Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-11-17
THE CROWLEY CASE
IS STARTED

Associate Judges Blee and Thomp-
son MONDAY morning convened the
special term of court called for hear
ing the case of Mrs Cromley. widow
of Joseph C. Cromley, of Limestone
township, against the Pennsylvania
railroad to recover damages for the
killing of Mr. Cromley and the son of
the plaintiff aud also a team of horses,
by Pennsylvania train on a crossing
at Watsontown on the afternoon of
January 8, 1902. In the absence of a
presiding Judge adjournment was tax
Ell to 2 p. IN.
At about 2 80 p. IN Judge White. of
Indiana county, reconvened court and
the preparation for hearing the case
was started by selecting a jury. The
twelve men chosen to serve as jurors
are as follows: Charles Gibbons, J.
@. Mincemoyer, Simon Ellenbogen,
Samuel Lunger, a. G. Shultz, H.
Weaver, John Campbell, Lewis Little,
William Black. William Bell, J. ".
Andy and Frank Olmstead.
Attorneys Scarlet, Baldy and Gear
hart appeared as the counsel for Mrs.
Oromley and Lawyers Hinckley and
Grier for the railroad company. The
court room was well filed and con.
siderable interest was being manifest
ed in the proceedings when the case
was opened at 3 80 o'clock by Lawyer
Gearhart During his remarks to the
jury Mrs Cromley was in tears. He
outlined the tragic deaths of the man
and boy and promised to show that
when on his way home from Watson
town in the afternoon of January 3,
1902 Mr. CIomley, who was in his us
ual health while the boy was likewise,
stopped before going on the track to
sea if train was approaching and
then started his team OH walk. Also
he stated that would be shown that
because of the excessive speed Of the
Buffalo Flyer, the train that killed
the man aud boy and team, a notice
was sent by the borough of Watson
town to superintendent +. b West
fall, now deceased, requiring that no
trains run through the town at n speed
of more than six miles an hour and
that to this Mr. Westftll replied that
it would be impossible to reduce the
speed of the Flyer, but all possible
precautions would be takel.
The first witness called was Mrs.
Cromley, who was on the stand only
a short time aud whose answers relat-
ed manly to her marriage to Joseph
q. Cromley, their having a son and
the leaving home of Mr.. Cromley and
the boy on January 8. 1902. to take a
load of wheat to Watsontown, and
their failure TO return alive.
The most interesting testimony of
the afternoon was that of Jerry DonO.
van, of Williamsport, who at the time
IIb dGClucul "bLhth az biV lab'C
works at Watsontown and from wind
ow of the factory saw what looked
like bundle of rags whirl into the
air as the train passed. a cloud of dust
and snow following it. He went at
once to the crossing, fin1ing the mans
lifeless body so or 10 feet away, the
boy Just breathing his last still 10 or
90 feet farther down the track and the
cut-up forms of the horses about 200
feet away. He testified that he work
ed four years at the factory, seeing
about ten trains a day pass and the
FLYER was tho fastest of all Of them.
Desert bing its speed at the time 1t ran
down and killed the CromIeys, he said
it took only couple Of seconds for
the train to pass from the crossing TO
the nail works, distance of from 300
to 500 feet.
The case was well under way at the
time of the afternoon 5 adjournment,
but it will stretch out over several
days in all probability.