The Washington times., 1906-09-27
CHANCE Of RESCUE
GREATLY LESSENED
BY FORCED DELAY
Thirty Witnesses Appear
Before Macfarland
Today.

As a preliminary 10 the prooe the
District Commissioners VIII institute
into the death. Of F. ineer Hugh s.
Murphy, who va sc6 .dee to death
while plnloned nGer his overturned To-
comOtive at Sixth street, and Maryland
avenue southwest. on September n. an
examination OF thirty eyewitnesses to
the accident was begun before COmmis-
sioner AIacfarIand ar 10 o'clock today
IN the board room Of the District build
ing. The examination was for the pur-
pose OF determining the exact conduct
OF the police OF the Fourth precinct. un-
der Capt ". II, Matthews, who have
been charged by the brotherhood of Lo-
comotIve Engineers with delaying the
rescue OF the unfortunate engineer
hirty minutes.
All Testimony TO Be Used.
Commissioner MacfarIand stated that
the testimony Of the witnesses. q ma
jority OF whom were railroad men who
assisted in The rescue OF Murphy, Will
De used in connection with the police
investigation. which the fun board OF
Commissioners will conduct
In the absence Of Major Richard syl-
vester, superintendent OF police. Cap
tain BOardnan appeared with Captain
Matthews 10 question the witnesses.
A J.. Moffat and II. Il. Ireland, two
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton railroad employees, were the first
witnesses called, both men declaring
that they were interfered with by the
police IN the attempted rescue of Muir
ply
ireland said that while inserting a
lifting jack under the locomotive cab,
IN an effort to release the legs OF the
engineer. he was roughly handled by
policeman and pushed away from the
engine. In spite OF mis- explanation that
he was a railroad man and intent only
on assisting in the release Of Murphy,
who all the while was suffering terri
BILE agony. the policeman. he sSid, drove
him away. MOffat also declared that he
too, vas interfered with by the police
man while attempting to use another
hydraulic Jack.
Both men Insisted that had they been
allowed 70 lift the engine the life OF
Engineer Murphy might have been
saved No amount Of CTOss-QuesttOning
on the part OF Captain Matthews. who
sought 10 disprOve this statement
served to shake their opinion as TO the
in delaying the rescue.
Active in Stopping Rescue Work.
Attorney Char.ss Bendhelna, repre-
senting the Brotherhood of Locomotive
es that the two jacks were of sufficient
lifting power to release the legs Of
the pinioned engineer. He also brought
out from A. \. Spence, yardmaster for
the Southern railroad. that the police
were more active I'm driving away the
railroad men who were striving to give
70 Murphy than they were IN
10 rescue themselves. he
daola red that the poiiCP seemed deter
mined to delay The rescue until the ar
rival of the Fire Department, nOtWith-
standing the railroad men made repeat
ed protests against the arbitrary police
action. and asserted that they were ex-
in removing wreckage
Moffat Thrust Aside.
w. J. BeIshaw. D. Sullivan. II. T.
Ireland. and A. y. Spence testified that
while Flagman Moffat was on his
knees engaged in lifting the cab Of the
overturned engine, an officer approached
and forcibly thrust him away from his
work. Monat and BeIshaw, they
stated. had already succeeded in releas-
ing Murphy's leg.
Captain Matthews directed a volley
Of questions at the witnesses.
The relevancy Of his questions was
several times disputed by Commission
er Macfarland. The Commissioner
called his attention 70 the fact that he
was not at the hearing in the gUise Of
q prosecuting officer
Frank G.. Stewart, assistant yard
master of the Potomac. Baltimore and
Washington railroad, who had charge
Of the wreCking car which succeeded
IN eXtricatlng Engineer Murphy, testi-
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