Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-12-20
ENGINEER is
Put ON TRIAL
Train Killed Three People
at Elizabeth Station.

Elizabeth, Dee. 20.-More testi.
mony Ia being taken today in the
case of William r.. Hartmann. Of
Metuchen, engineer OF the Contra
railroad fiier which ran down and
killed three persons at the Elizabeth
avenue Crossing of the Long Branch
Division on the night of April IL
last. Hartmann was arraigned be,
fore the Court of Quarter Sessions
on a charge OF mans1aughtsr. He
is being tried on an indictment
brought In by the May grand jury
charging him With being reaponsibI<
for the death OF Mrs. Ann Ellis
Stone, of Keansburg. Mrs. Stone'i
daughter, Mrs. Hannah Cosgrovt
IColyer and Edward Saunders. q bag,
gage master, also met death under
Hartmann's train on the night In
question.
George H. Van Note, conductor OF
Hartmann's train, Vas the first wit
ness called ~wnen the trial opened
yesterday. His testimony was OF an
unimportant nature relating to the
TYPE of train of which Hartmann was
fthe engineer. The engine was known
as No, GIL, Of the "800" class,
camelback type.
Ernest Knolson, of Perth Amboy,
who was employed as towerman at
Bayway at the time of the accident,
was the next witness. Under direct
examination, he said that on the
night In question train No. GIL pass
ed his tower at 9.06.
Don't you know 1t to be a fact
demanded the counsel for the de-
Tense, that train Gil arrived at the
Elizabeth avenue station at 9:05?"
Il do not know" was the answer
MY watch might have been wrong"
"As a matter of fact, didn't you
wait until later In the evening to
make the record In your book"
ut might have been a minute or
two after the train had passed"
Isn't 1t a fact that sometimes yon
recorded the time OF q trains pass-
ing and afterward changed 1t be-
cause you found that you must have
been wrong?"
Sometimes"
Isn't it q fact that at times dur
ing April, 1911. you gave the train
master the wrong train time and he
corrected your"
Yes
The towerman added that the
time OF the passing of train eli had
not been changed In his book.
Mr.. Kerwin WAS the next wttness.
He admitted that HArtmannss train
was not running on any regular
schedule and that It's speed was only
regulated by the position OF the
! block signals. II they showed q
limit set az to how fast tho train
might run.
Prosecutor Swift went deeply into
the question az to how far ahead ar
1~engineer could see from his cab. Mr.
Kerwin said that he believed q train.
man could see from the Third ave.
nue. crossing as far az the end or the
lstation shed at First avenue In The
daytime. and he said he believed the
headlight of an engine could be sesn
at night as far away Rs a whole train
could be seen by day. Under cross
examination, he admitted that he
had nevar made the test under sim.
liar conditions to those which con
fronted Hartmann.
isn't 1t a fact he was asked,
l"that In back OF Hartmann's train
there was another special running
from Lakewood to Jersey City, and
that Hartmann had to keep out oil
its way?"
II do not recall"
Mr.. Kerwin was served with a
subpoena to appear rs q witness for
the defense In the courtroom.
Harry r. Mount n of the eye
witnesses to the accident, vas call
ed. He said that Mrs. Stone, who
was Is years old. and lived In Keans-
burg, accompanied by her daughter,
Mrs. Hannah Colyer Cosgr6ve and
himself, left the home of Mrs.
stones daughter. Mrs. Tillie Wat
son. of $50 First avenue, on the
night of the accident and went to
the station. The local train for
Perth Amboy pulled into the sta
tion and the two women started to
board t. He stayed by the station.
He did not know that . train was
coming on the eastbcund track until
he heard shout, Look out
for the trainl" That was but = few
seconds after the local had ccUe to
d supp Elt SHAA taAL n1 66AFU A4
warning bell nor whistle.
AT the shout OF danger, the crowd
scattered. He did net see the train
strike the woman.
For more than two houra Ciar-
ence w. Huntingdon, general super
iRtendent of the Central Railroad
Company, was examined By the
prosecutor and grilled by Mr.. SckIsi-
mer on the rules and regulations OF
his road.
Mr. Huntington said that two
tracks cross Elizabeth xvsnas at the
station. One o. these. he admitted,
Is for all eastbound tragic. Including
passenger, freight and goAI trainn,
and the other track IL TOR all traffic
going IN the opposite direction
Was there any naxuaan stationed
at the Elizabeth avenue crossing 20
aae trains svsns a. e;s.svs directions
the night OF the a~cetaerGYv ask
ed Mr.. Schleimer.
There was not, to my kRowI-
edge. The signals automatic"
Alexander 2 Phillips, OF Lake
hurst. n conductor for fsae Central
Railroad, waB the uezt Witness. YnA
testified that ne had formerly acted
as train rule examiner for the rail-
road, and sHid that he had examin-
ed Hartmann a. 8 candidate for sasa
position OF engineer. That was
eight years ago, be said. and prev8-
Gus to that Tins the ACCUSED englresr