Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-16
DUE TO CARELESSNESS
DEATH OF WOMAN PASSED UPON
BY JURY.

After spending more than an hour in ex-
aiming witnesses who saw Ethel Proctor.
colored. struck by Baltimore and Ohio
locomotive at University station. Brook
land, Sunday evening. the coroner's jury
found that the death of the girl was due
to her own carelessness," and the verdict
brought in by the jury so states.
In the absence Of DR.. Ramsay hewitt, the
District coroner DIR. l.. w. GlaZebrook,
deputy coroner. conducted the inquest
which was held at the morgue building on
the river front.
Policeman C. H. Brady OF the Brookland
station the first witness called. The
officer described to the jury the place where
the girl was killed. and told of the location
Of the tracks close to the Brookland sta
ton. The policeman, when he reached the
station, found the body lying across the
track about ten feet from where she was
struck. The girl died within ten minutes
after he saw her and before she could be
taken to the hospital. DR.. j. II. Brooks
was In attendance on the girl when the
policeman reached the scene of the accident.
Heard No Bell Ring.
Addie Cook, colored, was the next wit
ness. She was with Ethel Proctor and two
others when the accident occurred Ethel
was walking along the station Platform at
Brookland. Witness heard no bell ring. and
the first warning she had was when the girl
was struck by the train and knocked down.
Witness said she did not hear or see the en-
CINE coming and heard no call Of warning.
Annie Proctor sister Of the dead girl. was
next sworn. She with her sister when
the locomotive struck her.
They had been in drug store for soda
water. and were on their way home. The
station gates were down, and they went
hDr haQr d a m hSll
on the gate ringing. but did not See or
hear the train. The first warning they
had was when she felt the jerk of the
arm of the boy who was beside her. and
her sister fell. Witness stated positively
that they had no warning of the ap-
preaching train.
Extra Whistle.
H. T. Fisher, SIG Michigan avenue north
east, was the next witness. He was at
the station Sunday morning when the acct
dent occurred. He said he heard the train
approaching and heard the engine blow
an extra whistle. This. being unusual, at
tracted his attention, and he looked in time
to see a white object fall. The witness
could not say that the engine bell had
rung.
A. Maenay, crossing Waterman at Brook
land, was next sworn. He has been In
charge of the gates at Brookland for seven
or eight years. The gates Sunday morning
were down before the train passed and
the automatic bell on the crossing rang
for the train for some time before the tram
passed. 1t was drawn by TWO heaVy en-
gines and witness heard the train as 1t
approa ched the station blow the usual sig
nal. Witness did not hear the bell on the
engine ring as 1t passed the station. Ihere
are no station lights on the platform Tor
the Westbound track, but the platform. the
witness said was lighted by the street
lamps on Michigan avenue. The engine. as
II came along by him, he said, blew a
warning blast, and he looked up and saw
the girl fall across the platform. The
warning blast was blown but a short dis
lance away from where the loeomotlye
struck the girl. She was struck about fif-
teen seconds after the whistle was sounded.
Policeman Bradley was recalled. and gave
data as to distances. Witness said that
he had time and again warned persons OF
their nearness to the track at Brookland
and had pulled them out Of danger.
Had Been Warned.
James A. Richardson said he was at the
Brookland station. and saw Ethel Proctor
and her companions walking on the STA
ton platform He called to her to look out
as the train approached. and started
toward her Before he reached her the
engine struck her and knocked her down.
Witness saw the train approaching MIN
ute or two before the accident occurred
q p Pickett, engineer OF the locomotive
that struck the girl. was the next witness
~" aid that he sounded his signal whistle
I'D hell as he approached the Platform at
RrookIand. He saw a number of people on
the platform and noticed the group ahead
of the engine. They paid no attention to
his signals. and he then sounded warn
ing blast. shut down his engine and ap-
piled the brakes. He saw the bumper of
the engine strike the girl and knock her
down. The train. he said. was running at
about fifteen miles an hour. He rang his
bell at the crossing, and in the opinion of
the witness, the girl had ample time to get
out of the way after he sounded the warn
ing blast
F. E. Wachsmuth, engineer of the second
lomocotive. said he saw the girl fall past
the train after she was struck. Witness
corroborated the statement Of Engineer
Pickett regarding the signal given by the
train approaching Brookiand and at the
station.
DR.. r. w. Baker. who performed the
autopsy on the body of Ethel Baker. testi-