Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06
company should have notified me-" Hide

| are derelict. don't you think there is a
moral obligation resting upon you to look
after these other trains?'
to block and be notified If I was approach
ing another train. 1t is against the rules
of the company to allow two passenger
trains in one block"
do YOU know that 66 always runs late
on Sunday nights when it is doing local
work.
No SIR
Did you see any rear lights on &C when
you struck it?'
Il saw no lights
How fast were you going past Takoma o.
about eighteen miles an hour"
How fast when you struck 66?''
About twenty-three or twenty-four miles
an hour
Shortly afterward Hildebrand, answering
a similar question. placed his speed pass
ing Takoma at twenty miles to twenty-five
miles.
DO YOU use intoxicants?"
No. sir; drink glass Of beer once In
a WHILE
Did you have any beer last Sunday?''
mo. SIR"
do YOU use cocaine?"
Il don't know what 1T is"
Asked whether he slowed down approach
ing Stotts station. Hildebrand said ne put
on the air.
Asked whether he had ever been suspend
ed for neglect of duty. Hildebrand mem
toned one case when he was given q lay
off for running into the rear Of another
freight train on the main line, when the
fagman sent back to warn him went to
sleep. and another time when he ran over
switch.
His Hours Of Rest.
Giving the hours he worked Friday and
Sunday. Hildebrand said he slept four hours
Saturday night and four hours Sunday morn
ing. That was the only sleep he had be-
tween Friday morning at $50 o'clock and
to Cumberland. from Baltimore made one
round trip between Cumberland and WASH
fngton and was on the way back to Balti-
more from Cumberland when the accident
occurred
Asked when his eyes were tested, Hide
brand said the last time the company re-
quired 1t.
When he took up the questioning Assist
ant District Attorney Turner asked Hide
brand what time he passed Silver Spring?
Obi the engineer replied
What time did you strike train 66?"
''6.3S p.m. l looked at my watch"
Would you be surprised to learn that
the. watches of other railroad men put the
time of the wreck at 6:34?'
Il don't know about their watches
Asked by the assistant district attorney
whether he saw any people on the station
platform when his train passed Takoma
Park Sunday evening. Engineer Hide
brand said he thought so. though he was
not sure. because the fog was thick and
all objects were 1ndiStinct.
Il saw one o" two Shadowy objects that
might have been people, he added.
You said in your testimony a moment
ago that you saw the station light at Ia
koma Park" M. Turner continued.
Yes"
How far from the track is that To-
cated?'
Il couldn't say exactly"
You have been over the Metropolitan
branch many times?
And yet you do not known how wide the
platform at Takoma is. and how far the
station lamp. hanging the wall of the
building. is from the track
mo. / can't say
Did you see anything else?'
signal post.
You remember no other lights between
wreck occurred. except the one station or
wall light at Takoma Park?"
Il saw no other lights of any kind
Reduced Steam at Silver Spring.
Did you say. when under arrest in the
tenth precinct station. that you shut off
steam at Silver Spring and drifted?''
Il did. 1 shut off steam at Silver Spring
and have never opened that engine since
then except to back out of the wreck.
You didn't see any lights at Takoma
or on the rear Of train 66?"
L saw no lights at all"
Were you looking for them?"
p Yes; l was looking all the time
How far into the fog could you see your
headlight ?"'''t
"A couple of feet 81
And on such a dense night how did you
expect to see fiagman at Stotts when you
couldn't see your own headlight any dis
lance at alp Attorney Turner inquired
The rules require that train using the
cross-over should protect itself, and the
fagman should place torpedoes or fuse on
the track.
And you were expecting to hear tor
pedoes?''
"Yess SIR
How was 1 to know GO was ahead OF
me. How could 1 know when they didn't
notify me or stop me anywhere along the
line?" said Hildebrand in reply to another
question. How was 1 to know 66 was
twenty-five minutes behind time and was
not in the station.
Mr.. Turner asked the engineer what time
he passed Kensington. but he could not re-
member exactly.
Adjournment was taken until 1920 Mon
day morning.
DR.. hewitt Suspects Perjury.
81 am satisfied that some of the witnesses
who appeared at the inquest and gave tes-
timony did rot confine themselves to the
truth" said Coroner hewitt to a Star re-
porter last night. land 1 am going to see
IL the Ia Will not apply 10 testimony given
under oath before coroners jury the same
as it does to that given before juries in the
courts"
DR.. hewitt asserted that there had been
some discrepancies in the testimony and
that he could account for it only by think
ing that somebody did not tell the truth. He
said he thought something ought to be done
in the matter, and SO far as he is concerned
he is willing to spend several days in court
to have the alleged perjury sfted.
The coroner also declared that he intend
ed to hear the testimony of all the wit
nesses he could find Anybody who knows
anything about the wreck, he announced.
will be heard by the jury. When the inves-
tfgation is ended, he stated. he does not
want anybody to say that he or she could
not be heard.
What 1 want" he said, sis full inves-
tigation of the accident. and if anybody is
responsible 1 want the jury to have the
benefit of the testimony that will show
where the responsibility rests"
Arrangements were made last night to
have the police summon additional wit
nesses to appear at the inquest tomorrow
morning 1t is said that the operator at
Boyds station is to be summoned and that
the operator at Takoma Park and the rail-
roads representative at Silver Spring are
to be heard tomorrow. The three stations
are in Maryland and detectives from head
will RI rod nd