie. He denied
that he carried weapon or that he
put his hand at his hip pocket. The
train was pulling away from the
station, and was going four or five
miles an hour. After he told the men
to get off the last time he saw train
coming from the direction of Gordon
Heights.
Speaking Of the method of handling
tramps on a freight train, Mcknight
said the train is supposed not to carry
anybody. If the train is running too
fast for person to get off in safety,
son to leave the train while it is in
motion.
The brakeman's statement disagreed
with Jackson's as to how the crowd
left the train. jackson says there were
three in his party and that two left on
the left, and one, himself, on the right
whereas Mcknight says there were five
Of the men and they all went off on
the side towards the southbound track.
There were white men on the trair
further back. but witness did not tel
them to get off, for the train was goine
too fast by the time he had walked
back to where they were. Ii the train
had stopped in Wilmington he coult
have called an officer to arrest thest
men and could have had them arrested
If fhau Cttl M ha trus IN, IL
delphia. The best speed this trai,
makes is about 80 miles an hour.
III. III. Jemison, the head brakeman
testified that he saw 10 or 20 cooret
men on top of the train at Edge Moor
He told them to get down and the
started to do so. Some of them wer
still there when the middle brakeman
came up and witness heard him tel
them to get off. Jemison starte
toward the engine, and then saw extr
No. 209 coming down from the directio
of Gordon Heights. The mon ha
plenty of time to clear the southboun
track between the time they were toll
to get off and the arrival of the sout
bound train. Jemison said he did nc
see Mcknight put his hand at his hi
pocket and did not know anythin
about the mems being hurt until th
next night. He said that they ha
no instructions as to the manner {
putting men off the train.
In his testimony Conductor Morga
said that it is not customary to pC
men off the train if it is going to
rapidly to permit them to get off i
safety. A loaded freight train woul
have to run two full lengths befol
getting up speed enough to make
unsafe for man to jump off. Whe
men jumped off, the train had move
but few car lengths, according
the testimony.
No other witnesses we're examine,
none being present from train No. 20
which is supposed to have struck Il
two colored men. One of the juro
suggested that the Jury ought to he
from the people of that train, b
Deputy Coroner Giles said they d
not know that their train struck Il
mon. 1t was agreed that the death
Mason and Green was due to the
having been accidentally struck
train No. 209 on the p, W. & B. raj
road.