Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-25
SECOND DAY OF TRIAL
Police Captain Mathews and
Lieut.. MuIhaII Before Board.
ALLEGED NEGLECT OF DUTY
Proceedings Growing Out of Fatal Ac-
cident on Railway.
DEATH OF ENGINEER MURPHY
Fourth Precinct Officers Accused Of
Obstructing Work of Relief
The Evidence.
DEATH OF ENGINEER MURPHY

The second day Of the trial of Police
Captain Mathews and Lieut.. Mulhall for
alleged neglect of duty and for obstructing
railroad men from promptly rescuing En-
gineer Hugh s. Murphy, which was re-
sumed at the first precinct station today,
was devoted to a continuation Of hearing
evidence from the prosecution. A number
Of railroad men were called, and all of
them were questioned about the action Of
the police In surrounding the wreck with
ropes and a Gordon of officers and issuing
instructions to keep every one back until
the wrecking train and derrick arrived.
Each one of the railroad employees declared
Capt. Mathews, Lieut.. Mulhall, or officers
acting under their orders, kept uniformed
railroad men, to the number of six or eight,
from rendering preliminary aid and from
using jacks in effort to release the en-
gineer, who was being scalded by escaping
steam and water beneath his engine.
Witness Cox Recalled.
When the trial board session was re-
sumed Witness T. H. Cox, machinist, who
began his testimony yesterday, was re-
called to the stand. In cross-examination
by Attorney James s. Easby-Smith, Cox
declared that he was prevented by the po-
lice from shutting off the valve which
would have prevented the steam and hot
water from escaping about the body of
Engineer Murphy. Attorney Easily Smith
read from testimony given by Cox at the
preliminary hearing before Commissioner
Mcfarland, seeking confederation or con-
tradiction of the various points there cited
concerning the details of the accident and
the action Of the police under Capt. Ma
thews and Lieut. Mulhall. The prosecution
GIL fnd 6~pv Inc 10
and interior of the locomotive cab, and in
dicating the location of the "bug-valve,"
which. it was stated. could easily have been
reached by Cox II he had not been showed
out by the police
v. NJ. AcKers of 31S South Capitol street,
a fagman on a yard engine, said he and
Conductor Ryan, his superior the crew,
were instructed to run up with their engine
to the scene of the accident and there
await further orders from the yardmaster.
He added that both of them were prevented
from going up to the wreck, or from search
ing for the yardmaster to learn his wishes
Night Assistant YardmaSter Frank G.
Stewart. the next witness, said he, too had
been pushed out by Captain Mathews, but
that he had no more trouble after Captain
Mathews had been informed that he was
supposed to have charge of the wreck and
to see to having the wreck train summoned
and the engineer released.
Work Seemed to Be Slow.
seemed mighty slow" and he hurried to
get the wreck train so that Engineer Muir
ply might be released.
Questions were asked by the defense
whether the wrecking derrick wrenched the
cab loose from the engine. or whether the
whole engine was raised Slightly. Mr..
Stewart asserted positively that the cab
was torn partly away from the running
boards.
II arrived at the wreck five or six min
utes after it occurred said John S. Hutch
ms. p, B. and w. conductor. and he re-
cited the details incident to the early eff
forts to release Murphy. He declared that
the police put their ropes around the wreck
and would allow no railroad men anywhere
near, and further, the police told the rail-
road employees that they could take charge
when their derrick arrived, and not before
1T was our purpose to the Jacks to
spring the cab and get Murphy OUT de-
clared the witness
lone man could operate any size jack to
its capacity and over" said Mr. Hutchns,
and the toy engine introduced yesterday
was again called into use to illustrate how
Engineer Murphy was caught and how
jacks would be used to raise the cab
Harvey L. Poss of Alexandria. relative
Of the dead engineer, was called to iden-
tify the shoes worn by Murphy the day of
the accident, and to state his weight and
describe his general build.
Il had been sent with my engine to the
on the p, B. and W.. land tried to go up
to find Yardmaster Gordon to get his or
ders about pulling out the cars from the
train. The police would not let me
through" 1t was brought out that the
yardmaster later came to Ryans engine
and instructed him to couple up and draw
the passenger cars away from the over
turned engine.
Testimony of Eyewitness.
q. T. May Of s07 C street southwest, who
witnessed the accident, testified that it was
about a minute after the engine overturned
when the steam pipe burst, and when he
found it impossible to get near the loco
motive he ran to a nearby store and tel
ephoned for the police and fire depart
ments. When he returned a great crowd
of people had collected and he could not
again get near the wreck. Mr.. May is an
engineer on the Pennsylvania railroad and
1t was sought to establish by him whether
the closing of the bug valve (Which Wit
ness Cox testified to having tried to reach)
would have prevented further escape of
steam and scalding water. Witness said he
thought it would
Details of the accident were also related
by Gerry B. Epley, who lives on Maryland
avenue about 100 yards from the scene of
the wreck. Epley said that he and an
other man had gotten a jack off the over
turned locomotive and they were working
with it when the police compelled them 10
stop and get back on the pavement
Method Of Adjusting Chain.
The question of the method of adjust
ment of the chain with which the cab was
raised by the wrecker derrick was brought
out by the examination of Fred Bloomcr,
a member of the wrecker crew. He said
that the chain was run through a window
and then through the ventlator in the cab
roof.
with the power available in the derrick
it would have been impossible to raise more
than forty TONS" Bloomer declared. ..hut n