Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-03
RESULT OF ACCIDENT
JURY RETURNS VERDICT IN CASE OF
THOMAS BLAKE.
Man Was Killed by an Electric Car
Near BenninG-The Testt-
mOny Heard.

The death of Thomas Blake, the race
track follower, who received fatal injuries
Sunday night when he was struck by CO.
lumbia electric car near Benning, was de-
clared by a jury today to have been acct
dental. Blake was scalped and his body
was badly bruised and crushed. 1t Is the
opinion of the doctors that the mans injur-
les were necessarily fatal, and that his life
could not have been saved had there been
no delay in getting him to the hospital.
The coroner's inquest was held at the
sixth precinct station this morning. Chris
tan Anderson, the motorman on the car
that killed Blake. explained to the jury how
the accident happened. Sunday night be-
tween 8 and o'clock, he stated, his car. on
its way to the District line, ran over the
he said, was lying on the track and the car
was only short distance from him when
the motorman saw him.
II shut off the current and applied the
brakes" he said, but the tracks were
wet and the car slid over the man"
His car was on time, and he had 1t I'M
der control. When he first noticed Blake
the car was going at the rate OF about ten
miles an hour. The mans feet were
toward the car and witness thought he
was asleep. Witness said the night was
dark and he could not see more than thirty
feet ahead of the car. There are two
stopping points between Benning and the
race track, he said, but there was no light
at either of them. Witness helped others
to raise the man from the track. He was
perfectly helpless. He did not detect the
odor of liquor on him.
The Conductors Statement.
Conductor Edward H. Johnson told the
jury that he knew nothing of the results
of the accident until the car had stopped.
He then went back and saw the injured
man. The point at which the car was
stopped was between Benning and the
chute where race horses were being put
into freight cars.
The injured man was placed In car, the
conductor said, and was sent to the city.
Witness thought he was dead until he
heard him moaning. Witness did not smell
the odor of liquor, but the man appear
ance indicated that he had been drinking.
James Morrison an expreSsman, who was
working at Benning Sunday night, testified
that when he saw Blake at the chute Sun
day night he had been drinking. Those
with him, who talked about going to New
Orleans went away A few minutes later,
Witness heard policeman threaten to ar
rest Blake, and the latter said he was
going to leave Benning the following day.
A. B. HardeSty, railroad messenger boy,
testified that he was watching the men
putting race horses in the cars when the
accident occurred. Previous to this time, he
said, Blake was intoxicated. He saw Blake
after he had been injured.
PassenEer Testifies.
Matilda Dogan, colored, who was a pas
senger on the electric car Sunday night,
told the jury that she saw what she thought
was bundle of rags on the car track 1t
was not until after the car stopped that she
knew the supposed bundle OF rags was a
man. Witness said she occupied seat at
the front window and she thought she saw
the man about the time the motorman dis
covered him.
Policeman Bryan Of the ninth precinct
told the jury that Blake was under the in
fluence Of liquor when he saw him a few
minutes before the accident occurred. The
autopsy showed that there was a quantity
OF alcohol in his stomach.
The body Of the victim is still in the
norpue