Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-10
GARDINER. d
Inquest on Death Of The
Late Edmund B. Bent.
Associated Charities Elects
Oiticels--0ther Business.
Secret Society Matters.-Salvation
Army to Be Discontinued.

neon on the death Of Edmund +.
Bent of Portland. who was killed at
the Maine Central station last Friday
evening, not one couid tell just now
Bent came 20 hi:; death and the report
o. the cDroner's Jury to the effect that
il" came t. his death by being crush
II by Maine Central Railroad Train
NJ. Is. nov. =, between ) and i F.. NJ.
in some way unknown to the jury
was the only one which could be rea-
.onal " returned from the evidence.
~" finding was signed by Coroner
Frank f. Andrews, F.. w. Blanchard,
Warren l.. Tozicr, W. b. James, Alb
.er j. Clark. George E., Sherman and
Eralts r. Bailey.
The Inquest was held in the city
roclGs and but few were present out
eil,. the members of the jury. the wit
ms, and the press representatives. Al
interested observer was Rev. Charles
". DANE. pastor of the Park Street
Prceby terrain church. Portland, who
cane in behalf of the widow While
il" asked n questions he took notes
freely ana was evidently much inter-
.stcd IN :hc case.
The first witness was H. T. Rodick
ry wien Bert was killed. II" stated
that h. bad io' n an engineer in the
employ of the Maine Central for nine
years. Hi, stor.' ~ til" accident "as
(" this effect: the tain arrived in Gar
t'irr about G.lo and dropped the cars
for the Gardner freight mouse. Grant
Has conductor. E..idy aH,! i;cnt wore
brakrmrn and burgess tl.enan. He
IN Icrstond that Bent entered thi. eiu-
ploy of the company under pay M"n-
day ul last week. ON the night that
Sent VAS killed he was backing up
the train by orders of brakeman Rridy
at a :ato not exceeding three or four
miles an hour. He said that he had
10 WAY of Knowing Wi"rc Bent was
at the Time. Carroll T.. Perkins, q Wa
tcrVi!ie attorney. asked several qucS-
TONS regarding Bcnt's service in the
employ and about coupling ears to-
Gcinc
Charles t.. Grant stated that he had
been in the employ of the Maine Gem
trail for % years and DIS "A conductor
II Years of that time. Bent was with
linl when the cars were showed off
tie main line and when haued back
a"ain. The last time he saw Bent was
when he started to ride the cars out
to stop them one side Of tP" "rN~@' /"
He stated that he could not Tell what
called Bent to the place where he was
killed. In reply to questions by Mr..
Perkins Mr.. Grant said that Bent lad
been instructed in his work to the best
Of his ability.
Iphn IL. Wight. station baggagemas-
ter in this city. testified that the
young ladies first called nis attention
to the man under the ears which had
not yet been coupled on to the rear
Of the train. He With DIR. Libby and
Ben Alexander pulled the man out
from under the cars. He lived about
three minutes.
Miss Gladys McI<ennty. of South
Gardiner one of the two Young ladies
WHO first saw Bent under the cars.
told of 9ceing him under the ears for
the first time and did snot see him any
where else. She heard SOM" one cry
out Miss Reed screamed and tlicn she
eHtv the man under the car
Miss Eva c. Reed Of Gardner who
was With Miss hcl\rnnev. said that
she first saw the man under the car.
III" train was backing UP sloWly and
h. Was being rolled along.
ilr. X. -. Silnons of Gardiner t"sti-
fled regarding tl" injuries received by
r"nt when he was killed after an cX-
animation made later in tn" evening.
The clothing was terribly Suilcd and
covered with blood. THE right cheek
was bruised. the skin of the nose was
denudcd. there was d scalp wound 90
about three inches in length. the left
upper idw was broken. the third Ger
Nical vcrtcbra was fractured. the ribs
on the left side from the fifth to the
18TH were broken and the chest was
crushed in over the heart. the left foot
was almost entirely severed and ter
rihly manSlcd. the right arm was sew
cred below the shoulder. Or. Simons
said that the fracture of the Nertebra
would probably have caused death
first but he gave it rs his opinion that
death was caused by the separation "t
tho tissues of the arm and leg and ,il'
bleeding.
pr. A. T. Libby of South Gardiner
t"Sis,cd to the time of the accident.
iNlt the train was backing up slowly.
About the time Wight shouted &c saw
tn" man und"r the wheels. He with
Alexander and Wight pulled him out
from under the car. The left foot Was
still on the rail as il the wheel had
just gone over it. but the body was
all tree from the cars. The man was
still living when pulled out from the
ear. but died soon after. He Judged
that the neck vas broken and the arm
severed whea they pulled the man out,
hut il" made no. lengthy examination.
BENJAMIN Alexander of South Gar
diner testified to about the same cf-
i"Qt as de! DIR. Libby.
This concluded the evidence and the
Jury retired. After celebrating about
AN hour they returned the verdict. the
substance Of which has already been
given.
Freeland Howe. Jr.. of Norway was