Putnam patriot., 1912-12-20
Coroner Finds Gallagher Guilty Of Grim.
inaI Negligence

the clerk Of the Superior court, Satur-
day, his finding and the evidence TAX
en- at the inquest in the matter Of the
railroad wreck that occurred In this
city on the night Of November Is in
which Harrison @. Brooks lost his life
The coroner finds that the death Of
Brooks was caused by the criminal
omission and careiessness of j. Nj. Cal
lagher, nagn1an on the train that was
run into. The state police had al.
ready been requested 10 arrest Gallag-
her but he has disappeared. A war.
rant for the arrest Of Gallagher has
been issued and local authorities have
also requested that he be apprehended
if found. The finding of the coroner is
as follows;
coRoNER's FINDING IN MATTER OF
DEATH OF HARRISON q. BROOKS
The undersigned, coroner within
and for Windham county, having re-
eeiyed notice about seven O'Clock p. m.
on Sunday, November 18th, that one,
Harrison G.. Brooks, freight brake
man, had been killed at Putnam,
Conn, 1 viewed the body of said de-
ceased and on the 10th day of Novem-
Der, 1912, at eleven o'clock a. m. held
an inquest as to the cause and manner
Of the death of said deceased, at the Of
flee OF the clerk of the Superior court
in said Putnam, and by adjournment
at my office in Danielson, Conn, on
the 26th day of November, 1912, at go
O'Clock p. M.
From the testimony taken at said in
quest | find that the said Harrison G..
Brooks, resident of East Hartford,
Conn, was employed as head brake
man on extra freight train No. 412 on
the n. Y. n. II. d II. railroad run
ming between East Hartford, Conn,
and Worcester, Mass. That on Satnr-
day night, November 10th, while said
train was running from Pomfret TO
Putnam il ran into the rear end of ex-
ira freight No 40 which had been
left standing short distance westerly
of the bridge over the river in said
Putnam, the engine Of said train No
40 having been detached and run to
the coal chute and water tank for a
supply of coal and water.
That said Brooks was riding on the
engine of train Az with the engineer
and fireman and was in his proper
place. That as soon as the engineer
"a 10. Ia.t, = -.
applied his emergency brakes and or
dered the men To jump from the en-
CINE. In jumping from the engine
said Brooks struck his head upon
some object or upon the ground frac-
turing his skull, from which injury he
soon died. / find that when train No.
40 stopped near Putnam, it was the
duty of one j. NJ. Gallagher, as fig;
man of said train, to Immediate
back distance of one mbo ooo and
thirty-six telegraph polesm Sixteen
the rear of the train bXas n Joke of the
does on the track IL ike Tho stone
with red lam by the builder and
pfoach'ne on Va lad stone of the cor
ming in the SAM of the soil were bur.
mat the s,b BIS, but prosperity fol-
of time afte< rev with unexamnlee
10 nave Brings have been made 's-
lance a. b per acre increasing ia AZ
In suI natural increase of pole' 70
nave Ere has been an uplift eheeu
the and of country ife,n anu
nel Theodore Roosevelt -,
pgressive party lea, Trai,,
left the Grand CT, -,
six Chicago Monday - -
heass this MID winter pc. - NOS
ana TINS eroposed solidilit ~, ' 80 60
sip'e 70 Dim I'D the layint ,,o or hnt ,sas
reaching the Narns N 4lo pu' was
wholly unable ~ ~ Ia
That the enginesl emen and said
Brooks took the oniyNpossible chance
open to them for saving their lives and
Jumped from the engine just before IL
struck the rear Of train 40.
| therefore find that said Harrison
G. Brooks died in said Putnam on the
nth day of November, 1912, from in
juries he received in jumping from the
engine of freight train on the tracks
of the n. Y. n, IL. Il IL. railroad In an
attempt TO save himself from being
killed in a collision between said en-
CINE and the rear end of another freight
train standing on said track. Ana
further find that said collision and the
death of said Harrison q. Brooks was
caused by the criminal omission and
carelessness of said Flagman NJ.
Gallagher in failing to perform his
duty in guarding the rear end OF said
train as required and ordered.
/ delivered the body of SAID deceased
10 l.. f.. Smith, undertaken, for ship
ment 10 relatives in East Hartford, for
burial. With this finding | file the
testimony taken at the inquest.
Dated at Danielson this 18th day of
December, 1917.
Arthur @. Bill,
Coroner for Windham County.