The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-19
BLAME FOR TRAGEDY
IS NOT FIXED
CoRoNER'S JURY FAILS TO PLACE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ou.
cHEMiN's DEATH.

10 his death by being elected by an
unknown person on the engine of
train No. !. passing Dixon. Missoula
county. Mont. at about ?: 80 a. IN. Of
January II. 1910. and by being struck
by helper engine of No. / of that date,
backing east through the passing
track at Dixon. At the same time,
the said Lawrence Duchemin was
elected from train No. of said date.
while pulling out of Dixon, Mont"
The above verdict was returned la st
evening by the coroners Jury which
held an inquisition into the cause of
the death of the young lad who met
death so tragically early Monday
morning at Dixon. The Inquest was
commenced at $50 o'clock yesterday
afternoon in the office of Coroner
kendrick. The first witness called
was DIR. J. J. Mahoney. who testified
to having beer called TO the hospital
to attend young Duehemin. He de-
scribed the injuries. which were as
stated in yesterdays Missoulian. and
stated that death was caused by shock
and hemorrhage.
Testimony.
William T. Mccarthy. the engineer
on the helper then took the stand and
told his story of the accident He
stated that his engine had just been
taken off No. ! at Dixon. and was
backing to Missoula on the south
track. Train No. was just pulling
out and had gone but few car
lengths. His engine was running at
rate not to exceed six miles an
hour. when he noticed tine corner of
the tank strike man. who appeared
to be I'm the air. The engine was
stopped and the fireman got down and
picked ur the man. who was uncon-
scious. Mccarthy believed the man
to be dead and was going to his en-
CINE. intending to go to the station
and call the coroner and railway Off.
cials. when he was told that another
man was under the wheels of his en-
CINE. They looked at the man under
the engine and found that he was not
dead. and brought him to MissouIa and
the hospital as quickly as possible
The rear lights on his engine were i'm
position and burning. Train No.
was just getting started and was go
ing at only three or four miles an
hous.
The next witness was w. c. Adler.
fireman on the helper engine. his evil
dence tending to corroborate that of
Mccarthy. the engineer. He stated
that the distance between the side
track and passing track was stand
ard. but did not know wha, the
standard should be.
New Facts.
The evidence of H. C. Tasue. fire.
man on train No. l. developed some
new facts. Tague stated that he had
put four men off the front end of
the mail car at the Dixon water
tank. and had told his engineer to
go ahead. Two of the inen started to
run for the train and he "hoilered"
for them to keep off. He was POSI-.
tive that they did not again get on
the mail car. He was standing. at
the time. on the edge of the tank,
with lantern in his hand. He was
two feet from the mail car and would
have been able to see anyone who &C.
cupied that position. II anyone
stated that he had struck at the men
with his lantern. he would brand the
tale as a deliberate fa,sshood. The
two young men could have caught
the rear end of the mail car and
thus get aboard the train. but he did
not think they had done SO. The first
he knew of the accident was when
he was coming back on train No. ;.
Charles ketterman, the chum of the
dead lad and also hurt in the acct
dent. told straightforward story of
the affair. He stated that he and
The others. Duchemin. johnson and
Boggs. had boarded the blind baggage
1t Missoula. and when they arrived
At Dixon they all 60, off the train.
When the train started on its journey
he ran for his old position on the
blind baggage and pulled himself up
,y the hand railing. Some man with
/ lantern was on the back Of the
tank and raised his arm as If To
strike. and ketterman jumped. He
found some man on the platform when
ne climbed up and. as near as he
NhS"s saes was PoAAh IASi~
.erman insisted that just as he turned
% jump. he was struck by something.
which was. presumably, the lantern
n the hands of the man on the
.ank. whom he did not know He lost
and the next thing he
knew he was being picked up. He
lid not know what caused him to
ose his senses. 1t might or might not
De a train. although he was positive
hat he had been struck before he
eft the train. His partner. If that
5 who he was. was on the train when
le jumped. He regalned conscious
less and ran to the place where
ouchemin was lying. and he Thought
he latter was conscious, as the first
words he said were. He hit me-" He
appeared to be conscious at several !
different times. at one time giving |
his name, address and the names and |
addresses of his relatives. The last
ime he talked with his chum was in |
HE hospital. when the latter threw /
his arms around his neck and ex-
'laimed that the doctors were hurting