The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-12-23
INQUEST OVER THE REMAINS
OF VIOLET A. BARR.
Engineer Lien and Fireman Topel
of Freight Train on the North.
western Road Testify; They Saw
No One on TrestIe or Track;
the Verdict Returned BY the
Inquisitors.

the verdict Returned BY the
lnquisitors.
From Mondays Daily.
The inquest over the remains OF
Violet Aline Barr was neld at the
undertaking rooms of the John Klein
Undertaking company at ten o'clock
this forenoon, by Coroner Kennedy.
County Attorney Plymat did the
questioning. No new light was
thrown on the death of the little
girl, whose body was found early
Friday evening under the trestle
leading to the Chicago and North
western bridge over the Blue Earth
river, on the west side.
G. s. Won Lien of Waseca, engi-
neer of the train that passed over
the bridge about the time that the
girl is supposed to have fallen off,
testified that his train left Mankato
for the west at about 500 p. M,
Friday. He saw no one on the track
and did not hear anyone scream. The
headlight was burning brightly and
he was watching the track closely
He first learned of the accident at
Tracy, when he got message from
the chief train dispatcher. He whis-
tied for all crossings, and the bell
was ringing. He was looking out of
the right side of the engine The
train was an extra
Fireman Knew Nothing.
William II. Topel, fireman on the
engine, and residing at Waseca. tes-
titled that he knew nothing of the
accident. He was putting in coal, but
when a half block before getting to
the bridge he looked ahead along
the track and saw no one on the
bridge and heard no scream. The
bell was ringing and the whistle had
blown for the crossings. 1t was get
ting dusk. The witness had lighted
the kerosene headlight at 4:15 p. M,
leaving Waseca, and it was burning.
R. II. Eldred of Waseca, conductor
on the train, testified that the train
arrived at Mankato at sos D. M,
and left at 500 or 5:25 p. m. He
was in the caboose and it was not a
part of his duty to watch the track.
He heard no scream. He first heard
of the accident Saturday, shortly be-
fore l p. m. He had travelled the
bridge for eight or ten years, and
never saw anyone walking across the
bridge. He had no special orders
about watching ahead on the bridge.
Russ BurrlI a Witness.
Russ Burrill told what he knew
of the accident, which was the same
as published by The Free Press Sat
urday. From the position of the
body Of the girl and the scalp
wounds on her head, he felt that the
girl must have been hit upon the
head by the steps of the caboose
or the engine. The ground was
smooth, and the witness did not
see how the cuts could have been
inflicted by the ground. She was also
heard to scream. The whistle had
blown loudly just before the bridge
was reached. If the engineer and
fireman aid been looking they must
have seen the girl. More people walk
over this bridge than over the
wagon bridge. Crowds going to Min
neopa Falls use it, and witness en-
tire family use it. He had cautioned
them and the little girl to be careful
and to sit down on the cap if train
came. There was plenty of room if
a person sat there, but he thought
that the girl must have been stand.
ing up. The fall was eighteen feet
No Cross Timbers.
There are no cross timbers to
strike, and witness had examined the
bolts and found no hair or blood
The body must have laid as she
struck, yet the face was not
scratched, and she might have struck
on her head and Topped over She
was lying on her face with arms
stretched out. She was directly I'M
der where the milk pals were, and
was eighteen inches outside of the
cap. The child was wearing a hood
on her head She might have been
standing on the cap, clinging to the
guard rail when struck. The steps 60
fourteen inches above the guard rail
The hood was produced and had
hole-cut or rip-in the front, and
was bloody
Fay Burrill testified to finding the
child dead. He had not heard her
scream. The ground around the body
was not disturbed, the weeds stand
ing up.
The jury brought in the following
verdict:
violet Aline Barr came to her
death by a fracture Of the skull
caused by being knocked off or by
falling off of the Northwestern tres
tie at the west end, crossing the Blue
Earth river"